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Audiobooks, e-Books, Paper, etc.?

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[-] kadu@lemmy.world 6 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.

[-] krogers@mstdn.social 2 points 1 year ago

@kadu @ArmoredCavalry To be honest, the main thing that bothers me about eBooks is that it doesn't support my local bookstore. I tend to buy eBooks from Amazon because it is convenient (yes, I know there are other options, but I admit to laziness here). Local, independent bookstores are a precious resource and I will be mad at myself when they are gone. I will look at the hundreds of books on my Kindle and feel guilty.

[-] ArmoredCavalry@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

That's a really good point, I love any visit to local bookstores (especially when visiting new areas). I should really get into the habit of making some form of purchase whenever I visit one. If nothing else, just to help keep them afloat!

[-] InvisibleShoe@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Audiobooks are good for doing yard work and for the books that I want to check out but find to be a bit of a slog. There are also some great narrators who really bring something extra to the story.

e-books for the last 10 years or so. Some books can be large and/or thick and are a hassle to cart around. My e-reader is slim and lightweight - very easy to take with me when I'm out and about. Also like being able to tap a word and have a definition popup. E-books are also cheaper and have great sales regularly.

Never liked jacketed books, they are silly things.

[-] ArmoredCavalry@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Do you have any favorite narrators? I enjoy most things by Tim Gerard Reynolds!

[-] CorrodedCranium@lemmy.fmhy.ml 3 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.

[-] Michal@discuss.tchncs.de 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.

[-] Sages@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

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.

[-] TheRealBoner@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

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

[-] ArmoredCavalry@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I started listening to audiobooks for my commute, and that's mostly what I stick to these days. The right narrator can make all the difference though!

[-] Eyelessoozeguy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

And the wrong narrator just makes a great read a slog and a half.

[-] hakase@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

Nice, thick, heavy hardcover, thick, textured pages, no jacket.

[-] TheRealBoner@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

I read more books as audiobooks than other medium, but I enjoy and interact with ebooks/paper more thoroughly. Audiobooks have the convenience factor of being able to read while doing other things, which I love. Ebooks take the win over paper mainly because our local library has an amazing digital library!

[-] tlongstretch@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Paper, softcover, thin rough pages.

Hardback is hard to hold on to, and I hate those book jackets they come with yet it pains me to just throw them away

[-] Violet@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

When I'm at home I prefer physical books, they simply make me happy. Also, buying them on my Kindle is really not much cheaper than buying the actual book, especially when I have a huge and amazing used bookstore a couple blocks away from my house where I can get them for the cheapest!

When I'm traveling, I prefer my Kindle because it's light and takes up very little space in my suitcase. Also, I can have multiple books on me during a trip which is great because sometimes I like to read multiple books at the same time and I'll pick up whichever one I'm in the mood for. When I'm traveling, I'm certainly not going to bring two or three different physical books with me. One other area that the e-reader is superior in has to do with all the wonderful classics that are public domain and free!

I've tried audio books two or three times but I just can't get into them. I don't feel the same level of engagement when I'm listening that I do when I'm reading and I don't feel that I experience them the same way, so I just don't bother with audio books anymore.

[-] nobloat@vlemmy.net 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

[-] Let_me_smell_you@lemmy.world 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.

[-] FantasticFox@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

e-books. I listen to podcasts while I do chores though. Usually about History.

The Kindle is just so much more convenient - I can carry some 1500 page fantasy book in my hand and it weighs very little as well.

[-] Lemmylefty@vlemmy.net 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.

[-] Attikus@lemmy.xabis.xyz 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.

[-] willaful@romancelandia.club 0 points 1 year ago

@ArmoredCavalry Ebooks solve so many problems for me. I'll almost never read print if I can get the ebook.

[-] Eyelessoozeguy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Same, I also must read them on an ereader. I've tried my phone but it's all so easy to just do something else on a phone.

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this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2023
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