How Do you Read?

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  • seehawkmomma
    seehawkmomma Posts: 815
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    Gotta have the real thing. Besides... I like the look of a bookcase full of books, I like being able to lend books to friends...

    I know!! Right?!! Best book is a book shared!! :D

    I agree....I hate when someone tells me that they just read an amazing book but I cant borrow it because they read it on their ipad :( I actually met a really good friend because she let me borrow a book when we worked together.
  • Just_Dot
    Just_Dot Posts: 2,289 Member
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    I love reading "real" books, but read them so quickly, I rarely purchase them. I also swore I'd always be a real book girl...

    Then I got my iPad and my local library checks ebooks out. It's great for travel and when I finish a book on a Sunday after 5 and the library is closed. If there's a boom I want to read, I'll take it in whichever form I can.
  • dHowe4406
    dHowe4406 Posts: 114
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    I have two kindles, the fire and the older one, and I love them. I do read some books still but those are mostly books that get loaned to me.

    The only problem I have with my kindles is I like to read epic fantasy and most of them have maps and it is not easy to switch back to the map as it is in a real book.
  • llamalland
    llamalland Posts: 246 Member
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    I don't have an e-reader, and don't think I want one... I love reading- and as others have said, the smell, feel, weight of a real book is part of the whole reading experience. As a writer, I love seeing my words in print (not in books, yet), and hate to see some 'gadget' change the importance of publishing words on paper.

    I have a hard time getting rid of books, but did thin out my collection recently. I had a garage sale last summer and had around 400 books for sale. Sold a few, and took the rest to a book exchange store. Now I have a lifetime supply of credits, and I'm actually using them!
  • waster196
    waster196 Posts: 138 Member
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    I MUCH prefer a real book but I have a Kindle too and get on with it well. I tend to buy an actual book if it's an author I really like or I want on my shelf and if it's someone new to me I'll usually get it on Kindle first. Kindle books can be really overpriced so the price factor is a big one when deciding too.
  • smashatoms
    smashatoms Posts: 144 Member
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    I have a Nook for recreational reading. When it comes to texts for work related things, I like to have a physical book so that I can highlight and write things in it. I did that with my fun books too, but I like the convenience of being able to get a book without ordering it online or going to the store.
    I always read before bed, but not in bed. Otherwise I'll read til 3 am and not sleep!
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    I LOVE reading physical books, they smell, the paper, the ink, I love. However, I take public transportation and I can read quite a lot at work as well, so a kindle makes it easier for my book worm to get all the books it needs. I buy both e-books and normal books.

    Case in point, I read a physical copy of The Hunger Game, but finished it at 12am and so I borrowed/bought (respectively) the other 2/3s of the trilogy so I could read them immediately.
  • girl_afraid82
    girl_afraid82 Posts: 178 Member
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    I do love my Kindle. I read a lot on the train to and from work, so it's perfect to slip into my bag. I read a lot of really thick sci fi/fantasy novels which are just impossible to carry around any other way. I also like the instant gratification. If I think of a book I want, I can have it within 30 seconds. As much as I love browsing bookshops, sometimes it's nice to have books on demand like that.
    You can also get samples for free, in case you're not sure whether you will like the writing style etc.

    It also saves a lot of space. It's getting quite ridiculous trying to cram so many books into my house. Shelves upon shelves. They look lovely, but not every house I've lived in has had the right sort of space for them all.

