I prefer physical books, especially with that new book smell, but I’m pretty out of space so I have gotten books digitally for the last few years.
I’ve tried digital books, but I’ve found that physical books work much better for my brain. I retain more information and can “get lost” in the story, whereas, for some inexplicable reason, digital books being read on a screen kind of “flatten” a story for me. It’s almost like a 3d vs 2d experience for me.
No this totally makes sense to me.
It doesn’t impact my experience of the story, but there is something to having the next page hidden behind the turn and knowing that it’s right there. When I read an ebook it’s like reading an article. The sensation is different and it loses a touch of excitement without that tactile feeling of ‘the next page’. Pages don’t matter in ebooks either. You adjust the text size and the ‘page’ count is suddenly radically different. I measure my progress in chapters or percentages now.
It makes sense to me why that wouldn’t work for some folks.
Have you ever used an eink reader, or just a tablet or something? The difference is night and day for me. The first time I used an eink reader I thought there was paper covering the screen at first.
I have! But unfortunately, I had the same result as if it were my phone/tablet. I really wish I understood why it was like this for me so I could maybe work on it, but I guess I’m just one of those “need-to-physically-turn-the-page” people :/
I buy physical and obtain a digital copy later to chuck on the kindle. I enjoy reading physical books but time and life make it harder, plus I like to buy collectors editions where possible, they are not for reading (to me)
No. Usually I get digital books from the library system here. I enjoy reading print on the Kindle, very comfortable to the eyes, but if I tried to buy everything I wanna read I’d be in debtor’s prison.
Comics, graphic novels I buy in print because there isn’t a good digital way to read them. I do read some webcomics on a cheap color tablet, but I enjoy them more on paper.
If I want to own a book for some reason I get it on paper usually, but if I want to read it the library system works a large majority of the time.
I pirate most of the books I read. I am not a millionaire and space on the bookshelf is limited. I only buy physical if I want to treat myself with special edition or a book not available digitally.
God bless Anna’s archive!
When I buy books I buy physical, but sometimes digital is more practical, even with small format books I struggle to read them in public transit during my work commute, with a reader like Kindle or even with a smartphone I don’t have to work about my book being damaged in a bag it someone, even without a cover a reader will say least scratch a bit, on the other hand dropping a reader is another story, the screen can easily break, book won’t. Also the obvious thing is you can get ebooks instantly, physical ones have to be shipped or at least brought from the store like everything physical. Another thing is WAREZ, you can get ebooks illegally, I don’t condone it but it makes the access easier, sometimes it’s the only way to get a given book because it’s sold out or something. But I’m one of those people who don’t have a problem with ebooks, on an ebook reader I see them equal with paper ones
No because the library exists for both.
Almost entirely digital now. As for why:
- backlight
- font size adjustment
- built in dictionary
- local library closed for a few years
- lighter/better form factor than most books I read
I find I buy far more books now that I have an e-ink reader.
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I purchase mostly digital books because I use to read at night next to my sleeping partner and e-reader is the easiest way for me. Also O don’t have a very big house to store all. Now from a piracy vs purchase point of view: I actually buy ebooks as a mark of support to authors I like very much. Now I must confess that for some very popular authors, I trend to think that one book pirated or one book bought won’t change a lot for them. So I buy mostly less known or indie authors at the end.
I only read fiction, so I always buy it pirate ebooks unless there’s a special edition of something that I am really excited about. I’ve bought all of Brandon Sanderson’s mystery novels in hardcover for example, and I buy the Stormlight books hardcover as well. I’d love to have the entire cosmere in hardcover, or better yet their special edition leather bound hardcovers (for the ones he’s done it with), but it’s just too expansive and expensive to justify.
In an ideal world, a physical copy includes a digital copy.
Pirate digital and by used physical books
Yes. I like to read.
Physical. But only after I’ve pirated it digitally if I enjoyed it enough
Yes, because I like reading.
But seriously, ebooks… maybe 8.5 times out of 10. E-ink screens are amazing and just as good as paper, but having your books also available on your phone, and thus always in your pocket, is transformative. So, digital on a platform that syncs between devices. (Bonus points for accomplishing this with an open-source app.)
Do you have any app that you suggest and any store where to actually download the file? Right now I buy physical — I love the feeling of paper — but it’s annoying that I can’t read when outside
I love the Moon+ Reader app. Tons of features. I like that it has a dark mode and you can set the brightness very very low (on OLED) so reading in the dark at night is comfortable.
