# Real Paper Book or Electronic Book?



## MidwestGal (Nov 5, 2010)

What do you prefer? 
Give me a good old fashioned paper book any day.


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

While I still love a plain old book, I have close to 200 good books in my shirt pocket, and when I come across a new word in a regular book, nothing happens when I touch it with my finger  I hate when I do that. Touching it on my iPhone opens the word in Oxford's Dictionary.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I like both equally. I have around 1600 books on my Kindle -- that would take up a whole lot of shelf space if in paper. But I also enjoy paper books -- nothing beats the smell of a new never-opened-before book.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

I used to love paper books only but then I got a Kindle. LOVE LOVE LOVE my Kindle. Real books just can't hold a candle to the Kindle.


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## housewife (Mar 16, 2006)

Well I have a kindle it is nice at appointments... specially if your near the end of your book and know you will be waiting forever.

But I really perfer real books I have thousands of them!! I'm working on sending some on. Just sent 10 boxes to the symphony book sale this April will be the 50th annual sale. Its four days of blish


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Audio books.  I "read" while I do chores.


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## Breezy833 (Jun 17, 2013)

I was a Kindle/ electronic book hater. I like reading the news paper, in my hand, and not online. I was convinced that electronic books and online news, ect is KILLING the paper industry. Then my grandma got a kindle, and while i still like real books and papers in my hand. I can see the convenience of the electronic book. 

Now i'm a converter, wishy washy, flip flopper. I kinda want a kindle.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

Electronic books

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Before i actually got a Kindle I would have said a real book. 
But after I got a Kindle there is no question that I prefer it. 
I can instantly look up the definition of a word, read in the dark, search for something in the book and best of all for my eyes (which have arrived at that pesky stage of needing reading glasses for regular books), I can adjust the font size so I have don't have to wear reading glasses. Not to mention the hundreds of titles stored on my Kindle and I can buy or borrow a new book in a minute. 
I love it to death and have actually pitched some of my regular books and rebought them on the Kindle. I live in a cabin with not a lot of storage so it makes sense for me.


ETA: My exceptions to this are cookbooks and travel guides. Those I buy in regular book format.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

Isn't it amazing how quickly we switch to e-book lovers? I've gotten so many free books from Amazon it's not even funny. I'm going away overnight and just need to toss my Kindle in my bag. I finished a book last night and now have about 300 to choose from if I want to read just brainless fiction, 200 non-fiction books, 200 theology books, 150 classics and who knows how many children's books (including G.A. Henty which are FABULOUS books for teen boys - I want my son to read them all since they are pretty historically accurate, written around the late 1800s).


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

I don't like the lack of formatting on the ebooks, and the sometimes painfully obvious transcription errors, but after a few reads I think I'm fine with them for certain types of writing.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I like paper books. That said, I mostly get audio books from the library so I can "read" while knitting or cleaning. I have a Kindle and like it.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Like lots of others, I really dragged my feet on eBooks until a good friend visited and insisted I try hers. Now, I have to admit, I consider it a necessity. Being able to access library books and free downloads from online sites without having to make a trip to town is incredibly convenient, especially at 2 AM on a night I can't sleep and don't have anything to read!

Non-fiction books like my horse training books and art instruction books I still buy as regular paper books ... they simply do not work well for me as eBooks. But for my entertainment reading, a Kindle has become indispensable for me.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Used to wait for the libary to have their anual Auguest book sale so I could stock up on a years worth of reading 50cents for paper backs and a dollar for hard covers. I like to go back and read a book a few years latter too so I have tubs and tubs of them stored away in the basement and the loft I built in the pole barn about 30 years worth. 
Then I got a Kindle the 3G model for Christmas from my Kare. I just fell in love with that Kindle and all the fee reads I am able to get for it from the many libarys and amazone and other sites. I've been in my UPPER Michigan deer blind and ended a book. In the old days I would have had to either finish the day with nothing to read or go back to camp and gat another book. With the kindle I just use the 3G to down load a new book including auto books for when I am driving and want to listen to some thing with out ads.
I didn't like having to have a readding light for the 3G kindle so last year I broke down and got a Kindle fire for my birthday. It is back lite for night time reading away from regular lighting like a deer blind early in the morning.
It however doesn't last as long battery wise so it needs chargeing every evening for a day of reading. 
I still have my 3G and still use it for readding books I read before as I have close to 2000 books in the arcives on it.
I don't miss the smell of musty old paper at all.

 Al


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

I have never owned an electronic book.......but I am leery of them.
I fear they will eliminate books, there by creating the greatest "book ban" history has ever seen.

So, I love my paper books.
Something magical in the smell of a brand new text book.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

Alleyooper - You need the Paperwhite!! Has the light but also has the long battery life of the regular Kindle.


