Vaginal Fantasy Book Club discussion

I prefer books to my e-reader. I flip around a book way too much. My e-reader tends to be finicky and likes to randomly flip 10 pages forward when I ask for the next page. Plus with a book, I don't have the unexpected surprise of the e-reader not turning on.

Paper. I need more then just the words of the story. I need to feel the pages,smell the paper. Especially reading books that are meant to play on your emotions, using all your senses add so much.

I've never ever given any though to what the cover looks like, and if someone was to judge me based on the cover of a novel then that's their problem.

I prefer paper books. I love them so much in fact that my husband bought me a kindle because our condo has no more room for my books. A trip to the bookstore is my retail therapy!

I like both, my nook for the convenience, especially when I am on vacation or lots of appointments during the week.

However nothing compares to the feel of paper in my hands or the sound of the page turning.

However with both my nook and my paper books, I am able to read multiple books at the same time without the different stories bleeding into each other.

I used to be a person who would fight on Paper over ebook at all times. Since work has got more hectic, my locker is tiny and time to read has shortened however I have taken up reading on my iPhone during lunch hour as its just convenient.
I will always love Paper first though, for good reason.

To quote Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower, or a-a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences long forgotten. Books smell musty and-and-and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer is a - it, uh, it has no-no texture, no-no context. It's-it's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then-then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible, it should be, um, smelly. "

Megan wrote: "I used to be a person who would fight on Paper over ebook at all times. Since work has got more hectic, my locker is tiny and time to read has shortened however I have taken up reading on my iPhone..."

Megan that Giles quote exactly sums up my thoughts and feelings on having a book in my hands. Love Rupert Giles <3

I honestly like both paper and e-books. I feel like my paper-book collection is for books I've read, love a ton, and decide to buy a nice copy of in a "building a collection" sort of way, whereas I don't want a bunch of "meh" books that I tried out and didn't care much for cluttering up my space.

eBook! there's no comparison! You're green to the enviro and your entire library can go with you anywhere!!!

I originally switched to the Kindle, because my book collection was getting out of control. There's only so much room in one house! Now, I can't imagine not having my Kindle. I love that I can go on vacation and take hundreds of books with me without packing an extra suitcase. And I have it with me at all times. So if I have to wait, in the checkout aisle, or at the doctor's office, I can entertain myself with a good book.

That being said, I actually do still buy print books. If I've already got some of the books in a series in paper format, I want to finish the series in paper format. Such as the new Sookie book that just came out. After work, my paper copy should be at home waiting for me to devour. Plus, if the author is someone I really enjoy reading, I might still buy the paper book.

There are authors I will always buy in print (Jim Butcher, Terry Pratchett, Charlaine Harris, Katie Mac), and maybe even in eBook as well. However, most books I buy now are either used or Kindle format. I just don't have room to buy everything in print. I need a bigger house! I do love the convenience of my Kindle for travel, etc. I can load PDFs of my knitting patterns and knit and read (books) at the same time. How can that not be full of WIN?

I'm a librarian and I will always prefer books, but I'm happy to have both options. Gives me more room for yarn.

brutal stuff going on with library licensing of ebooks - libraries are being shut out of the distribution of ebooks. Very sad, and kind of like eating your seed corn - because libraries grow readers... wah

there is a petition on this - hope I'm not offending anyone by sharing: http://ebooksforlibraries.com/

I'm happy for both options too. I'll often pick up ebooks on sale or books that I don't really need to display in my home (e.g. harlequin romances). But I still prefer paperbacks for my reading needs. I don't own an ereader yet so portability is part of it, as well as that tactile flipping of pages but I also just like being able to see my books on the shelves, appreciating the cover art and such.

Jamie wrote: "There are authors I will always buy in print (Jim Butcher, Terry Pratchett, Charlaine Harris, Katie Mac), and maybe even in eBook as well. However, most books I buy now are either used or Kindle f..."

I agree with you wholeheartedly, Jamie, as a librarian and knitter as well. Those are my must-buy authors mostly, too, and trying to fit my book stash with my yarn stash in my apartment is helped a lot now by my Kindle. Also, I find it easier to read on my Kindle while knitting then trying to prop my physical book up proper to read--less juggling for me to handle.

Wholeheartedly lost my soul to the Kindle about 18mo ago. I now find it very hard to read paper, particularly non-fiction - which for someone living in a house seemingly made of books is really very odd. Getting a Kindle coincided with having a second baby so I really got to grips with it through those long nursing sessions and I've never looked back. I take it everywhere; my reading speed's increased, it doesn't make me travel sick, I can get hold of almost anything I want, no library fines, books are often cheaper, less tiring because you can up the font size, no explaining the smut to my kids, less clutter - and the darn thing holds music, audiobooks and language-learning materials as well. Plus it's the size of a nappy so I don't need an enormous bag either. :) I've even broken two (through not having a decent cover, now remedied) and Amazon UK customer services were super-helpful - less than 36hrs from report to replacement in my hands is just amazing.

