What is your preferred novel-reading medium?

[neumanc]

I'm surprised that books and Kindles aren't separate choices. Physical books and Kindles might feel the same -- but their functions are as different as reading on a computer screen compared to a print book.

Very true!

A printed book is much more forgiving of being dropped in the bath (about the only time I get time to myself to read) than a Kindle.

This was indeed a very relevant problem with the Kindle. However, the newest version of the Kindle Paperwhite is said to be waterproof.

[MrsStarez]

Hmm, a waterproof Kindle would be a much better idea. The thing is, I don’t get enough opportunity to use my non-waterproof one to justify the expense.

[aaleks]

I use whatever I find to be more convenient at the moment. There was a time when I thought that I wouldn't read any kind of e-book ever but often it's just really more convenient to read on my phone rather than carrying a printed copy everywhere around with me.

[StringerBell]

I sometimes prefer paper books and sometimes prefer my kindle paperwhite.

I prefer physical paper books when I'm reading something really well-written that I will want to keep on my bookshelf and reread in the future. I prefer my kindle for stuff I consider "junky" (stuff I'm mainly reading due to the fact that it's in another language, not because I actually would choose to read it in my native language). I live in a tiny apartment and I move a lot, so I've had to drastically cut down on my book collection over the years and it's made me much pickier about what deserves to take up space in my environment.

Even though I prefer the experience of reading a paper book, I prefer the convenience and access a kindle gives me since I can buy ebooks in other languages pretty easily online, plus I can check out ebooks from my library without having to deal with driving there or paying late fines.

[lingua]

I prefer the kindle for most of my reading. It is easy on my eyes and the ability to increase the size of the font is important to me. So many physical books have tiny font that is impossible for me to read.

I still buy physical cook books most of which are in Italian or other foreign languages. I lean towards cookbooks with lots of photos which are better in physical form than electronic although the Kindle has improved in that area over the years. I have many picture intensive books related to my non-language hobby so rarely buy ebook formats in that subject.

I also have in the back of my mind that I want a few physical books around if I'm ever without electricity for an extended time.

[mcthulhu]

The question doesn't make much sense to me as an either-or choice, since I have tons of physical books and tons of ebooks -- many thousands of each, since I've been collecting books for a long, long time. I'm comfortable reading in various formats, and can get immersed in a story regardless of the book's format. On occasion I alternate between reading a physical book at home and continuing to read an epub copy of the same book on my phone when I'm away from the physical book. Switching back and forth is trivial. I also read a lot on my iPad, and occasionally on one of our desktop computers, though that usually makes too many distractions available. My wife is likewise comfortable with reading on her phone now; but we both visit our local libraries at least once a week and have way too many physical books checked out.

On the other hand, I'm at a stage in my life when I need to do some decluttering and downsizing, and I've been working on replacing some of my book collection with epub versions and donating the physical copies. There are quite a few treasured books to which I'm emotionally attached, and which I'll never get rid of; but replacing the rest with ebooks is fine. If civilization collapses and I can no longer charge my phone, I'll still have those treasured hard copies to reread.

Ebooks do have a lot of logistical advantages. I like being able to carry a whole library around with me (we used to take half a suitcase of books on vacation, and carrying that much weight around got old fast). They don't take up physical space; and I can find a book a lot faster. There've been times when I had to search through bookcases and boxes on three floors of our house to find a specific book I wanted to read; searching on an ebook's title on a device goes a lot faster. The functional advantages are hard to deny, too, e.g. online dictionary lookups, and adjustable font sizes.

BTW, the difference between "preferred novel-reading medium" in the subject line and "preferred book-reading medium" in the survey title is interesting. Would there be a different answer for nonfiction or textbooks or reference books, since those may be read for different purposes?

[Djedida]

I prefer my e-reader by a wide margin. Its just more convenient, especially when I can find alternative sources to find a text for free rather than leaving my house to browse shelves at a bookstore. If I find a pdf I drop it into dropbox and upload the file onto my iPod mini for easy reading; it feels more natural than reading/scrolling on a screen.

[IronMike]

Cookbooks or anything with lots of illustrations, art or maps, I prefer physical books. Everything else: Kindle.

My wife was die-hard physical book person, until I ordered a Kindle for myself. I had been away from home for training when it arrived at the house. When I came home one weekend she was sitting on the couch reading a book on the Kindle. She looked at me and said, "You can order yourself one. This Kindle is mine." She's been sold on Kindles ever since.

I really wish Kindles were around years ago when I had to deploy a lot. I would mail myself books ahead of time or have family mail me books, then I'd either have to donate them on that end or add to my luggage to get them back or mail them back. Kindles are much more deployment-friendly.

Also with constant moves. We still tend to move every 2-3 years. When you've got on the order of 3000+ pounds of books, you tend to hit the maximum allowed household goods weight limit, so Kindles are much appreciated!

[Adrianslont]

This thread is responsible for me spending $200 AUD on the new Kindle Paperwhite.

I’m not sorry. It’s great. I love the lookup. And so easy on the eyes - not as harsh as an iPhone or iPad but better illuminated than a book in a less than ideal room.

I’ve enjoyed a couple of Maigrets in French so far. It’s about time I got into some reading.

[IronMike]

This thread is responsible for me spending $200 AUD on the new Kindle Paperwhite.

I love my paperwhite...and the days I forget my reading glasses, I can just adjust the font size!