e-books or physically hand held books? I like the hand held books. I like the feel and smell of real books

[debm55]

[ailsagirl]

1. I'm with you

I like the smell and feel of REAL books. I tried kindle but soon dumped it. Nothing compares to a real live book.

[debm55]

42. Agree with you so much. Thank you,

[Dulcinea]

111. Real books all the way!

I just don't enjoy reading on an electronic device. I had to read excruciatingly boring research articles electronically in grad school. I hated it. I know lots of people love their Kindles, but no thanks.

[debm55]

112. Agree

[anciano]

2. Agree 👍

[beveeheart]

3. Same here.

Tried Kindle once and hated it.

[debm55]

44. Agree with you beveeheart. TY

[patphil]

4. Real books have an energy about them that is missing from e-books.

I use both, but prefer real, paper books.

[debm55]

24. So do I. TY

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Real books.

[debm55]

25. Agree--real books especially older ones have a unique smell and texture to them. I like that.

[Raven123]

6. Tried ebooks. Didn't like them.

[debm55]

26. I have done both, I like real books in my hands. TY

[Sneederbunk]

7. Like ebooks because

I don't have to go to the library to check them out and I can increase font size for my feeble eyes.

[flying_wahini]

8. I like them too. I gave away 600 books to my local library a few years ago. Now all I do is all digital.

We need the trees more. Just my opinion.

[debm55]

27. That is very good. I usually do to used book stores and see what they have--recyle. Or get books from the Library.

[NCIndie]

9. In order of decreasing preference:

1) Audio books
2) ebooks
3) Paper

[debm55]

28. Thank you, NCIndie.

[rsdsharp]

10. I like real books but probably read 4-1 Kindle to hard copies.

There are only so many bookshelves in the house, and without Kindle they would have been full long ago.

[debm55]

29. I understand. I have read both. I like to recycle mine to different used book stores or when the Library has a used book

sale. TY

[rsdsharp]

33. We've given multiple bankers boxes of books to the local Planned Parenthood book sale.

Still, the shelves are filling up, and the book sale is no longer an option to off load the overflow. The one used bookstore I was aware of in town has closed.

[debm55]

40. rsdsharp, have you tried Goodwill, Salvation Army or Nursing Homes? Just a suggestion.. Great that you recycle your

books for worthy cause.

[SOteric]

11. The heft, the weight of a book in my hands

the scent of the glue in the binding, the crisp texture of the pages. New or old, I love books. E-readers have their place, but I so love the experience of a book in my hands.

[debm55]

30. I love your description. Perfect. TY

[mike_c]

12. I'm a bibliophile

My home is filled with books, a personal library I've spent a lifetime collecting. I've tried Kindle. I have a couple dozen books on my tablet. I don't read them there, frankly. I love the feel of paper between boards and the dry paper smell of real books.

[debm55]

31. Excellent way to describe books. Thank you.

[WestMichRad]

13. Printed books for me.

More portable to almost anywhere, careful handling not necessary, easier to flag and return to a particular location you read awhile back, available to reread later with little fuss… I could probably think of more reasons if I thought about it.

[debm55]

32. Yes, while reading one book, my Kindle misfunctioned. It was a disaster. Now when I read an e-book I write down the page

I am on, before I close it.

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

83. I read ebooks on my phone, there's a couple of untoxic free apps

The one I use is ReadEra

[debm55]

131. Thank you

[yellowdogintexas]

120. those are the very reasons I prefer Kindle

It is far more portable than many books (weighs much less and fits in my purse no matter how large the book may be); I do not find they need special handling, it is very easy to flag and return to a spot; my books are always available to re-read whenever I wish, they take up no shelf space, the font size is adjustable, I can read in the dark, I don't have to hold the pages open so they don't flip closed and I can carry literally hundreds of books with me (which is very handy when traveling ) In a pinch, if I am caught without my kindle I can use the app on my phone. It has its own hard drive so I don't need the net to read them. The only issue is keeping them charged, but they hold about a 10 hour charge if you only use for reading and I just use my car charger if I need to pump it up. The newer versions use the same chargers that come with Android phones (Micro C ?) ; my older one uses the MicroSB

[debm55]

132. me too! Thank you

[TSExile]

14. Physical books!!!

No question about it!! 📚

[debm55]

34. Agree

[Archae]

15. Both.

I don't mind either one.

