Hardcover, Paperback, or EBook?

[Anna Richenda]

That's right, the really important questions. lol.

I've never been an ebook person. Too impersonal! I want to occasionally be so wrapped up in a book that I'm holding on so tight I smear the ink on the page!! (Anyone use and like Kindle? How does it hold up in the so-good-I-smeared-the-ink category?)

It used to be that hardcovers were the coveted format. But they are so spendy! And, as has been noted here (I forget by whom, sorry!), they take up a lot of room on the bookshelf. Still, they feel great: solemn, serious, and substantial.

Still, the messier paperback is great just because it is messier. You can rumple the pages and the corners get dinged. That proves it's been loved and well read, right? And a trade paperback still looks serious. Though Mass Market paperbacks are awesome for the 'fun' you imagine having while reading them, like when they get smeared with sunscreen because you are reading on the beach. lol.

--Can you tell reading is a partly tactile experience for me?! lol.

I'm guessing everyone has their preference.

Care to share?

[pussreboots]

Any format except ebook. I only read ebooks as a last resort.

[EllaPress]

same here :o)

[Julie Johnson]

I'm reading my first e-book and I'm not a fan of it. It takes away the personalization of a book, IMHO. I, hands down, prefer a paperback. It takes up less space and I can throw a couple in my purse at a time. Gotta have something to do when waiting in lines!

[Anna Richenda]

Are you reading it on your computer? Or on a reader like Kindle? I'm wondering if that makes a difference.

[pussreboots]

When I have to read an ebook I do it on my computer. I don't want to read on my phone and I don't want to fork over tons of money for a separate device like a Kindle.

[Brian Kavanagh]

I have some favorite books in Hard Back, but also many in Paperback. These days I prefer Paper Back for convenience and cost. As for eBooks. I don't have a reader. Yet. I have read some on my computer but find it rather unsatisfying.
Cheers,
Brian
http://www.blazingtrailers.com/show.php?title=508

[Book Calendar]

The subway is perfect for paperbacks. Home is for the hardcover. Ebooks are great if they are free. I have read numerous free ebooks with the Creative Commons license as well as from Project Gutenberg.

[Anna Richenda]

Good point! Yes, I have been really grateful to Project Gutenberg and somehow reading those texts online doesn't seem too bad. I also like that I can search the text when it is up online. (I put three+ public domain books myself up on historyfish.net so they could be searchable for researchers).

So I guess maybe there's a fiction vs nonfiction, work vs recreation element that must get added to the question.

[pussreboots]

Project Gutenberg is one of my last resort sites for reading books. I have never though paid for an ebook. They seem like a waste of money to me vs. something physical that I can easily share with my friends and family.

[Memory]

Paperback, preferably of the mass market variety. I haul my current read around with me, and hardcovers and larger trade paperbacks are awkward. They take up too much space in my bag. Plus, mass market paperbacks are by far the cheapest format here in Canada.

[Sheila DeChantal]

I book like ebook. How do I curl up with my computer?

I prefer to read an oversized paperback for "grippability" LOL.... however in my library - there is nothing like the hard covers to display a great read.

One Persons Journey Through a World of Books

[CurvyJones]

I prefer paperback. I rarely buy hardback, but I have a few. I'm just so hard on books!

Recently I've been buying the e-version, though, and using the kindle app for the iPod Touch. I didn't think I'd like it, but I do! I've blown through about fie books on the Kindle app. I think the Kindle itself would be too cumbersome to manage. No way I'd drag that around.