All I'd improve is the sharing/lending function - it's not available in the UK yet and it's very frustrating not to be able to share a book with my husband; and the annoying publishing schedules which vary from country to country. But that's a long-standing complaint with all media.

1. Can't beat the smell of an old book.
2. Can't beat the smell of a new Apple Product.

I find that reading on a Tablet is easier and more convenient. Plus, no-one can dog ear your pages. With my work load being so insane I benefit mostly from having the Audio Book + the ePub. Driving and listening can be great way to use your time effectively, but sometimes (and surprisingly) some books demand way too much concentration to listen to while driving. The only disadvantage is you don't get to have a bookshelf filled with books. I love the look of filled bookshelves.

So I once got stopped going through an airport in England so they could do a random search on my bag. The guy started giving me weird looks by the time he pulled the fourth book out of my bag. When they were all out, all nine of them (I was away for two weeks and I NEED to read) he probably thought I was insane. My family were in stitches behind me.

This is why I love my kindle. No more will I be considered a weirdo for my reading habits by airport security, instead it will be for the myriad of other quirks that make up my personality.

I still buy paper books but only of books I really adore and feel the need to have a solid copy of. Everything else if on my kindle. I also read faster through my kindle, I have no idea why.

When I buy books, it's paper. I just love the feeling of the paper, the having to turn the page, holding the book in my hands. Also I loooove to choose books by their covers, since I'm almost only a fantasy reader, the covers are just so beautiful and full of promises. And another up with paper books is the smell of books, I love it, old ones, new ones, all of them. With e-readers it's like smelling my phone or pc lol no fun!

But when I want to read a book and I can't buy it, I try to get it on my pc and I read it there.

I have read so many comments here that echo my own feelings that my neck is hurting from nodding. :)
I LOVE books. Paper gives me a tactile and sensory experience that an ereader can't accomplish.
That being said, I have amassed a very large collection and my husband has said no more unless we win the lottery to build a library with a house attached. *hope*
even though I still sneak paper books in, its so much easier with an ebook. Also, I am a free kindle book hoarder. I will sit and get all the free books I can find. Thousands of free books, tens of thousands. Hubby teases me about it, but can't really argue. I will read ANYTHING. Or, at least give it the chance to be read. I can't say I like everything or can even stomach getting all the way through everything.
Added bonus with an ebook, instant gratification. I am a night person, so when I usually decide I need a new book, it's 1, 2, 3 AM and I can go to Amazon and yay! New book.

I do not have a preference between ebook and print. While in the long run, ebooks are/can be more eco friendly, it is much easier to share paper books with friends, plus they give small bookstores a lot of inventory. I have a Nook (and I really like it) but I still by paper books too.

To combat reading in bright light, I turn my brightness down and set my device to display with white text on a black background. It helps a lot.

I read both, but I'll make a case for paper books that I haven't seen here. There is no e-reader or other electronic device that can last as long as paper can. I'm talking hundreds of years, thousands if you want to include scrolls.. I do love the sometimes convenience of e-books, but I still love paper more. It's more than just the smell and feel of it, the book has a history that goes back centuries. It's a way for us to experience something new and yet remain connected to our past. I wish more things were like it.

Ebooks all the way! I live overseas in a non-English speaking country and my reading habits changed drastically when I got my kindle. I went from 1 book splurge a year while on vacation in the states (dragging back a bag full of books was fun, bleh) to having access to everything at the click of a button for US prices. It took me all of 10 minutes to be sold on ebooks once I actually had my reader in hand and going into it I wasn't at all sure if I was going to like them or not (I've never been able to comfortably read on my PC).

We have 3 now, 2 for the grownups and my old k2 for the kids. They are all on the same Amazon account so we have access to the same library and it's great. I read now like I did when I was younger, without a care in the world for shelf space or crazy cover art. Some books you might want to have on paper because they are important to you and you like the visual reminder. But the great majority I just want to *read*, and for that my kindle is perfect.

I do understand that people are fond of "real" books but I find I'm quite attached to my kindle (the device itself, not just as a reading tool). Some of the skins and covers are wonderful and can help make them feel more personal and less like a boring gadget.

I love paperbacks and don't actually own a e-reader, (I do have the kindle app on my phone and have used it a few times when the books have been free), but some of the covers in this group are a bit embarrasing.

