The Next Best Book Club discussion

Everyone has a personal preference when it comes to reading, i enjoy both a physical book and e-book. With an e-book, you get it immediately and you can start reading, on the other hand, a physical book to hold is awesome as you turn the pages.Which do you prefer? Found this funny blog about e-books. http://bookriot.com/2012/11/16/e-read...

I don't have a real preference. Both got their pros and cons. With an e-reader I can store many stories in one medium and its light. While a paper book doesn't run out of batteries and smells great.

I have tried so hard with e-books but it is not going well.
Unlike audio books, e-books do give me the same reading pleasure but I seem to get less involved so I am more easily distracted and read much more slowly.

I usually read try to read two books at a time, one paperback and one ebook on my kindle. Hardcovers seem rare these days so I haven't read one of them in a long time.

I try to read hardbacks because they do not bend easily and by the I am done with a paperback they are usually bent.

I read recently that you are more likely to remember what you have read if you read from a regular book vs. an e-book, I'm not sure if this is true but I do find myself forgetting what I read a lot faster now than when I used to read just regular books (I have been reading mainly e-books for the past year). I prefer my Kindle because I can prop it up and lay on my side (or whatever way I want to) and not have to worry about using both hands to flip the page BUT I think I might start reading paperbacks/hardcovers again and see if I remember more from reading actual paper or if my memory is just going kaput.

I read unplugged.

It all depends... If the book is timeless in my opinion, I will always prefer hardcover, then paperback. If it is a good book that I just want to own, I don't mind having the paperback, but probably won't opt for the hardcover. If I buy a digital copy of a book, it's because I don't consider it to be liked enough to take up room on my bookshelf. If I don't like the book even further, I delete it from my Kindle cloud... but that's rare. Overall, hardcovers and paperbacks are my favorite medium, because there is nothing like the experience of holding the weight of the book, the smell, the sound of turning pages. The whole experience can be so comforting when having an actual copy. But the convenience of having countless digital copies of so many books in one space is awesome, as well. For those books I want to read but not necessarily buy.

I agree with Nicole. The only reason I buy e-books is because I'm not sure I want to own them -- and I only want to own books that I've enjoyed or find some value in. I often buy e-books to test them out, and if I like the book enough after I've finished, I'll go find a paperback or hardcover version for my bookshelf. That's not to say that I don't buy "regular" books, but often those are by authors that I already know and trust.

I read hardbacks which sometimes are really heavy but paperbacks I also have a problem when they use the tiny print and poorer quality paper. I also read on my Kindle and I also feel I read faster on my Kindle but I think that's because I can switch from reading to listening when I need to so I can read longer.

I've been an avid reader since I was three years old--which was 76 years ago. My first attempt at ebook was a Kindle. I hated it. Since I'm a real techie, that was unusual for me. For one thing, instead of page numbers, Amazon marks pages by a "location" like 20065. Nowhere is there a clue about how many locations equals a page. I returned the Kindle. Then, Barnes and Noble blew eReaders away with its Nook Color, the first eReader with color. Better yet, it did use pages. I've had every Nook reader as soon as it was available. Since this site is not meant to compare the Nook and the Kindle. In short, the Nook, not only because it has page numbers, is superior for a scholar like me. In fact, I consider The Kindle Fire is next to useless if one is using it as a research tool. It still doesn't show page numbers. And, like the Nook it does allow users to highlight passages, but the Nook HD+ has a site on the homepage which stores every highlight and every note you've made. So, if you remember that you read something. but can't recall what book you read it in, you go to My Notes and HIghlights, and every book you've gotten on the Nook is there, separated by icons of book covers. You tap on the icon and it opens up, displaying all the notes and highlights you marked while reading. There is also an icon which lists every word or phrase you've looked up. Again, the books are displayed by their covers and you are able to find everything you looked up while reading. Yes, of course, it displays entries in dictionaries, but also every Google, Wikipedia. or other site s you searched. This is an amazing feature when you are writing a book that calls for many loads of Lookups. I've been immersed in research involving evolution, archeology, psychology, neuroscience and more. I'm writing a book called "Humans, Dogs, and Civilization." I'm able to access to all the books and journal articles that I've consulted as I'm writing.

If only I had such a tool while I was writing my dissertation in 1970 and 71. Not only could I have had a Nook then. Furthermore, I find that not only can I access my notes and lookups, but, because they are they are displayed in the context they were originally found in, it jogs my memory, and makes me think of new connections between ideas. In short, it fosters original thinking.

Colleges should have their students purchase a Nook HD+ just as they have students buy textbooks. And, since Barnes and Noble has 3,000,000 books to choose from, a product of having been a publisher for about two centuries, you can find just about everything.