When I'm not on MFP I'm Reading!

Join

Real Books VS E-Readers

Options
12346

Replies

  • girlfromOklahoma
    girlfromOklahoma Posts: 129 Member
    Options
    E Reader for me. I've always loved to read, but never really read more than a couple of books per year until I got my Kindle this past Christmas. A few reasons why I love my Kindle:

    1. I can read it while I workout on the elliptical or treadmill. With a book I'd have to find a way to hold it down to keep the pages from flipping on me.
    2. When I finish a book, I can go straight to the Kindle store and find something new to read. I don't have to drive to the store and pick something out. I buy it right there and it's delivered in a matter of moments.
    3. While I'm in the Kindle store I can easily read other readers reviews of books I'm considering.
    4. The Kindle store prices are GREAT! I've read several .99 cent books recently. Also there are a lot of self published books in the Kindle store that are awesome!
    5. When I finish a book it's not sitting on a bookshelf taking up space in my house; and since I always keep my Kindle with me I can flip back to any book I've ever downloaded at any time.

    Negatvies of the E-Reader:
    1. Unable to loan books to friends who don't have a Kindle. This is a big negative for me. I have a good friend who I used to always pass books along to. She and her husband have 5 children and don't have a lot of extra money. So she always enjoyed getting to read my old books.
  • tomatini
    tomatini Posts: 61 Member
    Options
    I like both, but these days I am using an e-reader more. I read really quickly so carrying around a single e-reader makes a lot more sense than carrying around 2 or 3 books with me. For anything with a heavy visual element (like art books, graphic novels, cookbooks etc.) nothing beats a printed book though. Genre fiction? E-reader all the way, since the printed copies tend to be cheap paperbacks anyway. Checking books out of the library via e-reader is also super-convenient, because you can do it from your house. With that being said all three of the bookcases in our tiny apartment are still completely overflowing, hah.
  • Tatiyanya
    Tatiyanya Posts: 255 Member
    Options
    I love the feel and smell of real books, but I am forced to travel a lot and I will soon probably move across europe. Cant bring my whole library with me, Cos we are talking 2 rooms full of bookshelves and comic books.
    Kindle on other hand holds tons of books, makes tons more books avalible to me and is just light and small.
    Also no background light on kindle actualy benefits my eyes (tried to read on tablet, never again )
    It's also a gift from my boyfriends parents, which makes it super awesome for me.

    So, at current point in life, very much e-reader for me. Once I settle down on my *kitten*, in one place, where I wont be moving out for few years atleast ...then i'll prolly revert to good ole paper.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Options
    I don't think it's an either-or thing, you can do both (I do), but, when I am reading, if it's a good book (and why read a bad book?), I don't think about the smell, the feeling of it in my hands, etc. I am totally engrossed in the story and the words, and that happens for me equally well with both. So, for convenience factor, the Kindle wins. I can see how other people who value the overall experience more than I do feel differently.

    I would agree with the above poster that the major downside is not being able to loan it out or pass it on. You can loan certain kindle books to other people with a kindle or kindle app for a limited time but so far none of the books I've wanted to loan have been loan-enabled.
  • GormanGhaste
    GormanGhaste Posts: 430 Member
    Options
    I read both e-books and paper books. I really love e-readers, as you can increase the font size--every book is now a large-print book!
  • cgarliepp
    cgarliepp Posts: 14
    Options
    I also prefer physical books while at home, but I enjoy my Kindle when traveling (and it negates the problem of taking 3 or 4 books with me because I don't know if I'll like the first or second that I take. LOL)

    It's much easier (for me) to flip through physical pages when looking back to find something that I can't remember the details of than to go back and forth in the Kindle (but maybe I just haven't learned well enough how to do that yet.)
  • eagergirl
    eagergirl Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    I love both! I have to say, most of the books I read now, are on my Kindle, but I also love reading in the tub, which is a problem with my Kindle, and I get bummed out when my battery is charging!
  • KindleKate
    KindleKate Posts: 24 Member
    Options
    Well, I guess my name says it all, doesn't it? lol

    I don't miss the feeling of a book in my hand at all. I'm about the words not the tactile feeling of holding a book. I bought my first Kindle when it came on the market and never looked back. I have over 500 books in my Kindle library. I'm a huge fan of Book Gorilla where you can get ridiculously cheap deals (check it out - daily specials offered by Amazon).

    My house had so many books laying about in every room prior to my Kindle... I quite ran out of room to store them all.

    One of the things I love best about e readers is the ability to download a book anywhere in just seconds! And I carry my entire library with me in my little purse.

    There are certain subjects better handled in book form - art books come to mind.