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## KatSchultz (Jul 7, 2013)

I've always been so fond of my books on paper. My husband tried for a long time to convince me to switch to electronic books. I did not falter...... until recently. I don't own a Kindle of Nook, but would LOVE to one day. Instead I use my ipad and my android tablet for books.

I do love how easy it is, holds my place (although my toddler loved taking my book marks out, he now loves "reading this book for you, Mama" and there goes my place haha.)

But, I can easily carry that with me on car rides, doctor appointments and switched between other apps I use all the time, too.

I love the smell of paper books! I like owning them physically and seeing them pile up on my book shelf, but I cannot deny the convenience of my digital books.

If I can buy the book cheaper with paper, I will do that still, however.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Nope don't eed the Paper whit but some one who doesn't own a back lite Kindle and wants one that is the cheaper way to go than a* FIRE* like I bought.

I still have my 3G for the long battery life and the Fire is fine for a whole day in a deer blind and maybe even two days I still have to test that.

 Al


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

KatSchultz said:


> If I can buy the book cheaper with paper, I will do that still, however.


I do that as well ... some of the older books I want are now available for Kindle, but the prices are 'new book' prices ... $8 and up ... but used paperbacks are available at $1 plus shipping. If the Kindle prices is within a $1 or $2 of the used paperback price, I'll get it on Kindle ... more than that, I usually opt for the used paperback and I will ALWAYS check PaperBackSwap first.


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

I like both equally. I used to be "never an electronic device for reading" person, but then I downloaded a free book to use on the Kindle for PC app and I really enjoyed the author. Their work was only published in electronic format and now I discover that there are some really good free books I would never have been able to read in the paper format.


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## GreenMother (Mar 15, 2013)

I love paper books, eBooks and audiobooks. I have to say that audiobooks have become my favorite ... just because I can't speed read through them or skip the slow parts. Also, I commute 80 miles a day, so lot's of good listening time ... probably the only thing that saves me from road rage.


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

I've tried them and still prefer paper books. I find it odd, though...I love my electronics in general and spend a lot of time online, but I seem to have some sort of problem reading long articles or large blocks of text on a screen.


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## catspjamas (Jul 14, 2013)

I don't have a kindle. I like having an actual book. Plus, I'm a member of paperbackswap.com, so when I'm done with a book I can post it online and get credit for it, if someone orders it, and then I use the credit to get another book, free. I've also been able to get some older, out of print books from there, that I hadn't been able to find anywhere else.


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## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

You can get a lot of free books from Amazon to download to your Kindle. I like having it with me when I go backpacking. It sure beats carrying a lot of books with me


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## Xplorer (Sep 23, 2010)

I love audio books since I drive a lot. I like feel of paper, so no electronic books for me.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

Xplorer said:


> I love audio books since I drive a lot. I like feel of paper, so no electronic books for me.


Sign up for e-mails from Downpour.com because they have good some great deals and I've gotten 6 classics for free from them too!


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## featherbottoms (May 28, 2005)

I have had a Nook for about three years. I also I have the Nook and Kindle apps on my phone. I've finally come to realize that I just don't like reading in the ebook format. I prefer a traditional book, hardback if available.


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## Tyler520 (Aug 12, 2011)

I think it depends on the book - reference and resource books (e.g., recipe books, etc.) I think are better suited for electronic sources because you can amass many of them without needing to worry about physical space.

For someone like my mother, who reads so many books she cannot even remember what she's read in the past and will read almost anything, it no longer makes sense for her to keep buying physical books, so I bought her a Kindle. 

Also, ebooks are good for testing waters of a new author that may have piqued your interest; if I like what I read, I'll go seek out hardback copies of their work. 

But, I have a vast collection of rare books and/or esoteric books that hold more value (literally and figuratively) for being physical. 

I typically don't purchase a physical book unless I feel it is one worth keeping for part of my collection or to trade/sell later on (e.g., my collection of first ed./first print Cormac McCarthy books).

I guess you have to ask yourself: is the book worth keeping around?

I have to admit that there is a nostalgia of holding a crisp, clean hardback laying in bed at night.


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## FaithFirst (Nov 2, 2013)

I love to read, but there only a couple titles, authors that I will read more than once. I prefer the kindle because of the physical space savings. Another perk is the massive amount of free titles on amazon. The Missouri state library system will let you borrow books digitally too. I always forget to return a hard copy (rack up a lot of fines that way) and this stops that problem!


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## Squeaker1943 (Oct 6, 2013)

I love my paperbacks but as I get older, they get heavier LOL I opt for the Kindle, when that happens


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## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

I see a marketing opportunity for somebody here, 'New Book Smell Spray'. Just spray it on your Kindle cover whenever you open it. Think I'll fire off an email to Amazon.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Kindle, any day.
I used to have a large library( 500+ books), moved them halfway across the country a few times, now I have 1000 books on my Kindle with more 'in the cloud' at Amazon.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Harry Chickpea said:


> I don't like the lack of formatting on the ebooks, and the sometimes painfully obvious transcription errors, but after a few reads I think I'm fine with them for certain types of writing.