[debm55]

35. I like that answer, thank you.

[Archae]

39. It took a little while to get used to reading from a tablet.

But I was able to do so, and it works out all right.

As is, I have two 3-shelf bookshelves full of books and magazines, and I've read several books on a tablet.

[debm55]

45. I had the same. Had magazines going back many years--especially teaching books and kids books I read to my class. I

donated them to a school in a low income area. Thank you.

[TwilightZone]

16. Real books, but (finally) had to get a Kindle.

We have about 1,500 books and I refuse to buy more bookshelves, so I bought my partner a Kindle for the holidays.

She's ok with this.

[debm55]

46. Wow you two are book lovers. I see your point though.Thank you.

[TwilightZone]

87. I get her a lot of books for holidays.

We've been together for more than 30 years, so they've added up.

[Polly Hennessey]

17. Real printed books. You can't cuddle up with a Kindle.

Whoever heard of cozying up with a good Kindle and a cup of tea.

[debm55]

49. Polly, especially on a rainy or snowy day. I like that.

[retread]

93. "Whoever heard of cozying up with a good Kindle and a cup of tea"

[debm55]

133. True

[Niagara]

18. Real books.

I also like the feel, smell and weight of a real book.


Print books also do not emit any blue light that causes headaches and eye strain. Reading a real book makes it easier to fall asleep when insomnia strikes. Recommended time to avoid blue light from screens is 2 to 3 hours before bedtime since it makes it more difficult to fall asleep.



I want to make it abundantly clear, I've never read an Ebook or kindle or whatever it is these devices are called.


I also want to mention that Ebooks are not environmental friendly as much as we want them to be.

[debm55]

50. Thank you very much, Niagara. I didn't know about the blue light and sleep. I really do appreciate that. Ty.

[Niagara]

85. My pleasure, Debbie. Getting plenty of sleep is imperative.

[yellowdogintexas]

121. my screen protector has anti glare and filters blue light. nt

[debm55]

134. Great idea, TY

[Elessar Zappa]

19. Usually hand held but if it's something

I want to read but don’t like it enough to take up space in my house, I’ll buy the kindle version.

[debm55]

52. You got a good thing going there, Elessar. I like it. TY

[Coventina]

20. It depends on the book for me. For my "fun" reading: genre stuff like mysteries, fantasy, sci fi,

I usually get on my Kindle because they are cheaper and I don't feel a need for a physical object.

For "serious" reads: like most of non-fiction books, I prefer an actual book that I can annotate. It helps me digest and reflect on the material better.

[debm55]

54. I love that--my favorite genre is mysteries. Books with illustrations must be real books. Thank you.

[Deep State Witch]

21. Depends

I'm finding that I prefer e-books for general reading, especially because I can change the font size. Plus, I can store as many books as I like on my reader. However, for witchy/occult books that I need for reference, I prefer dead trees so I can easily mark and refer back to something.

[Demovictory9]

38. Font size is everything..

[debm55]

56. Got you, I usually dog ear the page as I drift off to sleep. They both serve their purpose. I like to buy used books.

My husband gets me e-books for special occasions, TY

[debm55]

59. Yes, reading the small print can be a pain at times. Ty,

[debm55]

77. Do the same, depends on the type of book.

[debm55]

135. Agree. Ty

[Ocelot II]

22. Both. I buy a physical book if it has illustrations or if it contains material

that I will want to refer back to easily. But I also like e-books because I can look up words or information about places or people just by highlighting a word and the link takes me to the internet. And they take up a whole lot less room; I was running out of bookshelf space.

[debm55]

60. I went through my book shelves and gave away all the books and magazines I had read. It was bitter sweet, But it was

taking up room and I would read it only once. Now, when I buy a book and finish reading it. I have my friend take it to Goodwill. However, I have a lot of art books and craft books that I just cant part with?

[Ocelot II]

64. I get rid of physical books I'm not likely to read again

by putting them in my Little Free Library, or in someone else's - there's one about every couple of blocks in this neighborhood. That way they can circulate.

[debm55]

73. Do the same.

[yellowdogintexas]

144. Magazines!!! I don't even want to think about those cases of National Geographics

I hauled around from house to house.

