this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2023
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Audiobooks, e-Books, Paper, etc.?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Ebooks. Kindle has a nice display showing how much is left in the chapter. It has a warm light back light, and i can take multiple books with me on a trip (i have some unfinished books).

I can put down the kindle without losing the page, or having to bookmark it. And i can sideload the books for free.

Physical books are tempting too as i can get them free at a library and very cheap second hand, but i know i would still prefer to read it on kindle where i can choose the font size I like.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

eBooks for sure.

Don't get me wrong - absolutely nothing beats the feeling of paper. But if I have my Kindle, I read everyday. If I need to worry about carrying and taking care of a physical book... I read sometimes.

I'm also spoiled by having quick dictionary access, saving quotes, etc.

If it's a very special book I'll buy the physical edition though, just for having it on my shelf.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I read so much more an epaper ebook. It's so nice to be able to quickly swap between a handful of books in a form factor smaller than an already small paperback.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Physical paperbacks. I can never seem to get as engrossed in audiobooks or e-books as I do with physical copies, so i read physical ones ever when traveling.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I think all formats complete one another. I do most of my reading on an e-reader because it's practical. I live in a developing country where it's so difficult to get books I want unless I pay a lot in shipping and taxes. I am so grateful for e-books for allowing me to access books I otherwise wouldn't dream of reading

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've never tried audiobooks, but lately have grown to love, maybe even prefer, e-books. The ability to tap on a word and instantly see its definition or translation is amazing! I also like how I can read in the dark, turn on dark mode, and shrink/enlarge the font size.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yes reading in the dark is a good point! Makes reading before bed so much easier for me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

When I was younger…well, there were only Palm Pilots back then, so it’s a bit unfair, but I’d prefer physical books, and if I were doing active reading then it’d usually be with a physical book.

Reading digital books now requires using a device that often has access to Youtube or something else that’s shorter and snappier and yet pulls hours upon hours out of my life.

And as I’ve gotten older…I haven’t read read a book in years. Is it a lack of attention span? Yes, which makes me feel sad and ashamed and so fucking frustrated because I could, I could read long books as a kid and now…I can’t.

It’s also that I have more to do: laundry, cleaning, work, cooking, errands, exercise… So there’s less time to sit down and read, or if I do, it feels increasingly hedonistic and therefore wrong to just do one thing at once. If I can multitask then shouldn’t I?

Audiobooks are both a godsend and a curse. I can actually consume books again! But I’m locked into the ease of it.

Actively choosing to doing just the one thing, for myself, is far harder than it ought to be.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I prefer physical books for the most part but I have a hard time justifying their cost when I own an ereader.

I like listening to audiobooks when I'm out and about but I find I'll occasionally miss the odd sentence when I get distracted or forget to pause when I take my headphones off which leads to me skipping around trying to find where I was at.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I prefer ebooks. I like to be able to carry my library around with me. Also, I rarely reread books so they end up collecting dust after I read them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I enjoy paperbacks sometimes but the convenience of ebooks wins me over. I also read in other languages so having easy dictionary or translation lookup is fantastic.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I prefer ebooks because it's more portable, and I can have a bunch of books on hand. Recently, I have a new habit of highlighting sentences that stick out to me or points that I want to remember. I would never do this with a physical book because I would feel like I'm messing up my book. I do buy a physical copy if it's a book I love though. I absolutely cannot do audiobooks because I will tune them out and focus on other things. It's in one ear and out the other. I find it easier to focus on written media, so I generally prefer to read. I'm not a podcast fan either.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

I love audiobooks. I have far more time to listen to something rather than physically read, so I can get through books in 2 or 3 days. As much as I don’t want to let go of my kindle, I do read physical books far more than ebooks.