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"Owning" E-books

Which do you prefer?

  • Total voters
    36
Rudolph Quin

Rudolph Quin

Mistaken for some sort of scoundrel
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Aug 2, 2009
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So, I was buying a lot of books online recently and noticed that Amazon's prices for the Kindle versions are ridiculously cheaper than the actual in-print books themselves, even when buying used. I like to read the reviews of books I buy, especially if it's got a lot of negative feedback. And you always have your token person in the comments of a particularly popular book posting about how good/awful the Kindle version of it is. I was wondering how you guys felt about Kindle vs. Paper books.

Personally, with the Kindle, it's easier because I can access it right on my phone - and the lit up screen makes for easy reading while lying in bed - and there's the handy definition button and the copy and paste and search functions. But it doesn't feel like I really own the book. Much the way streaming movies online is cost-effective and efficient, it takes the internet being available to work and thus feels impermanent. Same with a Kindle or a phone, which can be damaged and thus there goes your 2,000 e-book library. But then again, books can get damaged and lost too. Even so, I like the feel of the book in my hands, the smell of the paper. And I like to write in my books. I'm very intimate with them, making notes in the margins, marking passages I like, not even library books are safe. And then you have those elitists who say that reading on the Kindle isn't really reading or some bull like that.

How do you like to read your books?
 
In the poll, I voted "both", however these days I've found I have a strong penchant for using my Kindle. The reasons for this are several. The first might seem a bit odd (though who knows, maybe others have found this as well), but I actually read faster on my Kindle for some reason. I've no idea why this is, but it is indeed how it is. As such, I like that I can get through books that much more quickly and move on to the next on my Kindle. Some other reasons are obvious--I can carry with me a slew of books at one time on my Kindle and, because it is small and portable, lug it along in my purse and take it out at any time I have the moment to read. I also like that the books are cheaper and readily available and that I do not have to actually go out somewhere to buy the book. Being a bit socially anxious, it's nice to just go to Amazon's site, click a button and BAM, the book is instantly on my Kindle and ready to read. >.<

I will say, that I DO like printed books too. My favorites are ones that I do have in print. So, if there is a book or series that I just adore so very much that I feel a need to have it in more than one version (ie, in print not just digital format), you can bet I will get that printed version. An example for me is the LotR trilogy and still another are the HP books. I've read all of them in their printed versions over and over again and I also have them on my Kindle. XD

As for the elitists? Well, unfortunately, such sorts will always exist (and not just where E-books are concerned). I say they can have their corner of elitism. But I certainly will be ignoring them and all they think they have to say and share. Why? Because what they think and say really has no effect on me or anyone else. It is opinion. And if they feel better spouting off, then fine. So long as they don't try to interfere with me and my own enjoyment, they can blow all the hot air they want. It's their own energy they are wasting, not to mention their own time they could spend doing other more enjoyable things.

So, that's my deal as far as that is all concerned. :)
 
I love the smell and feel of a paper book however I hate the weight of a load of books in my bag when going on holiday

I love the easiness of a kindle however I love having one lightweight object holding hundreds of books.
 
Most of the books I want it ends up being cheaper to get a physical copy. I like my scholarly history works and out of print sword and sorcery stuff. So most of my books are physical. The only realm where it gets murky is TTRPG, I have a lot of modules, rule systems and settings that I have in just pdf format.
 
When it comes to reading I don't really care. Unless the book is very heavy - then the kindle might be preferable. But when it comes to owning I want it physically. I don't buy books to read them. I buy books that I have read and liked, that I want to have a copy of in my book shelf so I can look at it and caress it softly, and feel that I truly posses it. With the zeroes and ones, I just don't get that feeling. Materialistic? Absolutely. Elitistic? Perhaps I am just showing off. But it makes me feel good, so I try not to overanalyze it.
 
My case is unique - I'm mostly unable to read a printed book, as my jail stay made the process horribly anxiety-ridden. I can do it if forced to, but preferably outside. As a voracious reader my entire life, this presented a problem, one addressed by my phone. I lay up in bed reading... Just, anything. LPs, right now. Just finished Onimusha and reading about the GBC Metal Gear game. I need a decent backlit e-reader so I can actually tackle Game of Thrones.

