How many actual bookstores does your town have left? Other than Barnes and Noble {and our trip to Powells Books in Portland awhile back}, I don’t see many bookstores anymore. I think they are a dying breed. And, according to an article on NPR the other day, I think I might be right. Small independent bookstores are hanging on by a thread. People have moved to electronic sources for their reading. Maybe it’s because they travel well {several books on one small device versus lugging heavy books around}, they are instantly available, and they allow for magazines, books, and newspapers all in one convenient place.
Now that I’ve totally made electronic devices for reading sound amazing, I am going to go on the record and say I prefer paper. I love the smell, the feel of the paper, and best of all, there is no backlighting to hurt my eyes. Not to mention, I am a HUGE supporter of the library, where electronic versions aren’t always available.
The most fascinating part of the NPR article, though, was that we may not retain information as well in electronic format as we do with the same paper version. We are so used to “scanning” out emails, yahoo, Pinterest and Facebook headlines and tags, that we tend to allow that habit to bleed into our reading habits. I’ve never really stopped to consider whether or not one being more effective than the other. Do you think there’s any truth to the scanning theory?
So, how do YOU prefer to do your reading? Paper, Kindle, iPad, or some other electronic device?
~Mavis
Eduvina says
Books! I love them. I sub for PCLS and love walking through the library seeing shelves of books. I’d rather read on paper than on a device.
Jamie says
We just had this very conversation in our family. Nearly everyone agrees that they prefer paper books b/c of the feel and smell, but also b/c they retain the information better. I just received a Kindle for Christmas and couldn’t have agreed more. I have read several books on the Kindle, but have retained very little of the information. But that is just my experience. My nieces (10 and 6) prefer paper books as well. They like to reread books they have had for awhile and books their parents read them. The oldest one even put one of her books up in her chest “to read to her kid b/c my mom read it to me and it is really good”… She is wise beyond her years. 🙂
Mrs. Chow says
I agree that I retain better if I read a paper copy.
Mrs. Chow says
I prefer paper, I love hard copy books, and I am a huge supporter of the library. I also use an iPad/kindle a lot for travel.
Lori says
I’m firmly in the paper fan group. Nothing beats the feel, smell and weight of a hard copy book.
Melissa says
PAPER I like books in hardcover I have always bought tons and tons of books. Some I have given as gifts, or to Goodwill (I have also bought books from thrift stores.) The ones I keep I read over and over again.
PAPER
HollyG says
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I prefer electronic books and I’m a Teacher-Librarian. I read many brand new novels and love that I can hold hundreds of them with one hand and they don’t flip closed on me. I can buy a sequel at three am without leaving the comfort of my pajamas and I can sneak it in to a three hour orchestra concert ( I hate just sitting there). I recently purchased the least expensive Kindle model for reading – I love the pebbled screen, it’s black/white tones are easy on my eyes and it’s very light weight (much better than my fire for reading). Now don’t get me wrong, I love old books, beautiful old books with lovely heavy paper, wonderful old type face and those gorgeous embossed leather covers. The problem is that newly printed books hold none of this appeal, they are merely books too often made with cheap paper, ugly covers and bindings that crack and tear. They hold no nostalgia for me – bring on my download.
Pam says
I have to answer that I love both. If it’s a reference book, a cookbook or an instruction manual, I want paper. And while I prefer the feeling of reading from a real book, I have severe arthritis in my elbows which makes holding a book rather painful. I have 3 Kindle devices. I have a Fire that I pack when I’m traveling because I can use it to check my e-mail, access the internet, and play game on it. I have my first Kindle, which I think I keep for sentimental reasons (long story). And I have the small, lightweight Kindle White that I drop in my purse and carry everywhere with me. I have a pretty extensive library of hardback and paperback books. But my electronic books are what has made reading a pleasure for me these last few years.
Mary Ann says
My husband bought me a Kindle and I won’t even try it. I have always loved BOOKS. I’ve been stuck in my favorite genre, True Crime, for years now and never run out of choices. Ann Rule is currently my favorite writer.
I buy all of mine new from Amazon.com and after I’ve read them I recycle them at Sunny’s, a diner/cafe in Huntington Beach, CA. They have a bookshelf for people to leave and take books in the front of the restaurant. Who would have ever thought there would be something so ‘small town’ in such a big So Cal city?! I love that they’re trying to keep that community spirit alive.
Dana says
We have paper books stacked floor to ceiling in every room of the house (in bookcases of course). Love paper books for classics, cookbooks, how-to books, and favorites.
Other than that, electronic all the way. Love that with just my cell phone I can read whatever book I choose while traveling, (As well as call anyone from anywhere, check the news, check the weather, watch Netflix, use as a flashlight, take pictures, listen to music, check Facebook, Twitter, – cell phones are almost as amazing as books!)
Honeybee says
I love to read! I love my Kindle! I love the library! I am a frugal homebody so downloading books from the library directly onto my Kindle is wonderful. I just finished Empty Mansions per your recommendation. I found Huguette fascinating. Such 1 percenter problems she had.
Chris says
For me, books must be paper. I love the feel of a book in my hands. Holding a book reminds me that I have purposely stepped away from the technology which invades my life. I have tried reading on my iPad, but I find that it is very uncomfortable to hold. Oddly enough, I love being able to enlarge the screen on my iPad and Apple for other reading, but will always reach for my “cheaters” to read a book.
Vy says
OMG, paper all the way. I read at least 100 books a year, and most I get from the library. Then, if I love something, I buy it for my library when I see it at a thrift store, or used book store or indie store. How can you get to know a person without scanning the titles on their bookcases? Also, they never need charging, and if you lose one, you still have hundreds more. The whole tactile experience of holding it in your hands, the heft, the end papers, it’s all one to me. No, no devices, if I can help it. (I’m Vylotte on Goodreads, if anyone wants to take a peek at what I read.)
