Do you prefer an e-book to paperback and why?

[anwidmer]

I myself prefer a paperback. I love the smell (as weird as that sounds) of a good book. And i like the ease at which you can flip back and forth through the pages. On the other hand i love the technology of the kindle readers in that as you read it tells you how many minutes left in the book etc. So i definitly use and read both. What is your preference?

[JazmynElizabeth]

God, it's so much nicer to hold a book. To flick through the pages, and I agree about the scent too. I hope that when I have children one day, they grow up in a world where people still read physical books and don't just have e-books. Nothing beats it.
Besides, reading on a phone you can get notifications popping up that distract you and it's harder to concentrate.

[chupke07]

I think they both have their merits. I love the convenience of carrying one thing that has multiple books, but I do love the feeling of a paper book. The other thing I love about paper books is that I get them used and I feel like it is so much history in one copy.

[JazmynElizabeth]

I think they both have their merits. I love the convenience of carrying one thing that has multiple books, but I do love the feeling of a paper book. The other thing I love about paper books is that I get them used and I feel like it is so much history in one copy.

True, it's more convenient, but everything is so convenient nowadays. We can literally talk to people on the opposite side of the world within three seconds, we can stream any song, search the Internet without even touching a screen. I think it's good for some things to be inconvenient because eventually humans won't have to do anything at all. Books shouldn't be on a screen where nobody can appreciate them, they should be on paper. And besides, things like Kindles are putting libraries out of business.

[bclayton13]

I love the ease of my e-reader and that I can download the BOTD on it whenever a good one pops up. Plus being able to hold multiple books on one device appeals to me. In the end, though, I'm hooked on paper copies. There's just something comforting about holding a book in your hands.

[Book Bear]

While I like to think I prefer a physical book, I nearly always use an e-reader and definitely read more because of it. Digital books are very quick to download and lighter to hold. Physical books are nice to look at but there is a limit to the number of physical books you can keep in your house without it becoming a problem! Apparently, children benefit from using physical books. A study in 2013 showed that children aged 3-5 yrs of age have less comprehensive when reading digital books. This is possibly to do with the fact that they concentrate on the digital device and the settings rather than the content of the book.

[jas586]

Although I do enjoy both, I find myself missing reading an actual paperback and the smell. Technology has certainly made it easier to carry many books as possible, but the concentration is not the same. With notifications popping up every now and then or a phone call coming through, I miss being able to fold the pages, and highlighting quotes that stand out during my reading. Reading paperback really does help one to separate oneself from the current time of where everyone is expected to remain connected. I also do like how a collection of books adds a certain touch to a home library.

[anwidmer]

While I like to think I prefer a physical book, I nearly always use an e-reader and definitely read more because of it. Digital books are very quick to download and lighter to hold. Physical books are nice to look at but there is a limit to the number of physical books you can keep in your house without it becoming a problem! Apparently, children benefit from using physical books. A study in 2013 showed that children aged 3-5 yrs of age have less comprehensive when reading digital books. This is possibly to do with the fact that they concentrate on the digital device and the settings rather than the content of the book.

Thank you for adding such interesting information to the discussion! It makes perfect sense. Has anyone experienced this in their own children?

[Book Bear]

While I like to think I prefer a physical book, I nearly always use an e-reader and definitely read more because of it. Digital books are very quick to download and lighter to hold. Physical books are nice to look at but there is a limit to the number of physical books you can keep in your house without it becoming a problem! Apparently, children benefit from using physical books. A study in 2013 showed that children aged 3-5 yrs of age have less comprehensive when reading digital books. This is possibly to do with the fact that they concentrate on the digital device and the settings rather than the content of the book.

Thank you for adding such interesting information to the discussion! It makes perfect sense. Has anyone experienced this in their own children?

I don't have children so can't give any first hand experience of this. Certainly with books you can often remember which side of the page you are on, some pages are crinkled or stained (with chocolate in my case) and you can leave easily identifiable book marks (shopping lists, old envelopes, bits of twine, socks, etc). This must all help focus attention and aid memory recall.

[anwidmer]

I agree wholeheartedly. I like the fact that with a paperback you can easily mark your place, it seems my books always instinctivly open to where i left off when i forget to mark a spot as well. As if the spine of the book has marked my place for me.

[anwidmer]

Although I do enjoy both, I find myself missing reading an actual paperback and the smell. Technology has certainly made it easier to carry many books as possible, but the concentration is not the same. With notifications popping up every now and then or a phone call coming through, I miss being able to fold the pages, and highlighting quotes that stand out during my reading. Reading paperback really does help one to separate oneself from the current time of where everyone is expected to remain connected. I also do like how a collection of books adds a certain touch to a home library.

With the influx of ebooks latley im finding myself missing the addition to my home library each week and the smell of the local book trader store as well. You make an excellent point about notifications interupting precious time in the pages of a good book.

[Mallory Porshnev]

I prefer paperbacks if I am at home, but nothing beats the convenience of an e-book while travelling.

[anwidmer]

I prefer paperbacks if I am at home, but nothing beats the convenience of an e-book while travelling.

I agree with the convenience factor definitely. I also love that, at least with kindle, you can get a definition with the touch of the word alone. Nothing beats that convenience.

[Spath]

I always thought I preferred the paperback version of a book, but I am learning to like the digital form. It's more convenient sometimes to read the digital book as it keeps track of where I left off, especially when I get busy.

[anwidmer]

I think they both have their merits. I love the convenience of carrying one thing that has multiple books, but I do love the feeling of a paper book. The other thing I love about paper books is that I get them used and I feel like it is so much history in one copy.

An excellent point on used books. They tend to have an air of mystery around them, i love buying used books that have some wear such as bookmarked pages or highlighted passages. Makes me feel like i stepped back in time a bit. I love seeing a book through anothers eyes in a sense, what they felt was important enough to save and highlight. It lends an extra special something to the read.