Beyond Reality discussion

What is your favorite format for reading - paperback? hardcover? ebook? audiobook? Do you usually buy books or borrow from the library?

This week’s question is posted a little early because I will be traveling on Sunday.

I prefer books which I get from my local library
When travelling, i go with ebooks from the library

I use all formats; I typically have a physical book, and ebook and an audiobook on the go at any one time.


I mostly read ebooks on my phone, only using my kindle when I'm travelling where the long battery life is useful. I've recently returned to using the library again after some years, although I'm finding the ebook and audio selection a bit sparse.


I do use Audible, and sometimes switch between audio and ebook - or even physical book.

Paperback or ebook is my preference, but I’ve been doing a lot of library reading lately and they usually have hardcovers. I rarely listen to audiobooks - mostly just on road trips, or every once in a while if it’s read by the author and the author has a big personality.

I prefer paper books - I like to be able to feel the pages etc. I have in the last few years gotten into audiobooks too - good for driving or doing puzzles-

I love both paperbacks and ebooks equally. I had to move this year, so I challenged myself to read paperlessly for the entirety of 2022.

My Kindle is my constant companion. I love it! However, if I can not bring it, I use the Kindle app on my phone (now that I have a theme that works best for me).

Audiobooks are a new experience for me. In the past, I found that I would subconsciously tune them out as background noise after a while.
This year, however, I've learned that audio is an excellent option for short stories. I have been reading the Amazon Original Stories Collections - all of which come with audio versions. I have enjoyed listening to them.
I then tried a novella, followed by a novel - Project Hail Mary, which I completed successfully. In fact, I think listening to PHM made the experience more enjoyable for me than it might have been otherwise. I still read along, though, so there was no multitasking.

My county's library system lacks a depth of selection, but I am trying it again via the Libby app, particularly for group/buddy reads.

I prefer reading on my iPad using the iBooks app. But I also have a large collection of physical books (I have almost every Hugo and Nebula winner, and I'm working on filling in the gaps).

I've been disappointed with library offerings in the past, but this year I've had much more success as they've switched to the Libby app. I tend to find audio books for road trips, and I sometimes need a book to read by the pool, so it's not uncommon to have an ebook, audio book, and physical book going at the same time.

I prefer trade copy paperbacks, e books or mass market paperbacks in that order. Hardcovers can be cumbersome and I don't enjoy audio books. But I will take whichever of the first three are conveniently available. Hardcover in a pinch.

I am an equal opportunity reader (mostly)—paperback, hardcover, or eBook are all fine, and my reading is pretty well divided among those 3. Even with eBooks, I’m not too fussy—I use the Kindle app on my iPad (or occasionally my iPhone), or the Apple Books app, or the nook app, or whatever.

I have only occasionally listened to audiobooks, usually if I’m walking alone, and prefer short stories or not very challenging fiction. I think my visual processing and memory or better than auditory processing and memory.

I’m a buyer rather than a borrower.

I'd say I'm about 95% electronic anymore. I tend towards audiobooks over ebooks mostly just due to my long daily commutes. They really help save my sanity after about 20 miles of basically stop and go traffic.

Most of my reading/listening is done on my phone. I use an app called mAbook for my audiobooks and Moon Reader+ for ebooks. I also have my tablet setup for ebooks but rarely use it for this purpose as I find my phone is more comfortable to told over long periods of time and much easier to drag around with me.

I'm a "whatever's handy" format reader. I sometimes flip between audiobook, ebook, and print formats for convenience reasons. My only format preference is a print book for bed time, as I try to stop looking at screens for at least an hour before sleep.

As for source, I have a list of "automatic preorder" authors that I always get in print. I also buy random books that look interesting or that a reader friend has highly recommended. Other than that, I generally get books via the library (usually through Libby). Anything that I want to read again gets purchased.

It is audio books for me. If no audio is available, I prefer ebooks to actual paper books. because I can have them read to me. I do a lot of crocheting and knitting, and that isn't possible while reading a book, so audio it is. Now that I haven't travelled for years, it is a nice way to stay familiar with the spoken language, too, since most of my books are in English, which is not my native language.