Ebooks vs. Real Books

vendygirl

Okay I have to know. What are your thoughts on e-readers (Kindle, Nook etc) versus real books.

I was skeptical at first but then my husband bought me the baby kindle just before our wedding so I could have it on our honeymoon for our *cough cough* recover time.

I have to say the Kindle is awesome. Light, easy to work and easy to read, even in the bright sunlight (something which is hard to do with the ipad). Now don't get me wrong. Nothing can replace the physical book. I love having one in hand and nothing beats old book smell!

My husband actually will check out a book on his kindle and if he REALLY likes the new author he will go out and buy the actual book, if it is available.

So what are your thoughts? Do you think e-readers will completely replace books? Or will it be like the CD/Records and they will survive to a point.

TheBrolympus

Real books will survive but the ebook market is growing stronger and stronger. Nook and Kindle have apps for the computer, phones, and tablets so you can read you books on anything. The only problem I have with e-readers is using them for reference materials. There is nothing faster than flipping through a book scanning for the information you need.

hdsqrl

My husband got me a Nook, and sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't. I think e-readers are great for travel and for reading novels for fun. If you have a book you'll want to use for reference, though, a real book is the way to go, just because you can flip through it so much faster. Plus, of course, if the book is a classic, the real one looks great in the home library.

tansygreen

I was given a Kindle for mother's day last year (like you, I was sceptical) but it was just so easy, eg. standing up on the subway and reading one handed, I took to it immediately.
I really don't think they are any good for magazines, newspapers, cookbooks and so on because I like to see the actual layout with the pictures and headlines and whatever in the way they were originally designed. Visually it just makes more sense to me.

ImNotThatBob

There will always be collectors of Real Books. eBooks will become more popular with the advent and availability of more devices to deliver them on. However, like you said... "Nothing beats the feel, or smell of a Real Book."

deadstarsunburn

I think e-readers are awesome.
However being a college student I've found just buying the book is smarter. For example one of my summer class textbooks would cost $163 brand new hardcover copy, and e-reader $123, I just bought a used one for $40 and can sell it back for nearly what I bought if for.

So for me I don't find it useful lol.
For leisure reading I think they're wonderful and loads cheaper!

rml_16

I've tried reading on my phone and I despise it. I'm a writer and I love being surrounded by real books, seeing their covers, holding them, having the spines sticking out on my shelves ...

Reading, to me, is about more than just the act of looking at words and processing them. I will never own an e-reader. I'm scared to death that it will eventually be the only choice, though.

angieroo2

I like my Kindle a lot more over regular books for two reasons: I can switch between different books depending on what I feel like reading; and my purse isn't weighed down when I carry a book on my commute.

angieleighbyrd

I love my kindle

samf36

I have a Kindle fire and my one son has a nook and my other 2 kids have smart phones and read off our accounts. I love that there are many free books out there and we can get from our library . I love to read and would sign out many books a month from the library but seldom bought any , not in my frugal nature.

lloydrt

they will become like typewriters............unfortunately,a thing of the past

like fountain pens, abacus's, 8 tracks, CDs, and reel to reel tape recorders

just a new type of information based products.............sigh

Mustlovepugs11

I have been using a kindle for a few months now. I really enjoy it and have been reading a lot more, but I am finding now that I miss having the actual book.

js25698

When ebook readers first started appearing, I thought it was a stupid idea. I wanted the feel of a real book. WELL, now I have my Kindle Fire and I get mad when a book is not available in ebook format. First, I like the ability to change the font since most paperback print is so small. Second, I like how it syncs last page read between my Kindle, my phone (for sitting on the train), and my computer at work which also has the free software installed on it. I love my Kindle.

mhankosk

I just personally like the feel of a real book in my hands. Its a weird thing, I know. But thats just me. I am going on a 2 week trip in July and was actually considering getting a Kindle just so I don't have to pack a book (or books)... I'm just not sure how much I'll use it once I get back... Who knows.

poodlelaise

I love ebooks. I will never buy another fiction book that isn't an ebook. It is so easy to carry all the books you want for an entire vacation. It is so nice not to have hundreds (or thousands) of books all over the house. Also, with arthritis in my hands, it is so much easier to hold and turn the pages in an ebook. I will still keep my "real" reference books and cook books though.

galegetsthin

I hope they dont replace them completely. While I LOVE my Kindle, and pretty much only buy books on it, there is something about a book that it cannot replace. I still buy books for reference material, and if I *REALLY* love a book, I will buy a hard copy. But recipe books, educational material and old books are something that you need to feel, to be able to search for that favorite cherry cobbler recipe or the sentence that you highlighted.
Another thing is the smell. I love the way that books smell. Especially old books. It is a very distinct smell that has strong connections to my childhood and I would be devastated if that were gone. I have a bookshelf and always will. I do love my kindle, but some things are never as good as the original.

StrongGwen

I too was skeptical but have been converted. I do need the cover with my Kindle to keep me from hitting the turn-page buttons while I read, because I read in bed in all sorts of twisted and reclining postures. I say "my" Kindle but my DH has taken it over--he has neurological problems and it's SO much easier to hold for a long time, and especially for a big fat heavy book--I used to sprin my thumb reading the "Outlander" series (900+ pages per book)! and for travel it's perfect because it's so small and has so many books on it.

I expect to see textbooks on Kindles & other devices and kids no longer hauling around those huge backpacks.

Oh, one other issue is I fall asleep reading and it slides out of my hands and hits the floor sometimes, but that's true with a "real" book too, only a real book makes more noise hitting the carpet!

Nook with the glow-light for reading in the dark is getting good reviews.

ALittleLikeHell

I think E-books are probably here for the long haul. IMHO, interesting to note though is how few people still really READ at all - be it e-books or old school :noway: Its a bit scary actually..

Personally I like 'real' books better, I should have a separate room just for my books

rml_16

I love ebooks. I will never buy another fiction book that isn't an ebook. It is so easy to carry all the books you want for an entire vacation. It is so nice not to have hundreds (or thousands) of books all over the house. Also, with arthritis in my hands, it is so much easier to hold and turn the pages in an ebook. I will still keep my "real" reference books and cook books though.

I like having hundreds of books in my house. I can't imagine a home without them.

jenkinsjerry

The "Kindle" app is tremendous. Buy once and read on many different devices... So if I'm on a plane or at lunch somewhere and all have is my phone, I can open up the same book I was reading the night before at home on our family Ipad. Plus it saves your last read page, irrespective of what device you're using. This virtual book concept is pretty darned cool.

Qarol

I'm scared to death that it will eventually be the only choice, though.

:sad:
Please don't make me read books on an e-reader! The phrase "page turner" is special to me...