I went on a tear a few years ago and tossed magazines. In the process I found a stack of 6 sets of yellow pages which had not been touched for years.

[debm55]

146. get rid of them. I did the same thing--I don't know why I was saving magazines. They were Stampington. and all their

follow up mags. Crafts, which I dog eared the projects. Did I ever do them? No. so it was so long magazines.

[yellowdogintexas]

150. Oh they are long gone!

I only have one magazine related thing to do: get out all the loose recipes I saved from magazines etc. and get rid of them. What ever they are, they are probably on Pinterest

[bedazzled]

72. Pictures and charts are difficult in ebooks...

This is true. I like both books and ebooks, but read more ebooks. Font size. Less room used in my tiny house. Always have them with me. I can get books from the library and not even go there...

[yellowdogintexas]

122. my kindles have a zoom feature for maps and pictures and an annotation

capability. Highlighting too

[bedazzled]

125. Sometimes it doesn't seem to be available on hoopla or cloud library

Course I could be doing something wrong

Nonetheless i love ebooks.

[yellowdogintexas]

139. My kindles will show me all the books I have acquired from Amazon in electronic format

when I go to the Library function, I have a choice between "All" or Downloaded

If it is downloaded on that device, it is on the device's hard drive until/unless I remove it . If I do remove it, it is still in the Amazon cloud so I can put it back on my device if I wish.

If I have wireless available I can log into it and read anything that I have ever acquired.

[debm55]

136. True and in some books the illustrations are wonderful

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

23. Physical books for me.

But I know several people who absolutely need e-books so they can get the font to where they can read it. Or audio books.

I get most of my books from the library, and I am in the slow process of getting rid of books that I will never read, or will never read again. I give them to my library.

This thread helps demonstrate why physical books will never go away, despite claims that they will.

[debm55]

61. Yes, I do both. However, I like the real books. We are used to them for various reasons. I think the in the future,

people will be so used to e-books that it will be natural. For me it's not.

[Midnight Writer]

36. It took me a long time, but now I read almost exclusively e-books.

They do have drawbacks, like reading notes and footnotes, or backtracking to double-check a particular point.

The good is the "portable library" aspect (I have over one thousand books on my e-reader), the backlighting so I can read without turning on a light, the ability to zoom in on an image, and the low cost of e-books.

[debm55]

63. Yes, both have their bad and good points. I do both for different reasons. I can't part with my Art History books.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

69. I use kindle when I'm on a trip that more or less precludes

physical books. I do have a bunch of books loaded on my Kindle, but I'm not strongly motivated to read them that way. I have a strong bias in favor of physical books, and while I understand the many reasons people prefer e-books, I'm going to stick with physical books for myself in the near future.

The very best thing is that we have alternatives. I know people who need e-books because they need to adjust the font. I know others who can no longer read and need audio books. Isn't it truly amazing and wonderful that we have these choices?

[debm55]

137. Same with me. At home it's books.TY

[Demovictory9]

37. I can make the fonts bigger on kindel..i love that

Easy on the eyes

[debm55]

51. Yes that is a good thing. The older I get the more difficult it is to see. Also, I am partially blind in one eye from

Shingles so in that respect it helps. TY

[Jrose]

41. I like ebooks for the convenience of adjusting type size and portability...

... but the sweet nostalgia of holding and touching the coffee or wine-stained pages of a paper book and re-reading a time-worn, illustrated classic tale your mother or father read to you or gave you is invaluable and irreplaceable.

[debm55]

48. Yes, I have some books on Kindel, but the touch of paper and the memories that the scent of the book brings back is

priceless. TY

[ificandream]

43. I prefer ebooks by a mile.

For one, I can carry my library anywhere. (I loved having it when I was hospitalized for Covid last year.) For another, there's a ton of great free ebooks if you know where to look. There's also bargains in best sellers if you know where to look. (Start with Amazon's Kindle Daily Deals.) And they don't take up any space outside of your phone or Kindle reader.

[debm55]

47. Thank you for the information of where to find bargains. I hope you have fully recovered from covid. Ty

[yellowdogintexas]

145. sources for free/cheap books: Robin Reads; Book Bub; Book Raider; Bargain Booksy

The Fussy Librarian.