If you buy ebooks that have gone through a publisher you never have that problem. Its the freebies that can be terrible (although some are just fine).


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## WesleyDS (Feb 16, 2013)

I love my Kindle for books of fiction. With any kind of reference book I want a hard copy. If it is something I want to look up again sometime I don't want to depend on something that may break down.


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

I have been given 5 of those crappy ereaders in the last few years as Christmas and birthday presents. The first one I used for target practice since it didn't cost me anything and I hate the idea of e books and the other four I sold and used the money to buy myself real books.

Since the folks who gave me those first five have never seen me reading one and I always have a book or magazine in hand, they now give me books, magazine subscriptions or gift certificates for Books A Million.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

My library after grad school was over 1000 books and I got tired of moving them and caring for them (dust, wear, mold, etc.) I gave all of my books away and installed the kindle app on my laptop. The typos are in any published e version not just freebies. The tables are a drag and the pagination is too. I think i went through a phase where I just stopped collecting books. Now basically I have my interests in ag., physics and scripture represented in kindle versions. I had all the books I needed and a couple of reference apps on my ipod, which was great. But I love print books and yes the smell of the ink and fresh pages when they are newly opened. But the digital age is welcome as well. I keep print books only as long as I need to - if they are not on kindle - and I use the Internet as a reference library.I was given a kindle reader and couldn't deal with it. The kindle app on my mac has been the way forward for me.


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## krochetnkat (Dec 19, 2013)

I used to be a die hard paper book junkie. Refused a kindle. Finally when I moved to a tiny cabin (about 500 sq ft) and had to move all my books to storage because there wasn't room... I gave in. I have only bought a few paper books since. It's so much more convenient to take the kindle with me everywhere I go. I don't have to worry about losing my page, and if I finish the book at lunch... it's a quick download for a new one (not to mention... all the FREE books you get. It's bookworm heaven!)


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## krochetnkat (Dec 19, 2013)

GreenMother said:


> I love paper books, eBooks and audiobooks. I have to say that audiobooks have become my favorite ... just because I can't speed read through them or skip the slow parts. Also, I commute 80 miles a day, so lot's of good listening time ... probably the only thing that saves me from road rage.


I agree. I've been listening to them more in the car. My commute is only 40 miles but it's still nice to have audible up and ready when I get in the car.


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## Earthling (Mar 6, 2014)

I heart my Kindle Paperwhite for sure but if you have a spouse who likes to read and read and keep reading well into the late hours when even ghosts and goblins have gone to bed then it sure is nice when she can turn off the bedroom lamp and read in the dark with the screen black and the text white. I used to hate waking up at midnight with the lights still blaring and the electric meter purring away, ticking off those kwh's.


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## BHFarms (Feb 5, 2013)

I have about 6000 stories on my kindle. I love my kindle.

But: when it comes to reference books, only a "real book" will do.


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## Earthling (Mar 6, 2014)

BHFarms said:


> I have about 6000 stories on my kindle. I love my kindle.
> 
> But: when it comes to reference books, only a "real book" will do.


That's what the Internet is for. :kung:


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## cabingrl11 (Jan 10, 2014)

Real books. With the pages stuck together, dog eared and coffee stained. I also love land line phones, letters with stamps, clothes on the line, and sun tea.


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## subsailor618 (Sep 16, 2013)

Real books for reference and field guides. I like to scribble notes in the margins.
For nearly everything else, my kids got me a Kindle Fire HD due to the amount of reading I do, it keeps a heck of a lot of books. With us fixing to move across the continent, it saves weight on shipping costs of books. Truthfully, even many of my references and guides are duplicated on my Kindle, without all of my notes and scribbles.


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## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

I have a different view on this. I have always been an avid reader, but with the onset of bad RA my hands could no longer hold a book or magazine for longer than a few minutes at a time. my DH bought me my first NOOK and I was hooked. I have a case that folds open and stands up on its own so I can hang it on my hand and just turn the page with whatever finger I have that is working that day.


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## Coillte (May 21, 2014)

Real books with good binding are a joy. American paperbacks are great quality and whenever in the states I always ship a box of American paperbacks home. I use my iPad for magazine subscriptions.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

I love books. Even old books that give me itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezes. I just can't get that with a kindle.

I went to see a customer yesterday and when I waited in the lobby, there was a giant company display shelf with some sort of theme that I didn't fully understand. At the far lower right was possibly an original leather bound copy of War & Peace. I so wanted to pick it up and speed read a few pages and smell it. I behaved instead. Very hard for me to behave...ever.


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## tc556guy (May 28, 2013)

I prefer a real book most times.
My collection of prep info is overwhelmingly PDFs
I do have a fair amount of paper prep books, but the e book collection is 120 gigs of stuff so it far out-strips the paper collection


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