    There's a place for both. But I'm addicted to my Kindle. :)
  • codycsweet
    codycsweet Posts: 1,019 Member
    Options
    I have always loved real books but about two yrs ago I got a kindle and love it. Easy for me to take anywhere. I get access to a lot of free books and since I don't usually re-read books I don't have to deal with stacks upon stacks of books. I can read 50+ books in the summer time. If you love e books and you don't have it go to bookbub.com or on Facebook lots of free books. Most are part of a series but still free is free. Happy to find this group
  • hellokathy
    hellokathy Posts: 540 Member
    Options
    I have a Kindle but I also still read "real" books. It depends on several things like author, cover, price, etc. whether I get the eBook or want it on my shelf.
  • BattleTaxi
    BattleTaxi Posts: 752 Member
    Options
    Must have the real thing! There are so many reasons paper is better than the electronic stuff.

    1) E-readers don't have that new-book smell.
    2) E-readers never have the old book smell.
    3) If you drop a book in water, it gets more personality. If you drop an e-reader in water you get electrocuted.
    4) You can read a book on the beach and not worry about getting sand in it.
    5) You don't get the satisfaction of seeing, at a glance, how much of a book you've read at a given point of your reading.
    etc.

    I agree with this 100% however I read books so quickly and I read multiple books at the same time that it is just not efficient in my lifestyle to have physical copies anymore. I collect books, tons and tons and tons of books! So the e-reader is the best option for me. Plus, a lot of the authors I like are indie authors, their books are often not available in paperback for some time.

    I love physical copies, but I also love all the free space in my house now!
  • adieann7
    adieann7 Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I don't have an e-reader as such but I do have a tablet on which I can read books. It's not the same, I know, but it does the job.

    Personally, I like real books better, because I like the smell and feel of holding a real book. However, for some instances I do use my tablet. For example, if I already own the book and can also find it on Tuebl. I still live with at home, and my parents recently split up. It wasn't very nice and included a lot of manipulation on the part of my father. We're a book family and he took many of the books from our communal library that we all loved, so those are on my tablet until I get the money to replace them. There is no way in hell I'm asking for them back.
  • TamS2015
    TamS2015 Posts: 31 Member
    Options
    I have not read all the replies so i'm sure i will just be repeating.

    I was a fan of only the real thing for a long time. Then my husband got me an e-reader. I just love it. I can get books free from the library to download to it so that's one stop i don't have to make anymore and no late fees. People don't comment on what i'm reading since they don't have a clue what i'm doing. And i read books like i watch sitcoms so at any given time i might be reading 10 books, the reader makes that so much better for travel :)
  • firststepformefal
    firststepformefal Posts: 180 Member
    Options
    I used to feel the same way, then I got a Kobo. I find it easier to carry around with me, so if I am waiting, I have something to read. My local library allows the loans of digital books, so I do not have to buy them. Often, the waiting list for e-books for popular books is shorter than the waiting list for the real book. I download from home, so that saves me a visit to the library. I can also download when the library is closed. The books automatically goes back, so no late fees. The Kobo site offers free e-books and low cost e-books. This lets me sample an author without putting out money for an author I may not like. The Kobo takes up much less room than the physical books. Also, if something happens to my Kobo, I can still access my library of books on the Kobo site and download them again. I can also remove books from my Kobo, if it gets too full, but still have access to them from the Kobo site.
  • Lives2Travel
    Lives2Travel Posts: 682 Member
    Options
    I love my Kindle. And, since I'm kinda OCD, it works for me not to have books and magazines cluttering up the house. And I love that I can take as many books as I like when I travel without sacrificing space for extra shoes!
  • Smirnoff65
    Smirnoff65 Posts: 1,060 Member
    Options
    Haven't bought a real book in years, my Kindle goes everywhere with me, I love having 1000's of books that I can pick from whenever I want or depending on my mood.
  • lillithfair4
    lillithfair4 Posts: 17
    Options
    I can absolutely relate! I love the feel of a book in my hand, especially an older one with the softer paper. Just something so soothing about it. And books can't run out of battery, nor do you get a glare on a screen that makes it hard to read.
  • crunchergirl
    crunchergirl Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    I love books. The feel and the smell of them, however because I travel quite a bit, it is so much easier to just use the kindle app on my ipad. Because I read a lot and fast, my suitcase would be loaded down with books and I would also spend ridiculous amounts of money on books at the airport. Plus I have to say that I love the fact that i can buy a book at a moments notice.
  • janmclark_10768
    janmclark_10768 Posts: 3
    Options
    I have a Kindle but I occassionally read regular books.
    For Traveling the Kindle is Much better for Me because I would have to
    carry at least three books which can be heavy if the books or 300 or 400
    pages. I read a lot when I travel so the kindle works out better for me.
  • oORosadaOo
    oORosadaOo Posts: 97 Member
    Options
    I never read regular books anymore since I got my Kobo.

    I can find all my books online, mostly irregular. I could never afford books the ordinary way nowadays.

Categories