Linda says
Hi Mavis. This is a really good question, and I’m afraid my book buying habits made me ashamed when I found out that Salvation Army is no longer taking books. I can understand it. They take up a lot of space, and people want electronic now. I am no exception. I LOVE my ebooks. Why? Because I can read in bed again. I have been unable to do so ever since I “graduated” to bifocals. with ebooks I just enlarge the type. I can also carry my tablet with me and have a variety of books in progress at my fingertips depending on my mood. I am one of those that tends to have three or four books of all different sorts in various stages of being read. However, I can see a day when, for whatever reason, we don’t have access to our precious ebooks. (No electricity?) Because of that, I buy real books for any sort of how-to/reference book. I want to be able to access it no matter what version of software I have available or IF i have software available.
See what you get for asking my opinion? 🙂
Liz says
I do have a Kindle but like you I love the feel and smell of books. I was thinking the same. That paper additions may become a way of the past. So I have been beefing up my paper collection especially with classics so my grandchildren will have
Mary P says
Books. The tactile experience of holding the book, turning the pages, is part of reading that I can’t do without. Even online articles, patterns, recipes, etc. get printed out so that I can hold them and refer back to them.
Mr-Yan says
Both my wife and I prefer an e-ink reader except for technical texts and reference material (I’m a 33 year old engineer) where I want the dead tree edition.
Both my wife and I use B&N’s nook with the glow lights. The active screens of tablets like the i-pad will mess with your sleep when viewed before bed. I don’t find the glow light messes with my sleep as it is a diffused light shining in from the edge not a back light.
Our public library has thousands of books available in epub for the nook. We read a lot, have three nooks and bought the first one over three years ago but have bought less than 20 books (well 20 DRM viewing licenses for books) in that time.
Mavis says
Interesting about the lights messing with your sleep. I wonder what the difference is?
Pam says
I think that’s another reason why I hang onto my old Kindle. The original Kindle’s didn’t have lighting of any sort attached to the reader itself. The light was a part of a cover that could be purchased. A small indirect light pulls out from the corner of the cover so you can read your screen. And I agree about the back light vs. diffuse lighting. I find it much easier to fall asleep (and stay asleep) when I read from my old Kindle before bed.
Lisa Millar says
Totally passionate about my real paper books!
Browsing our ‘library’ is something I love doing, and scrolling on an electronic device doesn’t hold that charm for me – or that lovely smell!
Also we have collections of old books -dust wrappers and a few are signed by the author which are much valued by us!
We don’t have an electronic reading device of any sort, but I totally get how they would be so useful and it was interesting reading the comments about why people enjoyed them.
When I was travelling a lot in my younger years it would have been magic! I read way too fast to justify lugging about heaps of heavy books when on the move!
Tisha says
I like both. Anything with pictures, I definitely prefer hard copy. I frequent the library, where I borrow hard books and e-books. The advantage on the e-reader goes to being able to adjust the font. That is wonderful. I also love when there is a new release that I am willing to pay for, I can wait for it to come in automatically at midnight and start the big read. I also like that if it is a book my kids would like (say anything by Rick Riordan), we can all read it at the same time. From a clutter standpoint, e-books are better too. Yes, you have to organize the kindle but it is still less tedious than the books everywhere. Not to mention, a good bookshelf costs more than the kindle itself. My younger kids read hard books and there are some things where I still want the book and prefer that so both types have a place in my world.
Mavis says
The clutter thing is so appealing to me {among other things}.
Cheryl says
Paper for me. I do not own an electronic anything for reading. I can see how wonderful it would be for traveling as the weight of a book becomes an issue quickly and it would be great to access for reviews and directions while on vacation. But I still prefer paper.
Sandra says
I prefer paper books, but I don’t mind reading fiction on my Kindle. My husband hates the turning-the-page sound the Kindle makes, though, so I don’t read the Kindle in bed anymore.
My 85-year-old retired English teacher mom also likes print, but she loves her Kindle because she can increase the type size. She needs large print books, which are not often available for current literature.
Our favorite place for printed books is Half Price Books, especially the Olympia outlet.
Anna G says
Sandra, I was able to turn the sound off on my Kindle.
Mavis says
Sandra, you can switch the settings so the kindle is soundless! Then your husband will be none the wiser when you turn a page!
Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden says
It’s a toss up for me and it has to do with money. I love paperbacks because it’s really hard to read in bed with your kindle. It does some crazy things with the screen. Let me tell you though I used to spend a lot of money on books. Now I buy them at garage sales and thrift stores. That said I love the Kindle because of the free books I get to read. I’ve more than saved enough to pay for my kindle!
Mavis says
It’s so true. If I were to calculate the cost savings of the free books, I think it would blow me away!
Katherine says
I bought a Kindle in 2011 and never purchased another paper book again. The older Kindles are not backlit, I can change the font and font size and I don’t feel bad about trees dying so that I can have something to read. I can carry my Kindle in my purse and read while I wait for any appointments etc. I read on average 200 books a year, many of which are free ebooks. I’m also in love with audiobooks! When I’m driving, cleaning house or working in the garden its nice to listen to a good book and it makes the time go by so much faster.
Tammy says
If it’s a novel, I don’t mind reading it via my Kindle. I don’t like having non-fiction on my Kindle though. I can’t focus. I use a pencil and underline things as I go in my books, and that helps me focus on my reading. Mostly, I don’t use my Kindle to read on.
Kristi says
While I understand the allure of a kindle, for me there is NOTHING like the real thing. I was an avid book reader as a youngster and as life got busy, I quit reading. A few years ago I started up again and am SO happy I did! I stopped purchasing books a few years ago because my local library is AWESOME! Happy reading!