Once you hook up with one of them, you will get emails about the others.
Choose your favorite categories and you get a daily email with a few selections which will be free or very inexpensive. If one of the selections looks interesting, I can read the sample and decide if I want to get it.

I have discovered some great new (to me) authors and series through these services.

[debm55]

147. Thank you

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

84. I can store 10,000 titles on a 500mb SSD.

You can move the 10,000 paper books!

[debm55]

88. Wow TY

[IcyPeas]

53. E-books. Got rid of my books. Donated some to the local library for their book sale.

E-Library card plus e-books plus tablet...

(I started decluttering a few years ago... clothes, knick knacks, books. I aim to only buy things I really need now. )

[debm55]

66. When I retired from teaching, I did the same. Got rid of the dust collectors, clothing I have worn in years ( and more

likely didn't fit me, teachers and non teachers books. We don't have the clutter we had before. I had boxes of all kinds of magazines sitting in the basement. Basement flooded so that solved that problem.

[bucolic_frolic]

55. Real books

I can't get with electronic books. Can't flip back 3 pages. Have to learn to put bookmarks places electronically. Real books are a conversation piece. A coffee table item. Red pen! highlighter! Coffee stains!

[debm55]

71. Agree with you . I have my wonderful book of birds, dogs, cats, etc. I can not part with. Many times have lost my place

on Kindle. It was a pain to find.. Sometimes there will be a problem with the Kindle finding the right page. TY

[grumpyduck]

57. Real books.

I've read some on my tablet or my phone, but I still prefer the feel of real paper.

Besides, I've never had to recharge a real book.

[debm55]

78. True, I do both also. but prefer paper, TY

[Charlie Chapulin]

58. Real books, thank you.

[debm55]

79. Thanks Charlie Chapulin. Love your name.

[no_hypocrisy]

62. Real, physical books with bindings.

[debm55]

89. Great and thank you. Do you keep your books or donate?

[no_hypocrisy]

91. I hoard my books. Every shelf on five bookcases downstairs and

three bookcases upstairs.

And I have two bookcases in the kitchen with 100+ cookbooks.

I should belong to Bibliophiles Anonymous.

[debm55]

123. Be carefull they don't do an episode of Hoarders--the cookbook series on you. Just joking. TY

[GP6971]

65. Real books, preferably hardcover. n/t

[debm55]

80. I agree with you. Thanks

[CrispyQ]

67. It's so much easier to flip back in a real book, something I do alot. - nt

[debm55]

76. I do the same. I overshoot the page I am looking for. It takes me forever to find were I was.

[Wonder Why]

68. And you can't burn eBooks!

[debm55]

75. True.

[keithbvadu2]

70. Old school, new school

[debm55]

74. I'm old school

[LoisB]

81. Definitely hand held.

[debm55]

82. Thank you LoisB

[womanofthehills]

86. Audible for me -

I like to listen to books so I can do stuff at the same time - like clean, garden, drive etc. The sheriff gave me a ticket because he thought I was talking on my phone when I was actually listening to a book.

I just looked on my Audible App & I have purchased 338 books - probably over 10 or more yrs. Without having any physical books - I can reread old books.

Are any of you in book clubs? Our group met outside in the summer, but I’m hesitant to meet indoors because so many people are coughing & covid is kind of rampant in my small town. Two of my good friends were coughing away - telling me it’s just allergies. I’m not trusting anyone.

[debm55]

90. I have never tried the audible books. I am partially blind in one eye from Shingles. It sounds like a good idea. You

brought up another good idea--Book Clubs. I have never thought of it. I would like to try finding one in my area. I know went for 6 month eye check up today. Sign on door says if you are coughing or sneezing to wear a mask. I don't but I wore my mask anyway. Thank you you very much for the suggestions.

[retread]

94. I use an ereader. I don't particularly care for Amazon and the Kindle ecosystem. I use a Kobo ereader.

The Kobo I use has an adjustable feature that during the day, the screen displays a small amount of blue light. As the day progresses, the light gradually changes to an orange candlelight, and contains less blue. I usually turn off this feature and manually adjust the front light to my comfort.

I borrow books from the local library via internet. Also, there are libraries that for a yearly fee offer an online digital library card. Houston Public Library, Fairfax County Library are 2 examples.
Online book clubs, ebook "deals", libraries, etc. keep my backlog of unread books overflowing.