I'm all about my Kindle these days. Don't get me wrong, I love reading my old 'regular' paper books as well, but like many mentioned before, the Kindle is just that much more convenient for me.

Space, weight, money, the amount of books I have direct access to now. The built-in dictionary; I don't use it often but it's really quite handy when I do need it. The ability to keep everything synchronized to the Kindle app on my BlackBerry (even if I don't have my Kindle with me I can still read, I don't go anywhere without my phone. Works really well when you're waiting in the checkout line)

When it comes to the 'emotional' connection to books, I have to say it's always been about the content for me. It's the story I connect to; the memories and the feelings, they all resurface when I read the words. So for me personally, it doesn't matter what format it comes in, paper or e-ink.

As for the 'shame' part mentioned in the original post and article, that's definitely not a factor for me. And trust me, I still blush as badly reading certain scenes on e-ink as I do reading them on paper ;)

Nothing beats the new book smell. That's all.

I havn't read the entire thread, but I will say Paper is way better than an ebook. I can see the obvious benifits from an ebook, but there is just something about paper in your hand.

I love book shops, be it the little dusty shop that we can get lost in (awesome)that has thousands and thousands of amazing books, or the perfectly clean bookshops (also awesome) that sell only brand new book. (say me who mainly buys from amazon) Where would they all be if...

Hmm. I read both, equally. Unfortunately my local council doesn't yet see the benefit of eBooks in the library, but I use the library for my hard copies only.

I prefer reference books as paper because those are the types of book that I will have lying open while working on something else. Otherwise I only by paper copies of books I KNOW I will read again, or when I'm buying as a gift.

I use my tablet and my phone as eReaders. This morning I was reading on my phone, Friday it was a paperback. In many ways for me, the difference is minimal and I read both interchangeably. I do have the Kindle app, but I prefer using Cool Reader because it lets me set a background colour that I can read from (start black and white make the text jumble for me). The thing I like best about an eReader is that I can choose the books I am reading this month for challenges (my addiction) and put them into a specific folder, so when I finish a book, I already have a 'shelf' of this month's reads identified... :)

Technically, I find that in the morning I need to adjust the brightness settings as the sun is right behind me when I'm at the bus stop this time of year :)

Oh, and I'm another librarian.

Paperbacks because when I drop them, my soul does not cry out in horror that they will no longer work3

I can understand the necessity for a kindle, but at the same time, my heart will always belong to paper books since there will always be a charm to them.

And you don't have to worry about them running out of batteries or breaking if you drop them. I'll probably get a kindle eventually, especially if storage gets to be an issue, but I will always love paper books.

I tend to go back and forth between my Nook and regular books. I do love the sense of accomplishment of moving through a paper book, but since my husband and I are such avid readers space became somewhat of an issue even with us swapping books at our local Paperback Swap'n'Shop.
Also, as I get older I have a harder time reading for extended periods if the font is small, so I love that I can make the font larger in my Nook books.
As much as I love my Nook however, one thing that bothers me is that like all technology they are fragile and older models become obsolete.

I will always have paper books, because there's nothing like holding a solid book in one's hands. I will also always buy a paperback version of books by my favourite authors (Terry Pratchett, JD Robb, Neil Gaiman, Trudi Canavan, Garth Nix).

On the other hand, I carry three devices with me wherever I go, and adding a book to the mix just weighs down my bag far too heavily - especially given the trend towards publishing bigger, wider books in larger print (and don't even think about getting a decent fantasy or sci-fi book into the bag). And now that I've joined three erotic fiction book clubs, it's easier for me to hide particularly embarrassing covers.

I guess my reading style is mid-week, electronic, weekend, paper.

I still have 1 or 2 "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" dust jackets that were given out when Beetlejuice first came out, if it comes to covering up an embarrassing book if I really needed to. Otherwise, I just read em. The electronic book is growing on me (we got a Kindle Fire as a joint present to ourselves for Christmas), though being a light source, it does start to make my eyes water (added to the recent addition of reading glasses - thank YOU, 15 years of sitting in dark rooms, matching shadow densities on a monitor a foot in front of my face!).

I'm as steeped in nostalgia as the next person when it comes to the feel of a paper book and the hushed reverence you experience walking into a library, but now that there are alternatives, my conscience simply won't let me kill a tree for a few hours entertainment. Maybe I'd feel differently is I was only reading one or two books a month, but at 10-20 a month plus online fanfiction, there's just no way to justify the paper wasted (plus the paper, plastic & fuel used to ship them even if they're made locally). The paper isn't even always recycled, and seriously - have you seen pics taken from the International Space Station of how brutalised our remaining forests look?

