The County Library discussion

I think hardback is best for showcasing on a bookshelf. However, I like the price tag and ease of flipping pages on a paperback better.

I like both almost equally, but if I am getting a series of books they all have to be the same, either all hardback or all paperback. If I have a mix it drives me nuts.

For me, it's hardback. For paper, I buy few books and I want ones I'll read over and over. So I want them to last. Sometimes I want to listen to audiobooks, which go onto a physical device that is also "hardback". The same with the occasional e-book I read, which also is on a physical device that is "hardback" (a little humor with these last two). But given all this, I'm hardback all the way.

I personally don't have a preference! Hard, paper, e-book, whatever. I do only buy hard back if they are "collection" books by favorite authors that I plan to keep. I mostly only read e-books due to convenience. But honestly. I don't have a preference.

I own so many books and space is limited! I love collector books but the last few I've read are so heavy that I can't tote them around! So I've been listening to books on CD or putting them on my tablet. Still, there's something about the printed pages that I miss.

What was I thinking not including e-books and audiobooks as options? I never buy audiobooks, but I will borrow them or download free audiobooks. I personally buy e-books more than any other kind of book. I love the library though. I borrow so much.

Ebook is my favorite but I will take what I can get. Some books just aren't available or are too expensive to buy in ebook. I do borrow from the library too. But if only a paperback or hardback is available I will read those too.

Jan wrote: "Ebook is my favorite but I will take what I can get. Some books just aren't available or are too expensive to buy in ebook. I do borrow from the library too. But if only a paperback or hardback is ..."

I like an ebook for vacations or late-night book crises, but given the choice I'll always take paper. So I was really interested to see the following article. It's the same article, but I'll give two links in case you get stuck behind a pay wall.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/art...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10...

The science seems to reflect my experience, which is that it's more difficult for me to get lost in a ebook, and sometimes it gives me a headache. I use an e-ink reader (I could never read for long on a regular screen), but it is still a less immersive experience for me. Paper book reading is almost like meditation for me, and I just can't seem to maintain that level of focus with digital.

This kind of worries me, because I feel like losing yourself in a book is the best part of reading fiction. If people don't learn what that means and how to do it because they are always reading on screens, then I'm afraid that we'll have a lot less readers out there.

But maybe it's just me. Jan, you must not feel that way if you prefer ebooks. Do you notice a difference in the way you process them?

I enjoy reading in all formats. I have a bookshelf full of paper and hard covered books. I also have a kindle full of e-books and an iPhone full of audiobooks.

For me, it largely depends on my mood and sometimes on the book itself. Sometimes I just want to hold a book in my hands (and smell it- I'm a weirdo!). Other times I just want to read wherever I happen to be, like at the doctor's office and digital is more convenient. Sometimes my enjoyment of a book is really enhanced by a professional reader or in a reading done by the author themselves.

Lately, my favorite mode is using the Whispersync function with Kindle books and Audible audiobooks. I listen while in the car or cleaning, then can pick up the ebook whenever I want through automatic syncing. It allows me to read however I feel like it at any given time.

I haven't personally noticed any difference in how deeply I am immersed into the story by format.

If it's a long book, I prefer a hard cover. More substantial.

I'm totally for ebooks now. Took awhile to try them, but I love them now. But if I have to choose between paperback and hardback it is paperback. The price is better, but more importantly it is easier to hold and takes less room in my purse.

Patty wrote: "I'm totally for ebooks now. Took awhile to try them, but I love them now. But if I have to choose between paperback and hardback it is paperback. The price is better, but more importantly it is eas..."
I agree with you that paperbacks are easier to hold. I love books, no matter the format, but lighter is definitely better. :D

I have to have a real book in my hands. I'll do an e book when I am traveling, but I prefer a real book any other time. It doesn't matter if it is hard or paper back.