With otherwise seemingly intelligent people now going about in crowded public buildings NOT wearing masks, I much prefer to sustain my reading habits in the comfort of my home and venture forth for weekly grocery shopping and occasional Doctor/Dental appointments. Some say that in my old age I am becoming a hermit!

A good ereader can be a substantial initial investment and have a learning curve. I am thinking about replacing my current ereader as the battery is not what it used to be.(Another ereader negative)

[debm55]

95. Thank you for your information, retread. I appreciate it.

[retread]

92. ebooks. Fonts are adjustable in size and type. Adjustable back light eases strain of reading in dark. Portable. One

hand held device can hold your entire library. Easy to borrow from local library with internet connection.
With the press of a finger I can look up the definition of an unfamiliar word using the default dictionary.

[debm55]

96. Thank you, retread.

[malthaussen]

97. Definitely the real ones.

I tried, I really did. I had a whole library of e-books on Kindle, then Amazon changed the format and wiped the whole thing out. Fortunately, the books were all freebies. I would not pay a nickle for an ebook.

That said, they do provide utility where there might be none. The site Library of Liberty has hundreds of public-domain publications that would be hard (and expensive) to duplicate in real books. If, like me, one reads mostly now-obscure works that would never find their way into a public library, and has no access to a university library, this is invaluable.

-- Mal

[debm55]

99. Thank you for that information, Malthaussen. I will keep it in mind.

[Different Drummer]

98. I have used both and, while I enjoy both, I prefer e-books these days.

I have used up all the space I have for physical books and am not willing to part with what's currently in my collection because many of the books I have are old and, most likely, out of print. E-readers allow me to collect more books and, between the Kindle Reader and Kobo reader apps I have on my laptop, I probably have several hundred e-books.

One of the books I most want to get next is Sir Patrick Stewart's memoir, "Making It So." I tried a sample of it on Audible and he has such a wonderful voice that I'd rather hear him read it than read it myself. However, the monthly cost of Audible (at least, from Amazon) is more than I want to pay, so it looks like I'll just be reading it myself.

[debm55]

100. Thank you Different Drummer for the information. Didn't know Amazon did that. Bummer.

[Jilly_in_VA]

101. I like books

but I increasingly use Kindle (on my iPad) for fun books and fiction. Non-fiction, however, is absolutely and of necessity real books because it's usually something I need to refer to again and again. I can't think of anything more useless than an e-cookbook! But I'm purging my cookbook library pretty soon.....

[debm55]

103. Same here, Jilly. I had over 100 of those little Pillsbury cookbooks that you used to buy at the checkout counters. I

used them and pages had dog eared pages. Somehow, it started to be a habit of buying. I gave them to Good Will a few years ago when I realized I was buying but not using anymore.

[yellowdogintexas]

130. I have a large collection of cookbooks, which I don't use much anymore but when she was planning her wedding,

my daughter introduced me to Pinterest. Now when I need to find a recipe, instead of plowing through my books I just look it up there. Once I find it I load it into its proper category. I spend a lot less time looking for stuff.

I really only have a few actual cookbooks that I will keep: Julia Child, Silver Palate, Weight Watchers, and my
"Institutional Collection" cookbooks. Those are the ones I refer to. Mr YD would include Joy of Cooking.

What I do if I am cooking from Pinterest: I us my phone . Takes up less room and lies flat !! A tablet would also work. For some reason my Kindle does not handle Pinterest well.

Many of my cookbooks have only been used as reading material so I should be able to sell them to Half-Price Books.

[debm55]

138. I agree, Gave mine away.

[SWBTATTReg]

102. Ah, a very nice conversation from many different people, all w/ different perspectives on the art of

reading. Nice, nice, nice!

I prefer the handheld, original paperbacks/books to read. And since a lot of the titles I have are truly original sci-fi collectables, this gives a special feel, a special atmosphere when you read a title by E.E. Doc Smith, the lensmen series or one of the original pulp magazines that I have, of Doc Savage (from the 30s), and the list goes on. When I read these titles, w/ the original pulps in hand, I feel like I'm transported into a different world. I know that it sounds funky, but hey, to each our own, eh?

Take care!