Don't even get me started on the prohibitive cost of new (meaning recently released) paper books. International shipping rates at an unfavourable currency conversion rate? (Shudder).

Dealing with all of that for a book that I might hate so intensely that I cant get past the first chapter? No thanks. It's the electronic version all the way.

I love the visceral feel of a book rather than electronic. However, no matter how hard I fought it, I eventually got a Nook, which I like, because of the storage issues. I recently purchased an iPad because of the changing technology issue and I hope this gambit pays off.

I will still get books by some authors and I immensely enjoy that media.

I bought a kindle because my hands hurt when I hold a paper book - the e- readers make it much more comfortable to read wherever I am. Especially in bed before going to sleep. And I like the fact I am not killing trees to read.

I have been wrestling over the paper-vs-ebook issue, as I definitely do not want to kill more trees, add to the massive deforestation that's been going on for years, and add to pollution in general. So far, I am still reading paper, though. These days I am mostly checking books out of the library, or a couple of friends and I are each other's lending libraries, so that has cut down on the paperback buying substantially. It's helpful to have a few friends with overlapping tastes in books.

paper books, by far, i recall a very old I used to have, and just smelling it gave me a sense of nostalgia. ebooks don't have the same feel an smell as a nice paperback book.

I see a lot of posts mentioning the environmental aspect of ereader vs paper books.
While I am a kindle user myself I think it's important to remember that an ereader is not more eco friendly per definition.

There have been a few studies to figure out which is more eco friendly, ereader or paper books. Some studies only look at production, others also take shipping, storage, average lifespan of device and disposal into account. In the end there really is no clear answer on when an ereader becomes more eco friendly, some studies say it takes only 10/20 ebooks while according to other studies you'll need to get 100 ebooks instead of paper books (per ereader) to even out the score.

For those interested, here are some articles:
http://www.themillions.com/2012/05/ar... (this is the most extensive article I've found on the issue, great read)
http://danielgoleman.info/2010/e-read...
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/0...

Patricia wrote: "For those interested, here are some articles:"

Thanks for the links. They mention a factor in this discussion that I've noticed when I chat to friends in the UK & USA: how disposable some people consider technology. In between the cost, the availability, and the mindset of disposability, they get new laptops, phones, e-readers etc etc every year or two and think it normal. It boggles my mind!

Everyone I know locally (1st world city in a third world country)with a reading device has had it for a while and doesn't think it worth upgrading until the thing breaks down completely (the curse of planned obsolescence) .... and the only people I know who bought an e-reader did so because they read voraciously (100 books in a year easily) or because they didn't already have phones or laptops that could be pressed into double duty.

Hmmm, I'd never really considered how one's relationship to shiny new gadgets can render the e-book vs paper-book debate irrelevant.

As far as the eco-friendly discussion, I guess I'm good, then, with 600+ books read so far on my kindle. Don't have that kind of storage room in my house, and I do like to reread my favorites.

Patricia wrote: "I see a lot of posts mentioning the environmental aspect of ereader vs paper books.
While I am a kindle user myself I think it's important to remember that an ereader is not more eco friendly per ..."

Thanks for the links! It may be comforting (depending on the numbers) to know that I am not (or may not be) the environmental pariah when it comes to paperback book love.

I mostly read kindle books just because it is convenient for me(plus kindle books are cheaper). I have a kindle app on my phone and I downloaded it on my computer (I also have a kindle device). I will occasionally buy paperback books but its not as easy as reading from a kindle or any kind of e-reader.

A lot depends on the price of them. Anymore, if I buy new I want it on the ebook. However, part of my love of books is the smell of a used bookstore digging through piles of books. I don't think I will ever stop doing that. So I am about 1/3 library, 1/3 ebook, and 1/3 used bookstore.

God I miss the Bay Area... so many really good used book stores. *sigh*

Megan wrote: "To quote Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower, or a-a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences long forgotten. Books smell musty and-and-and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer is a - it, uh, it has no-no texture, no-no context. It's-it's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then-then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible, it should be, um, smelly"

^This. I like the feel and smell of books. It's more comforting to me to curl up around a bound stack of paper than some sort of electronic device. That said, I do use Kindle on my phone when I'm traveling. However, the e-books I buy or borrow are
books that I have only a passing interest in. If it's something from an author I love or a subject that I find interesting, I want the hard copy. I like having full bookshelves. I was the kid that watched Beauty and the Beast and fell in love with the library over anything else.
Basically, Books I'm reading just to read = e-book. Books I'm excited about = paper.

Well... I really like the display of the standard Kindle and the convenience of it. Especially in combination with this cover/stand: http://www.amazon.com/DURAGADGET-Genu...

