Do you prefer an e-book to paperback and why?

Use this forum to talk about ebooks and ebook readers. Whether you have an ebook reader, are considering getting one or never plan on getting one and want to talk about why you think traditional books are better, use this forum for anything to do with ebooks or ereaders.
Post Reply
User avatar
ChrisMulik
Posts: 1
Joined: 27 Jun 2018, 08:29
Bookshelf Size: 0

Re: Do you prefer an e-book to paperback and why?

Post by ChrisMulik »

I have a preference for paperback because of the nostalgic smell of paper. It makes me think am doing something worthwhile. I also enjoy bookmarking with a pen or pencil which I can't do in an ebook. I find staring at a device for a long time a little bit uncomfortable to my eyesight which doesn't happen with a paperback
User avatar
tcoutu
Posts: 3
Joined: 27 Jun 2018, 15:30
Favorite Book: Outlander
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 3
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by tcoutu »

Book Bear wrote: 24 Jun 2018, 13:23 While I like to think I prefer a physical book, I nearly always use an e-reader and definitely read more because of it. Digital books are very quick to download and lighter to hold. Physical books are nice to look at but there is a limit to the number of physical books you can keep in your house without it becoming a problem! Apparently, children benefit from using physical books. A study in 2013 showed that children aged 3-5 yrs of age have less comprehensive when reading digital books. This is possibly to do with the fact that they concentrate on the digital device and the settings rather than the content of the book.
I can totally see how this study showed that children benefit from physical old fashioned paper books. In this day and age of technology, children probably cannot distinguish between an ipad, a cellphone and an e-reader! Physical books are so different from those gadgets!
User avatar
Samantha2442
Posts: 25
Joined: 26 Jun 2018, 08:49
Currently Reading: Farenheit 451
Bookshelf Size: 73
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-samantha2442.html
Latest Review: The Life and Lessons of a Young Author by Sunayna Prasad
Reading Device: B01AZ8ERHI

Post by Samantha2442 »

I like the convenience of the ebooks, especially for longer trips where I may finish 4 or 5 (or more) books while I am away. At the same time however, I enjoy the feel and experience of reading paperbacks when I get the chance. I think there are positive and negatives to both mediums of reading. :)
Tfree
Posts: 40
Joined: 29 Jun 2018, 11:34
Currently Reading: Call Me Pomeroy
Bookshelf Size: 65

Post by Tfree »

I love reading both, and I generally tend toward reading with a Kindle reader app on an iPad, for two reasons: it's the most convenient way for me to read in bed at night when my mate is asleep (don't need a light, no sound made), and I like borrowing library ebooks using Overdrive.
User avatar
garima597
Posts: 107
Joined: 12 Jul 2018, 12:37
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 32
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-garima597.html
Latest Review: Superhighway by Alex Fayman

Post by garima597 »

Yes, I prefer e-book to paperback because e-book is more cheap than paperback which helps me financially.
G@RIMA :techie-studyingbrown:
User avatar
CJHeigelmann
Posts: 14
Joined: 26 Jan 2018, 22:15
Currently Reading: The Unbound Soul
Bookshelf Size: 3

Post by CJHeigelmann »

A physical book if it is a great one, a keeper. An e-book for ALL the rest, as after being read, it simply sits in a hard drive (unless shared/borrowed) then forgotten. A physical copy, unless destroyed by fire or water, will live on, passing hands, homes and people...long after we have passed away...that book will continue the weave its way through time.
User avatar
RN Reader
Posts: 1
Joined: 17 Jul 2018, 13:17
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 2

Post by RN Reader »

I definitely prefer turning the pages of a "real book". I do have an e-reader which I use primarily for the "free" books that are available. (most of which I find to not of the best literary quality - but they do pass the time). While the books may be a small bit less expensive in digital format, I find that they are even less cost efficient as I am not able to pass/share the book with other members of my immediate family or circle of friends. Some of my favorite memories with my teenage children is reading an age appropriate book and then being able to share it with them or them with me. It inspired us both to read and gave us common ground for meaningful conversation. Conversations and tradition we have carried forward into their adult years.

Additionally, many conversations with strangers have begun with mention of a book in hand who share a common interest of genre or author. With a digital device, reading is confined and does not leave opportunity for spontaneous conversation.

There is also something to be said for the feel of a book in your hands, the anticipation of turning the page, being able to visually and tacitly know the exact progress made and how much farther to the end of the book. When reading especially large volumes this is especially rewarding.