    However, you can't beat the feel of a real book. So if I love a book that I have read on my Kindle, or already know I will adore it (latest book by a favourite author etc) I will buy the proper hardback edition to keep at home. If I see a book that is particularly beautiful I'll buy it too. Recently saw a gorgeous hardback vintage edition of Alice in Wonderland, which I will HAVE to own, because it's so pretty.
  • daphnegetnfit
    daphnegetnfit Posts: 175
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    Everyone I know that has a Kindle Fire just loves it. My niece brought hers on Christmas Day that she got and she opened a book for me, you can change the font size and it was very easy to read. So I am books, but switching to Kindle Fire in the next couple of weeks. I think I will get more reading done also since it will not be clunky to carry around like a book. I am looking forward to the switch.
  • aqua_zumba_fan
    aqua_zumba_fan Posts: 418
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    I love my Kindle cos I can carry so many books around and it saves space, but I also read traditional books, especially in the bath as I don't want to risk dropping the Kindle in!!
  • AHealthierRhonda
    AHealthierRhonda Posts: 881 Member
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    I love the feel of the book. Seeing how much more I have left, turning pages, and getting lost in it. My daughter on the other hand HATES to read. We did get her a Kindle, still hated it. Now she has a Nook Tablet and is enjoying it more. She is 12 1/2 and loves the dictionary app. SHe finds words, such as "**** and checks out the definition! HEY! SHE IS READING!!!! LOL I'll take a good old fashioned book anyday though!
  • harrydresden
    harrydresden Posts: 37
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    I'm a book collector, so naturally, when I began experiencing problems with my hands and fingers, reading regular books became an upsetting issue for me. My mum bought me a Kindle, and I love my Ivy to bits (that's her name...), but I do miss proper books. So, I buy in double: every book I have on the Kindle, I have a copy (or several copies, depending on cover art, editions, signed/numbered, etc) of sitting on the bookshelves. I couldn't stand not having real books that look and feel and smell like books. But, neither can I stand the pain in my fingers holding books in awkward positions, so a Kindle is a saving-grace for me. She's brilliant!
  • Cathy92
    Cathy92 Posts: 312 Member
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    I like to do my pleasure reading.... a paperback book laying down, either in bed or on the couch. If I'm reading study material, I like to do it online sometimes. I like reading real books. I have a 'library' in my house and some of the books were once owned by family that has passed on. I value their inscriptions and 'little notes' they may have made.
    I still use the public library and really enjoy browsing there. I read a lot, so try not to buy too many books as my house would become overrun with them. I have an ipad but don't want to read books from it or any other electronic device . It just seems more like work and not pleasure. I like to let the relaxation of reading let me fall asleep with a book on my chest!
  • rahonda28
    rahonda28 Posts: 43
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    I love to read and dont care if its a book, magazine, encyclopedia, whatever. So my fiance last year for christmas bought me a nook. He said he was tired of seeing me carry so many reading materials with me wherever we go. Suitcases packed with more books then clothes when we go on weekend trips. The vehicals with books on the seats from the library and him not being able to sit sometimes. Watching me drop books from carrying to many of them and so on. Well I have to admit ITS THE BEST GIFT ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN ME. For everything listed above and much more. My kids read more now because of it. The screan is awsome I have a book light for mine so I can still read at night. I can change the font size so I can read it better than some books. My friends say they like mine better then their kindle. Jim likes to play the games it has on it. I can listen to books and music if I want. I can also look up words I may not know the meanings of it has a built in dictionary. I still buy a book every once in a while and I too enjoy books in my home I have some that were my grandmas when she was young so there special to me. But for everyday reading I love it. My kids have dropped it and my dog has put it in his mouth a couple of times. Its been tossed and all sorts of things have happened to it but It still works never have had a problem with it like some horror stories Ive heard has happened. I dont go anywhere without it.
  • jaajh
    jaajh Posts: 1,262 Member
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    I have always been a real book lover and never thought I'd like a Kindle but my Mum bought me one for my 40th birthday and I LOVE it! It has made my life so much simpler as I can now download books from here - here being West Africa! In the past my family and friends in the UK had to always send me book parcels as I can't get books easily here (and Mali's a French speaking country too, so not many English novels around!) I think Mum got fed up of the cost of sending books to me, so buying me a Kindle was a saving for her! She bought my daughter one for her last birthday too :-)
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    curled up in bed...I would get a kindle for books that you don't want to keep like The Bro Code, or I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. There's tons of things I'd read but I don't want on my bookshelf. But I like classics so when I do go to the bookstore, I buy what I know I'm going to keep.
  • cygnetpro
    cygnetpro Posts: 419 Member
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    I'll never totally get away from true books. I love to read in bed, in the tub, while I brush my teeth, etc. But I love that the kindle is so easy to grab for doctor's appts, while the kids are at karate, etc. It's like bringing a huge library with me, in a five ounce package.
  • seehawkmomma
    seehawkmomma Posts: 815
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    curled up in bed...I would get a kindle for books that you don't want to keep like The Bro Code, or I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. There's tons of things I'd read but I don't want on my bookshelf. But I like classics so when I do go to the bookstore, I buy what I know I'm going to keep.

    I love LOVE loved I hope they serve Beer in hell. Amazing book.
  • VinVenture
    VinVenture Posts: 290
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    Student with limited budget and shelves, I love the kindle. It has a few points over paper books for me.

    1. I can read while drinking tea/wine/whatever, no problems flipping page.
    2. Size. It takes little enough space, and I have more books on it than I do in my dorm.
    3. Being a fast reader, I always have a book on hand when I'm done with my old one. Also great for holidays where all I do is read at the beach, see point 2. (Having to bring six books for a two week long holiday sort of sucks when you're trying to pack light)

    I am strongly infatuated with real paper books too, especially since I know how to rebind them. One day, when I have the space and money, I will buy full book collections and bind them all in matching dark green leather backs to be perused in my library. The kindle is more of a current convenience than anything else.
  • Gwen7121
    Gwen7121 Posts: 126 Member
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    I always enjoyed books, and donated or sold for credit after I was finished. However I read A LOT, and travel quite a bit. When I was sitting on a plane with my hardback on top of all my work essentials, it was pretty easy to see how convenient the kindle would be. And my employer bought it for me as a gift, so even better! It's cheaper than buying new, and sometimes cheaper than used if it is a newer release. Considering that I average at least 15 books per month (I checked), it's been great.

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