Books... I understand their idolization better then most. I know why people recoil in horror at the prospect of libraries destroying old books. But it's a remarkable addiction to physical excess, especially when the -important- part of the book, the words, are made effectively immortal by this new generation.

I pick E-Books because they're permanent. A book released to the internet becomes a permanent fixture of our society, never to be lost, burnt, or collected out of sight of others.
 
I don't own many books. The books I do own, I sometimes wish I could bring with me anywhere, and for that reason, I value e-books more. Any book I can pull up on my phone is infinitely more useful than a book that is collecting dust in a library. I think books should stay as they are, and further print, when possible, should be published over a digital format. Physical books should become the novelty for collectors to enjoy, while digital books are the norm.
 
I voted for both.

As for my love of tangible books, I think it was the fact I started so young. Until I came along, my family had this weird thing of three kids. My great great grandmother was the youngest of three siblings, she had three, then they each had three... so forth and so on. I'm an only child and I got all the hand-me-down books from different generations. I even had all of the original twelve Little Golden Books. And lots of the older gigantic volumes of children's stories. My grandmother was a teacher and my mom was a student in college, so I was read to every night... Arthurian Legend type of stuff, Beowulf, Grapes of Wrath, lol. I remember being sick as all hell, sitting up in bed, reading. So, in a way, I think a large part of it has to do with nostalgia.

The other part is necessity. I've even have multiples of some of my favorite titles because, like Adam mentioned, I love marking massages and writing notes in them. Some to the point where all my things started to distract me when I actually went to read it, so I'd get another copy.

All that aside, my kindle and laptop (to a degree) are where a good number of ebooks reside. Mainly because if you look hard enough, you can find some great things for free. They are more convenient, often cheaper... and also that whole friendly to the environment thing.
 
I can appreciate why people might like the e-books. But for me...I read an e-book, I feel like I've accomplished very little. Reading a book is a thing that I enjoy, and feel kinda proud of doing when it's a good book. And I love being able to point to me bookshelf and say I've ready every one of those things on the shelf.
 
I like them both! ebooks are so convenient, and physical books are nice to hold in the hand. I'll often get an ebook when it's on sale, and I'll go for a physical copy if it's something I want to be able to share with others more conveniently.
 
Personally I've never been fond of digital editions of books. I once tried a digital copy of the Warhammer 40k rulebook and that was an absolute nightmare for me. It's loads easier for me to flip through pages than try to get my phone or tablet to cooperate with me. You'd think it'd be easier to just click on button, press search, type the page number and go. But it could be my fingers are kinda chubby so I hit wrong numbers constantly, or the digital keyboard is small. Then comes trying to scroll up or down to find the info I'm looking for when I could have already had the book open to the page, and skimmed with my finger to locate what i was looking for in half the time :I

I'm also far more keen on owning physical copies of the things I buy. I generally hate buying digital games as well. I much prefer a disc or cartridge. Tangible things for my tangible money is king.
 
I would never be able to read ebooks on my phone. We have like 5 kindles sitting around, however, and one of the big things my family does is read. It can be worth it to invest in one. Not that you need the 5 I own lol.
 
I am happy with either. I am very cheap so in the end I would go with whatever is the cheapest option at the time. Some books are out of print as well and the only option is trawling second hand stores. Ebooks take up less space obviously and can be more convenient.
 
Wow this is an old thread, no wonder I never saw it.

I prefer kindle, I'm very fond of my e-books and am considering getting a kindle device instead of just using my phone. Also, while not the same as writing, you can definitely make notations in your books, at least you can on the app I have which is the standard kindle app. I assume that was not the case in 2014.

While not very green myself in general I do like avoiding things taking up too much space so not using paper is a benefit even if I miss the feel of a paper book in my hands, and the convenience is just too damn good. I assume it's better for brand new authors too as they can make money from their books and maybe get them seen easier than having to broker a deal with a publisher and get space in a bookstore. All in all, technology is good and should mostly be embraced, so long as it isn't driving our cars.
 
I've really gone off eBooks lately. I've found I can't study them half as well as I can paperbacks; or even get into them, for that matter. Pressing yet another button really takes away from the experience for me. (It's probably because I work on my laptop though in all fairness.)
 
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