At the same time, I like having an actual book on the shelf (though space is running out, making me more selective about which books I want on it).

Personally, if Amazon would offer special deals where you get the Kindle version for $1-2 extra, I'd probably take it everytime. I'd have the book for my shelf and the e-book for convenient reading.

It's funny, considering that about a year ago I laughed at the idea of reading books on a display. Always hesitated to get a Kindle and was mostly just curious what those fabled e-ink displays would look like.

Then we all got one for Christmas at work. Why did I also go and buy a book for it? Because it was Saturday evening, I was fresh out of reading material and didn't feel like waiting until Tuesday after work for a book to arrive. 2min later I started reading my first e-book.

Still wouldn't want to read on a regular LCD. My eyes would probably force me stop reading after 20min.

I had boxes and boxes of paperbacks and hardcover books. A year after i got my Kindle I gave them all to Goodwill. No longer do i have to dig through boxes or shelves to find a book i want to reread, i can read anywhere i have my kindle/phone/tablet/internet browser. I just wish some authors would put their older works on kindle.

Ida wrote: "Call me old-fashioned, but I like not to depend too much on technology with these sorts of things.. If I had all my books on a kindle and it broke, I would suddenly be without any books (though I'm..."

I understand and that's why I have everything backed up on the Cloud and my external hard drive so if one fails I have TWO forms of backup...

I also have not bought many books on my kindle. I use my kindle for mostly library books, free books, and other downloads. >.> When I want to purchase a book unless the ebook is under $3 I go for the paper copy.

I still can't wrap my head around paying $9.99 or more for a digital book (I mean let's get real digital movies are like $2.99 and the blu-ray is $34.99, no reason books can't be the same! Or at least give us hardcovers WITH digital download like many dvds/blu-rays nowadays).

I do enjoy being able to bring my kindle anywhere and be able to move from one book to another without having to lug around 3, 4, or 5 or more books in my already enormous and heavy purse. For travel it's great, not to mention it has saved me quite a bit of money buying books because I've been perusing the "Top 100 Free" books sections on Amazon.com and taking books out through Live-brary.com.

I will never be able to get rid of my paper books though. I love the smell, the feel, and the look of my books.

I'm a graphic designer for a children's publisher(I do mostly teen/YA novels, especially teen romances), so the whole idea of buying books on e versus print because of the cover makes me feel like I have to work EXTRA hard to make awesome covers. Also, being a publishing person means I am SUPER into books, both print and e. I tend to buy print when I'm buying reference books like cookbooks, text books, nonfiction, etc and I buy e exclusively for "pleasure" reads (before I had an ereader, I bought them in paperback instead of hardcover). Another thing I find interesting is that as a designer, my designs need to be appealing at 1 inch high size since so many of us purchase books online now and that changes a lot of the visual decisions I need to make, especially with things like type size and imagery contrast. At the end of the day, there's nothing like a print book, though.

Kathryn wrote: I still can't wrap my head around paying $9.99 or more for a digital book (I mean let's get real digital movies are like $2.99 and the blu-ray is $34.99, no reason books can't be the same! Or at least give us hardcovers WITH digital download like many dvds/blu-rays nowadays)..."

I think I can answer your question. It still costs the publisher the same amount of money to produce a book as far as the editing, marketing, distribution, covers (as a designer, I have to get digital and print rights for images which is usually thousands of dollars per book. Even e-only books still carry image costs of up to a thousand dollars.), rights, royalties, etc, even if a book is on e format. Yes, you don't have to pay for the physical paper and shipping, but those costs are much less than you would expect. The real costs are in making sure you get a quality book without spelling errors or whatnot. Also, because of the whole Amazon phenomenon with pricing ebooks so low, publishers are forced to take a loss on a lot of their eproducts unless they're from the backlist (which is why we're not doing so hot as an industry right now). The reason why movies are able to price so low is because they make most of their profit upfront in theater ticket sales; dvds and digital downloads are just extra. Books don't have the same kind of profit structure by their nature. I know it stinks that books still cost the same amount on the ereader, but when you remember you're supporting a whole network of people like me who make sure your book has a great cover or has no gaps in the story or spelling errors, then it's not so bad, I hope. :)

I tend use my Kindle for new books these days as it is easier to purchase books without the clutter, though I tend to use it as a test too. If I really like the book then it gets to be bought in the good old paper format! I just can't give them up completely.
As for buying on Kindle so that we don't have to worry about people seeing the covers.....thats never really bothered me. If anything I was disappointed when I went to buy the Nalini Singh book in the U.K and instead of a half naked man there was just a face with a black background!