Digital because I can read all of my childhood favorites or new finds on my phone!
Compared to my kindle, I hate real books. No worries about lighting. Page always flat. Lighter. Never lose what page you’re on. Less space and hundreds of books can be kept right there. Still looks like real paper. Font and size to your own preference.
There’s really no downside at all for me. I never cared how a book “smelled”. That’s for sure.
Personally, I prefer physical books, especially if it’s a book that I really like. There’s just something about physically having the book and knowing that you won’t lose access to it unless something happens to the book. That being said most of my reading these days is digital simply due to the fact that I don’t have the space for all the books I want. Ebooks are just too convenient when it comes to saving space. Still, if it’s a book that I think I am going to keep coming back to then I would probably get a physical copy.
Physical. The whole feel of it and for old books the smell. Can’t beat it. But I still read most books on my phone or a Kindle.
Digital because you can alternate between stuff.
I prefer digital books. Not only can I have an entire library in my hands the books are also cheaper making them easier to buy.
Physical. Paper or fiche!
I prefer real paper books. Unfortunately, they can’t be pirated, they cost hundreds of dollars per book, my desk cannot accommodate by binder, computer, and also a textbook. If a textbook is under $60 I’ll get it regardless if I can/have the e book, but that’s because it’s not from a big company and I’m not paying for some CEOs seventh yacht, instead it’s supporting the person/people who wrote it.
As someone who used to write extensive notes in the margins of books digital notetaking has forever replaced physical books for me.
E-ink all the way
I used to prefer physical, because I read on my phone and never really paid attention. Used my phone to read for a year and read a ton of books but don’t remember any of them. Couple years ago I bought a kindle and ever since I haven’t bought a single physical book, opting to buy them instead through amazon.
Don’t think I’ll ever go back to physical, honestly, it’s just too convenient. Digital is less bulky, not just in storage but in my hands, pages don’t wear down from turning, and I can fit my kindle in my front pockets and read anywhere, any time.
I dislike having to give money to amazon though.
Ooo, these look cool. Won’t be able to access those libraries, but this seems like a good option, thanks!
2nd for Kobo! It’s a good device, supports more standards, and doesn’t fund any of the Too Big Tech Giants
Just in case you didn’t know, you don’t have to buy books through Amazon (actually that’s the worst option). You can buy the books in epub format from the publishers website or other stores usually (and if all else fails, pirate it in epub format). Epub is DRM free, which means you actually own the book, and, although I wouldn’t have recommended buying an Amazon Kindle, now you have it, according to another commenter, you can email the epub to yourself and read it on the kindle.
Oh yeah, I’ve pirated stuff before. WotC stuff though, no way I’m giving them money for handbooks.
I’ve really wanted to like digital but it just feels lacking to me. I buy pretty much exclusively used and love buying the oldest print of a book I’m looking for. The feel and smell of the paper, the difference in typeface, line spacing and page size between books, the artwork, all the things are important to me I guess. Bonus points if someone left notes or highlighter marks or old library stamps. It’s more than just words to read for me.
Plus I like seeing them on the shelf, like little badges of accomplishment for making it through the book, or encouragement to read it if I haven’t already.
My brother is similar but he does use an ereader for 90% of books these days. Now his book collecting hobby and the allure of a printed copy are restricted to his favourite or important books, 5 years ago he’d buy 100 books a year for £3 each, nowadays he’ll buy 3 or 4 books a year for £50 each and his satisfaction for good quality old or important copies of books goes through the roof.
It’s possible to have your cake and eat it too is what I guess I’m saying.
I almost always start digital, either ebook or audiobook then buy a physical copy later if I liked it. It’s just a lot less friction for starting something new, no needing to go out of my way to a library/bookstore or wait for something to be delivered. Sometimes I’ll just take a gamble on something physical if I’m looking for a new travel book or I’m killing time in a library/bookstore though.
Pretty sure this is asking about entertainment literature like novels. I have no real opinion, as I very rarely read those.
Now, technical books like school textbooks and reference texts, physical. Absolutely no contest. I loathe clunkily scrolling around on two separate axes to negotiate pages where the content is nonlinear, broken up by interspersed photos, figures, and tables.
