Ebook or paper book?

[Meeka40]

Very interesting topic I would have to say. I would prefer a paper book any day over an Ebook. I believe that it has something to do with the handling of the item in your hands. The feel of the traditional yet familiar from since the beginning of your first encounter with a book. Technology may be the new now but paper books will forever reign in my library.

[Elfqueen]

Ever since I got a Kindle as a birthday present I've barely touched a printed book, and I used to swear I'd never read anything other than a printed book. It's like crack--it just sucks you in. It really is a lot easier to take with you and use on the road.

[qhahn3241]

I prefer paper myself because ebooks hurt my eyes.

[yvetteyoungkim]

Honestly speaking, I believe that ebooks are mainly made for the convenience of having access to multiple reads with just one sleek pad. I prefer paper book in pretty much all categories including the scent(bookworm fetish?), the feel, and the visual. As funny as it is, I do have a Nook Color. I realized that I don't really use it much even though I started to buy all my books through it. It's a regretful buy but it's comforting to know that I could buy a book whenever I want with it.

[amarini]

Ebooks are awesome. I admit to missing the fresh paper smell at times but I get so much more with an ereader. I am going away to college soon so I can't bring books but I can bring my nook! And that's just 1 benefit. Some paper books are okay to have but it really is just easier to have an ereader of some kind. Besides, it saves me money.

-- 15 May 2013, 18:21 --

I prefer paper myself because ebooks hurt my eyes.

have you tried enlarging the print?

[Zena]

I am someone who has stacks and stacks of paperback books. I never read anything twice and have run out of storage room! I am constantly giving books away trying to reduce the clutter. I got a kindle at Christmas and I am hooked...would not do it any other way. I was a die hard, I will never give up a book in my hand person, but wow that has changed.

[Happily Candied]

I'll never be able to jump over to the eBook side. I just can't part with the look, feel and smell of a paper book. That's part of the experience for reading for me. Books not only appeal to the mind, but to the senses as well. I don't care if my books take over my entire home and I can barely move around them; the physical presence of them in my life is too important to let them be replaced by an electronic device. That transition seems... cold, for lack of a better word.

My dad gave me a Kindle Fire about a year and a half ago. While it was really the only thoughtful gift he'd ever given me (he said he knew how much I loved to read, which I was touched by), I felt bad for knowing that I would never use the Kindle for reading. I carry it around with me to browse the web when I'm bored, but it serves no purpose for me other than that. I can't let go of my books!

[CinnamonB]

As a child to teen years, I've always kept a book in hand. And had a large library at home. As I got older, my library became smaller, and now I enjoy keeping a collection at my fingertips. My eBook reader is actually my Android phone. I would like to invest in a Kindle Fire HD in the near future, but for now, I can't get enough of my smartphone. I'm so grateful for the inventors to create such wonders that can be pocket sized. Where ever I go, my phone is mainly with me. I can't really say I have much of an excuse to not read, unless the battery dies.

I do miss the feeling of having a paperback in reach, but living in NYC, especially Manhattan area, space isn't what we're known for. So, the advantage to have all my reading done from my phone is brilliant!

[ramsterr]

Definitely paper books. I just love putting a new book that i finished, and i loved, in my book case. Even though technology is amazing, i think some traditional ways are still the best; like reading a physical copy of a book under the blankets.

[Karshiva]

At first, I was dead set against Ebook readers, but unfortunately I ran out of place to stock books in my flat, so if I wanted to continue reading, I had to find a new solution. Now, I couldn't imagine myself without my kindle. It's so practical. No need to take 10 books in your suitcase when you go on holidays. No more cramps in my hands. I can read several books at the same time and always know where I stopped! I could never use page markers. I tended to lose them all...

[giraffelover66]

Well, I thought I would chime in on this topic.. As one of the last remaining hold outs for purchasing an e-reader (which I finally broke down and did 2 months ago), I have to say I'm liking the electronic books very much. Here's why: 1) I don't have to go searching all over town, or wait on the UPS man to deliver me a new book. 2) Books typically cost less (sometimes free) on sites all over the internet whereas you'd pay for a real book. 3) You can get older novels that may no longer be in print/or difficult to find in stores. 4) If you wear glasses like me, I can make the print larger on my e-reader making my tired eyes not work so hard after staring at a computer screen at work all day..

Shall I continue? I would definitely recommend getting an e-reader.. I have downloaded about 60 books in the past month.. read 49 of them. Can you really do that with paperback or hard covers?

[LadyStardust]

I will take a paper book any day over an eBook. BUT, that said, I consider a Kindle indispensable these days. There is no better thing to have handy when you're going on a quick getaway! It's a portable library; I mean, how great is that?!

Ew. I sound like an ad. Haha! But really, it's so nice putting my Kindle in my bag instead of stuffing eight huge novels since I can never decide...

[kumarlabels]

i preffered paper book

[Lucy]

I love them both, and here's why.

My kindle I use primarily for reading commercial fiction. I love the way I can just slip it in my purse for whipping out when, say, I'm on public transport, waiting in line, or being kept waiting by obstructionist bureaucrats (yup, I do that a lot, I work in a profession where keeping people weighting is a common ploy to show you that they are more powerful than you). My kindle ensures that I do not get impatient with administrative power plays and they will never know what I am reading - I could be reading the latest powerful tome on law and bureaucracy, or sneakily reading a sword-n-horses fantasy. They don't know, because that little grey case hides all. Of course the downside of this is that you cannot pose in the park trying to get noticed by high-brow hotties with your high-brow reading material either.

The kindle is lightweight, and so you can carry thousands of books in something which weighs a few grammes. A further advantage is that ebooks are cheaper than their paper counterparts, and prior to buying my kindle I kept having to clear out my bookshelves of fiction and take them to Goodwill or the thrift store. I also love the fact that I can vary the text size if my eyes are tired and I still want to curl up with a book. You are stuck with the text the publisher chooses for print, and that is often a financial decision rather than one based on reader comfort. My father and brother are both dyslexic and have reported that since they got their kindles and could adjust text, contrast, etc the world of books, closed to them before, has now been opened. The best endorsement for the kindle came from my brother who said "at the age of twenty-seven, I finally understand why people read for pleasure". My father, aged nearly 70, told me "I've never read so much in my life. This month I read ten books!"

The kindle (and other e-readers for that matter) is not good for children's literature, anything with illustrations or photographs, or academic texts, unless you have a kindle fire, if you use this for study. For my own courses of study I am a fanatical deployer of the yellow and pink highlighters, and a consummate margin scribbler, for which the kindle is pretty much useless.

My bookshelves at the moment have plenty of room for my passion rare historical volumes, my law books, my childhood favourites and most importantly, plenty of amazing books to ignite a love of reading in my child. While the kindle will never be able to replace print books - at least not in my home, I think it is an amazing device which has opened up a world of reading to many who would not be reading at all. The soul of a book lies in the human imagination, after all.

[Jinkies83]

I say both. Why not? There are definite advantages to having both. You can have a shelf full of loved and prized traditional books in your home. As many as you want. Maybe when you hold those books in your hand, turn the pages, feel the binding it reminds you of a great memory of your childhood, or a loved one, or a memorable trip. I get it. With the e-readers you can take your thousands of books with you anywhere and not have to pay ridiculous baggage overages to have them with you. Money saver. I used to hate e-readers. Thought I was contributing to the downfall of literature and mankind. Betrayal! The books would know and judge me. Not so. You can love both they are both useful and interchangeable in different ways. Go easy on yourself. The books still love you.