I used to like e-books. Then my e-ink reader died a terrible death and I replaced it with a notebook that had an e-reader app. I don't like reading with backlight. My eyes are really sensitive to light and it was really hard to get the brightness level to one I could even tolerate. Since my previous post, my eyes have developed problems and reading for very long taxes them more. I won't even pick up the tablet for the e-books. I'm in the hunt for another e-ink reader. I notice that there is a Kindle one now, but I'm prejudiced against Kindle because Amazon is prejudiced against epub format. Calibre won't convert books that have DRM and the e-format titles I own have DRM. I don't want to have to pay for The Harry Potter series nor the Lord of the Rings books again.

Any non-kindle suggestions for ebook readers that aren't backlit and use e-ink?

Hey Debbie,

You might want to try a Kobo. I haven't used them myself, but I have a friend who likes hers, and I think they're pro epub. But, I'm not certain about that.

https://us.kobobooks.com/collections/...

I am not the biggest fan of any E Book or Audio Book. It either has to be hard back or soft back for me. I do as others have stated have to have the same type of book if I have a collection series. Pocket size is my favorite in soft back just cause I take a book with me everywhere. The library is my friend.

Teddy wrote: " I do as others have stated have to have the same type of book if I have a collection series...."

I absolutely hate it when I've been collecting books in a series and they've all been in paperback and then BOOM, they start coming out in Hardback. It messes up my shelves! I feel ya.

Elizabeth wrote: "Hey Debbie,

You might want to try a Kobo. I haven't used them myself, but I have a friend who likes hers, and I think they're pro epub. But, I'm not certain about that.

https://us.kobobooks.com/..."

They are pro. When Sony sold out its ebook division, Sony ebook readers were welcomed to kobo. I decided to try the tablet route, but find that the backlighting hurts my eyes after not very long. I'll have to check out Kobo, thanks for the idea. I know Kindle has one that is not backlit, but I have a moral objection to a vendor which, as a matter of plan, does not make the original epub format available. To me, it's comparable to not having your application read a text file. And if you have purchased an epub version of a book, Calibre won't convert it to Kindle format because it has DRM in its formatting.

When it's from the library, I don't care, as long as the title and author are right. Paperback, hardback, Book on CD, Overdrive ebook or e-audiobook. All good. :o)

When I buy I prefer hardback. I don't buy hard copies of books unless I want them around for a long time for re-reading and/or my kids to stumble across serendipitously, and hardbacks are more sturdy for that purpose. Some also have lovely art on the inside covers that you lose in a paperback.

An exception to this is when I run across a book on my wishlist at a thrift store. Then I'll buy it in whatever format is on offer.

I do the vast majority of my reading these days on my Kindle (Paperwhite; I can't stand reading on tablets and phones). I still value hard copies for reference books for the ability to flip through them. And hard copies are indispensable to me for children's picture books and cookbooks. Everything else, though, I just love the portability of my Kindle. I love being able to carry hundreds of books with me wherever I go. I love being able to alter the size of the print, and I love that I never have to worry about a bookmark falling out of my book. A Kindle also helps a person like me who likes to read very long books. So much easier to hold than a 4-inch hardback.

For my very favorite books and authors, I strive for the trifecta: Kindle version, hardback, and Audible edition. That way I can access them in pretty much any situation.

Did anyone else have a Kindle Touch? That was the first Kindle I owned and I upgraded to the Paperwhite for the built in lights, but I still miss the audio feature. Sure, it was clunkier than the Audible app on a slick smartphone, but it was cool to be able to load a Kindle version and an Audible version on a single e-ink device.

Paperbacks for me. They are more comfortable to hold while reading, take up less space on my shelf, lower price points, lighter and I am really kind on books so durability doesn't way heavily into my consideration. Weight and space mean more to me as an addict with limited space and has had to move my books a few times because I still rent. The book boxes are always the worst, even when you thought you were being strategic by distributing some lighter items across more boxes. Silver lining, I suppose, I feel the weight of my decisions to not borrow from my local library.

Hard back definitely! I prefer the size and, I think they stay open better. I take the books everywhere with me and while the hard back don’t fit in my purse as well they do fair better in and out of bags so much. I own very few books that are not children’s. And If they are not a hard back I cover them in clear contact paper to keep them nice.