[debm55]

104. Oh no, it isn't funky it is your true self. books can take us to different times and places by e-book or pulp books.

Thank you very much for sharing with us. SWBTATTReg.

[hunter]

105. My wife and I have hundreds of paper books, maybe thousands.

Our home has little room for more.

The biggest advantage of e-books to me is that they don't take up any room.

I still buy paper books occasionally, but I try to give away old books when I do.

When I was growing up I was taught books were precious. As I consequence I sometimes discover old books in our home library that I wouldn't inflict on anyone. Sometimes I check if there are electronic copies somewhere, at https://archive.org , https://gutenberg.org , etc., which assuages any guilt I have about throwing these bad books in the recycling bin. It's not true that one person's trash is another's treasure.

[debm55]

106. I like your post hunter. It is very true. Some of my books, I did have to through out because the basement flooded.

Some were given to schools and GoodWill, but the ones that were ruined had to be thrown out. We are given one recyling box and it only comes every other week, It took a while to get rid of the dmagaed books. I still felt bad about throwing them out, because of the memories attached to them.

[hunter]

117. I started counting books after I posted... it's thousands.

Damn, my wife and I are book hoarders...

My long time habit of buying DVDs in thrift stores will come back to haunt me too. We've got hundreds of those.

On the other hand if the internet ever goes down we won't run out of things to read or watch .

Sigh, it reminds me of my grandma who hoarded a lot of the stuff she'd had need of in the Great Depression and World War II.

You never knew when you might need that bit of string.

[debm55]

140. I have heard of that, Give to charities and keep the ones that are very meaningful to you

[Chainfire]

107. Books require a lot of room.

I ran out and had to store my books in an outbuilding where over a period of several years, three to four hundred hardback books have been destroyed by mice and rats. I had tried to give my, primarily history, library away, but no one wanted them. Today, I just get the books I want to read in an electronic format. If I want to read fiction, I buy it from a local charity store, read them and then donate them back. I have gotten to the point that I no longer mind reading from my Kindle, and it is nice to be able to carry around a library in my pocket.

[debm55]

108. Very good post, Chainfire. I do both, but still prefer books. I do not want my house with wall to wall books and

magazines that I was not reading.

[electric_blue68]

109. Real physical 🧡 books! But I'm happy to read e-books, too, which I adapted from Covid.

I love going to book stores.

Though haven't since Covid. 😔
Maybe finaily in the Spring. 👍 📚 🧡

[debm55]

110. Me too--use both. Thank you.

Last edited Sat Dec 2, 2023, 11:46 PM - Edit history (1)

[NewHendoLib]

113. Hand Held! For the last 15 years, I've been reading books to my wife - she knits while I read

Curling up with a book and reading to her is a great joy for both of us!

Right now I am part way through Lord of the Rings.

Favorite books to read - The Hours, The Raj Quartet (LONG - 4 volumes, 1500 pages - I've read it to her twice!), Grapes of Wrath

[debm55]

114. What a wonderful husband you are and thanks for the book selctions

[justaprogressive]

115. Since I was a child

Last edited Sun Dec 3, 2023, 11:36 AM - Edit history (2)

I loved books. Some of my happiest hours were spent alone...reading.

I loved their weight, their smell, their sometimes beautiful bindings
and frontispieces...I started building a collection at ten...

A Favorite:



from "The Knight of the Flowers"



We have lots of full bookshelves.

But...

I have an old Toshiba 10" tablet I bought for $50. On it, in any reasonably dark place
I can read books, magazines (in full color, screw you kindle!) while playing tunes
over earbuds. I have 600 books stored on it that no one can take back, and since
it's the size (and weight!) of a hardcover it's eminently portable.

[debm55]

116. Thank you. Beautiful illustration that you can't can not get on a reader.

[yellowdogintexas]

118. I am a converted E-book devotee.

I swore I would never get one, but the books started taking over our house even after our daughter moved and took hers with her.

I decided that if I had a Kindle I would not purchase any more books, which for the most part has been the case. Since I got my first Kindle I have only purchased a few books, all of which are ongoing major series which we both like to read.

Mr YD still gets books, but he mostly goes to Half Price Books then donates or resells the ones which he does not want to keep.

