Books Vs Kindle

[Alex97]

Do you prefer to read/publish a story on the kindle or in a book.

I've always preffered books personaly. This might sound kind of stupid but for some reason there's something about turning a page that just can't be recreated on a kindle.

 

[Black Dragon]

I'm moving this to Chit-Chat, as this isn't a writing question per se.

Now to your question:

I used to always prefer books. I love the way that they look, feel and smell. There's something special about having a nice, hardback book in your hands.

However, I received a Kindle for Christmas, and am now finding myself preferring that device. Why? It has a lot to do with practicality. It's easier to carry around than larger books. I love the built-in reading light in the case.

But most importantly, I am (currently) living in a small house, and we have no room for additional books. Our shelves are maxed out, and most of our house has been overrun by our toddler's stuff. Bringing more hardback books into the house isn't an option at this point. But I can keep buying books on the Kindle, and it's not an issue.

 

[Shockley]

I have both, and I use them for different things. Books I like because I can make easily accessed notes and find sentences quickly and efficiently. Kindle is good for light, non-essential reading.

 

[Steerpike]

I love my Kindles. Like Shockley, if I'm going to read anything where I want to be able to flip back and forth through the pages I prefer a physical book.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I grew up reading books (I'm 34), but we've had Kindles for a couple of years now and I'm not looking back. I've read dozens of books on my and my wife's Kindles and another 20-30 books entirely on my Android phone (including all five books in A Song of Ice and Fire), and it's a perfectly enjoyable experience for me. Books being printed on paper is merely an artifact of technological history, not an ineffable part of the experience.

I hate predictions, but even I'm comfortable predicting that in a few decades most people will read most books electronically and paper books will be looked back upon the same way we look back on manual typewriters, LPs, or the horse-and-carriage.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I have to agree. Since I got an iPad a couple of years back I haven't even cracked a paper book once. I don't think I ever will either.

I believe that most people that try an e-reader will prefer it over paper books. In time I see paper books going the way of the 8-track.

 

[Steerpike]

I agree with you both.

Members of the family have small children who read and play on Kindle or other tablets. For them, an eReader will never seem like a strange contrast to a physical book. They'll have known and used them from birth. As time goes by, and more and more children grow up with this technology, the physical book may seem more like a novelty.

 

[Ophiucha]

I find the physical experience of reading a Kindle and reading a physical novel to be about equal. I admit that I can't read with things like an iPad or the Kindle Fire, which use backlit screens (like a computer). It just strains my eyes. But the e-ink readers, like the Kindle and Nook, are functionally identical. And I can't deny the convenience. Right now, money's tight enough that my collection is basically 50:50, since I've not got the funds to replace my library with digital forms, but I think once I have a steady income, my library will diminish significantly.

And as somebody who moves a lot, often internationally and across state-lines, I find the Kindle to just be... a relief. I've lost dozens of books from thrifty USPS agents looking for a copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and more than a few got left behind in old homes and apartments. Plus, if you consider every book I owned in high school, it'd take eight boxes to carry every book I've owned, and likely only one to carry my entire wardrobe of clothes. Every place I move to seems smaller than the last, and I don't even have a book case in my current room - the ten books I brought are just sitting on my dresser, stacked horrizontally. Amazon, in particular, is so reliable about allowing you to re-download and digitally store your books that I don't even worry much about theft or loss. If I lose my Kindle, I can still read all of my books on the free eReader from my computer until I have the relatively cheap $80 to replace it - far cheaper than buying back every book stored on it, at least.

 

[danr62]

I still read both, bot am moving more and more towards buying on the Kindle. I recently picked up Michael Sullivan's first book in paperback, and got the Harry Potter boxed set from Costco. I think that's the extent of my recent hard copy purchases.

I have boxes of books in my storage closet, and a bookshelf that's over stuffed, and books laying around that need to be put away. Those boxes are heavy when it comes time to move! I've busted several boxes that couldn't hold the weight.

 

[Sheilawisz]

I am thirty years old, and for me nothing can be like buying a book made of paper at the bookstore, taking it home, smell the new book, feel it in your hands and have the pleasure of reading a story written on paper and ink as you turn page after page... It's just magical, and the electronic books will never be like that =)

I agree that electronic books have their own set of advantages, but if I ever publish my novels I want them to be physical paper books and not the virtual form.

My opinion is that the traditional paper books will never disappear!!

 

[TWErvin2]

I was given a Kindle and do use it, but I still prefer physical books. There is the practical aspect, having more books available, like when traveling, but packing 1 or 2 books isn't an issue compared to the Kindle and the power cord to recharge it.

Some books I would like to read aren't available in print, so the option becomes reading on the computer or on the Kindle. There, the decision is easy. Kindle wins.

 

[Chime85]

I much prefer a tangable, physical book, rather than the memory storage of a kindle. There is nothing better than a well thumbed book in your hands. There just seems to be a lack of personality with a kindle.

That said, my gf keeps hounding me to get one. For those who consider themselves avid kindle users, what is it about the kindle that turned you away from the turning pages of a paperback?

x

 

[Steerpike]

A Kindle is convenient. I still like paperbacks, but I've grown to like reading on a Kindle almost as much, and the other advantages like portability are important. I do think we will reach a point where physical books are more of a specialty item.

 

[danr62]

I like that the Kindle is easy to hold in one hand while reading, which can be awkward with a print book.

 

[Zero Angel]

I like how books are turning more into collectibles, although I worry about their availability moving forward. I am looking forward to owning a real Kindle or Nook in the near future, but for now make do with the apps on my PC and smartphone.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I like that the Kindle is easy to hold in one hand while reading, which can be awkward with a print book.

Yar. I've read entire books on my phone one-handed.

 

[Philip Overby]

I think books will eventually go the way of the record or CD. People will obviously still have them, but you'll probably see more and more people with some form of "portable library." Kindle is just the most recognized e-reader as of right now. We may yet still see even more advanced versions of e-readers in the future. Maybe even an e-reader that can replicate the feel of a book. Technology can be pretty amazing, and I'm looking forward to see what happens.

Overall though, I like both for different reasons. I don't see myself being "paper-less" anytime soon, but I am relying more and more on my Kindle, especially being in Japan because it's harder for me to get English books otherwise.

 

[The Blue Lotus]

Give me paper or give me death! I hate "E-Books"!!!!!

Those boxes are heavy when it comes time to move! I've busted several boxes that couldn't hold the weight.

Pack lighter boxes.

 

[Steerpike]

Give me paper or give me death! I hate "E-Books"!!!!!

E-Ink too? What don't you like about them?

 

[Reaver]

Yar. I've read entire books on my phone one-handed.

Heh..an android using a phone! That's almost as funny as a robot using a vacuum cleaner.