Both have their place - but for me, nothing compares to a good book in hand.
User avatar
CJHeigelmann
Posts: 14
Joined: 26 Jan 2018, 22:15
Currently Reading: The Unbound Soul
Bookshelf Size: 3

Post by CJHeigelmann »

CJHeigelmann wrote: 01 Aug 2018, 12:31 A physical book if it is a great one, a keeper. An e-book for ALL the rest, as after being read, it simply sits in a hard drive (unless shared/borrowed) then forgotten. A physical copy, unless destroyed by fire or water, will live on, passing hands, homes and people...long after we have passed away...that book will continue to weave its way through time.
User avatar
eyespy
Posts: 6
Joined: 01 Mar 2018, 23:35
Currently Reading: Edgar Allan Poe
Bookshelf Size: 925

Post by eyespy »

I never thought I'd take to ebooks as readily as I did. All through my childhood I was never very far from a paperback book. The heavy favorites were read until they fell apart. My dad used to glue or even sew them back together with a bit of fishing line. Those days that we got our classroom deliveries of our Scholastic book order were almost like Christmas.

But then I got middle-aged and the joy of lying on my side, reading enlarged print without my reading glasses digging into my head won out. I haven't picked up many print books at all since I bought my first Sony Reader nearly 10 years ago.
User avatar
DeannaBaj 4012
Posts: 1
Joined: 07 Aug 2018, 15:54
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by DeannaBaj 4012 »

It's so much nicer to hold a book. To flip through the pages, and I agree about the smell too. I hope that when I have grandchildren one day, they grow up in a world where people still read physical books and don't just have e-books. Nothing beats it. Besides, reading on a phone you can get notifications popping up that distract you and it's harder to concentrate.
User avatar
bluesky5_
Posts: 48
Joined: 27 Jun 2018, 21:12
Favorite Book: Fifty Shades of Grey
Currently Reading: World, Incorporated
Bookshelf Size: 34
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bluesky5.html
Latest Review: Roadmap to the End of Days by Daniel Friedmann
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by bluesky5_ »

I had a big collection of books that I donated to the public library because I read them and wanted to share the "wealth" of good books. I now have a new collection created and getting bigger on my e reader. It is so much easier to read and carry and I found a great website to order my beautiful reader cover, it is called AliExpress. The site is from Australia. The prices are fantastic! The downfall, you have to be patient...it takes somewhere around 6 days to 39 days for your shipment to come in. I am patient and waiting...
User avatar
Jennifer Fernandez
Posts: 226
Joined: 09 Jun 2018, 21:30
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 69
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jennifer-fernandez.html
Latest Review: The Enemy In Me by Jacob Newell Campbell

Post by Jennifer Fernandez »

I prefer books because I like how they feel and smell. I'm also considering an e-reader. It's super convenient. But I'm not sure yet.
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. - H.P. Lovecraft :techie-studyinggray:
acupofsubtletea
Posts: 25
Joined: 15 Jul 2018, 20:44
Currently Reading: A Study in Charlotte
Bookshelf Size: 27
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-acupofsubtletea.html
Latest Review: The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci by Belle Ami

Post by acupofsubtletea »

They both serve different purposes for me, so I love them both. I really enjoy that because I have ebooks on my phone, I always have reading material. And as someone who doesn’t write in books, being able to make notes and highlight passages in ebooks is super useful when I go back to write a review later. But there’s also something really great about physical books. I love having them on my shelves and just feeling the paper pages of them. These days, I tend to explore new authors in ebooks (because they’re cheaper or borrowable from my library’s ebook collection), but books and authors I adore get purchased in physical books so I can lend them out (or really just look at them...)
Bookgirleva
Posts: 30
Joined: 19 Apr 2018, 21:54
Currently Reading: The Sword of Shannara
Bookshelf Size: 14
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Bookgirleva »

I prefer ebooks. Over all it is cheaper with free books mixed in and easier to find books. Before my ereader i would drive all over to different book stores to find older books. Now they are all available in one place
User avatar
Ashley Berger
Posts: 7
Joined: 19 Aug 2018, 13:32
Currently Reading: Twisted Threads
Bookshelf Size: 13
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ashley-berger.html
Latest Review: Heartaches 3 by H.M. Irwing

Post by Ashley Berger »

I still love the smell of a new (or old) book. But the ereader is convenient for traveling as I can carry hundreds of books with me, or read multiple books at once.
Post Reply

Return to “E-Books and E-Readers”