I like that I do not have to deal with small fonts, and that I always have something to read with me. My Kindles fit in my purse so one is always there. In a pinch I can read on my phone but do not like to do so. I also love that I can get free and very cheap books through several on line services; I have discovered so many new authors and great series this way. Even our public library offers Ebooks.

Even a long book doesn't add weight to my purse the way it would if not in the Kindle.

[debm55]

119. Thank you, Yellowdogintexas. Yes, will have to look in my local library for ebooks.

[Axelrods_Typewriter]

124. I use both.

I like paper books at home and other places where I can sit down and sprawl out a bit, but out and about an ereader is so convenient. I'm also one of those people where what kind of book I'm in the mood for changes, I have never been the type to stick with one book until it's done, and with an ereader I can carry thousands of books for all occasions.

[debm55]

141. me too. travel-ebooks home-- books TY

[Jeebo]

126. Isaac Asimov wrote an essay called "The Perfect Cassette."

Last edited Mon Dec 4, 2023, 05:07 AM - Edit history (1)

This was decades ago, when people were listening to things on those small audio tape cassettes and carried small portable battery-operated tape cassette players with earbuds. Some day in the future they will invent some kind of cassette that's much better, Asimov predicted. And then he went on for a while describing the attributes of the perfect cassette. It will require no batteries or any other kind of energy source, he said. It will play at your speed, never getting ahead of you or lagging behind you, perfectly matching your comfortable speed. It will stop when you look away from it and start again when you look back. It will always be off when you aren't using it and always immediately come on automatically when you want it to start playing again. He went on and on, describing these and other attributes of the perfect cassette that I have forgotten now because it's been decades since I read that essay. And then, finally, he sprang his surprise on his readers. He said, how long will it be before this perfect cassette is invented? Well, dear reader, you don't have to wait, because the perfect cassette has already been invented. In fact, Asimov said, it was invented thousands of years ago. It's called a book!

There is something magical about a book. Somebody who's been dead for hundreds or even thousands of years can communicate his ideas to you from beyond the grave. It's a kind of time travel. It opens up a portal into the past. You can't step through that portal into the past, but you can view the past through it just fine, and it's a kind of magic, I tell you.

I love books. I love the heft of them, the feel of them, the art of them. I have lots of nice leather-bound books and they are treasures to me. Yes, they're expensive, but they are things of beauty in my life and I treasure them.

I have never done the kindle thing. I can't say I never will, but for now, well, give me that leather-bound treasure that I can hold in my hands.

-- Ron

[debm55]

142. I do too, but in some circumstances a kindle is better.TY

[Emile]

127. I prefer AUDIOBOOKS.

I love having a professional reader who can change their voices for different characters. Plus it gives me freedom to work or drive while listening.

[debm55]

143. I have to try that. TY

[Silver Gaia]

128. Both. REAL books are a part of the decor in my house.

There are books in every room of my house except the bathrooms, but there are magazines and a few random books even in there. Someone up thread said they have 1,500 books. We have at least that many, too. This includes new books, antique books, and even books I read over 50 years ago! And yes, I love not only how they look, but how they feel in my hand, the texture of the paper, and the scent. It's intoxicating to me. I love browsing a good used book store on a rainy day! Sheer joy!

But, as much as I love them, I also love to read in bed before I sleep, and that wasn't working for me anymore. I used to use a book light, but even that bothers my hubby now. So, after trying a wide variety of book lights, none of which worked well, I finally broke down and tried Kindle. I do not like the Kindle readers at all, but I do like the Kindle app on my tablet. That works nicely if I use a black background and light text. I have it set on the dimmest possible light setting and use a blue light filter at night. This doesn't bother the hubby, and it's actually easier on my eyes with the dark background, light text, and increased font size than squinting to try to read a print book with a dim book light. I like to use the page turn feature, too, which lets me swipe from right to left at the edge and the page flips over in a simulation of a real page turn. Nice effect!

So, both. I had to compromise in order to keep my love of reading fully alive, and it's working well for me to embrace the new but keep the old. Now I just made myself think of that old Girl Scout song: "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." That about sums it up!

[debm55]

129. Sounds wonderful. Thank you

[Prairie_Seagull]

148. Papel es premero para mi.

sorry typo.

[debm55]

149. Yes , paper books are better with tea. TY.