Actual Book, Digital, or Audio Version?
 

How do you read your books?
Do you like to hold an actual book in your hands and flip through the pages?
Or perhaps you have an e-reader, kindle, or some other electronic device to read books on?
Or do you like to hear books read aloud to you, like using audible?

For the most part I read paperbacks, but I buy those second hand usually.
I'm buying more and more books for my kindle app on my cellphone. It's a MUCH cheaper option here, especially for new releases, and it's a lot easier to move them around (I shift house quite a lot). It's interesting watching my physical book collection dwindle and my ebook collection grow as I go through uni.

I like physical copies of books and digital versions.
Digital brings forth a lot of convenience for me, including saving space at home, saving money, and it's portability(I read via my phone.)
I've never had an interest in Audio books though, as I take a lot of pleasure in reading things with my own idea of the sounds of characters voices or the tone of the narrator. So often times, audio books don't sound how I would have expected them to sound.

I definitely like to hold a real book. I like the smell owo

I like reading hardback books .

I much prefer an actual physical book in my hand. They smell good. You don't need to worry about getting to a plug if your tablet, kindle, phone is dying. And let's face it. If its a good book you're going to be reading longer than those electronics with surprisingly short batteries life contain. okay true. not everyone reads a book in a day like I tend to. ... or read while cooking... and changing diapers. and.. okay yeah I can multi task way to well when i'm reading.

I tried audio books and i just zone out and don't take in any of the book. lol... and i read faster than the reader does.

Reading while changing a diaper? HOW!?

Oh its super easy. You put the book on the floor by their head. xD I mean especially if its a pee, little harder if its poop.

I love reading actual hard copies of books but I find it hard to do. For some reason when I am reading a book book everyone thinks they can interupt me and bug me to do this and that or other stuff. When I have my phone or iPad stuck to my face everyone leaves me alone. Plus I like reading at night before bed or in the middle of the night if I can't sleep so the soft glow from whatever device I'm on dosen't keep my sig other up like if I have the overhead light on, and it's easier than using a flashlight.(Like I used to do when I was a kid and couldn't sleep and was sent back to bed.) Only time I read a book book now is if it isn't in ebook form.

i used to read by the light of the nightlight ^^;;

I typically used daylight to read. Not much of a night reader myself.

if its a good book. i can't put it down..... until i close the back cover.

I like both the physical copies and the digital. For some reason I was never really able to get into audio books.

I can't do audio books either. I just stop paying attention and it becomes background noise. xD

I agree. I do like having a book read to me while I am reading the words myself on a page though. I think it helps me absorb it more somehow, when I am both reading it with my eyes and hearing the words being said with my ears at the same time.

Saaaame. Which is weird because I'm also really into podcasts/audio dramas and I can really get into those. Then again those tend to be less dense word wise, if that makes any sense.

I treasure the feeling I get when I finish a book, and I love every single turn of the page; so I have to have an actual book. I have so many books in my house we had to build an add on just for books. It makes sense that I love actual books, because I am a librarian after all hehe (or at least I will be when I'm done with college). Books mean the world to me, and I just feel the need to own them, own the physical copy of them.

The only time I feel the need for a digital book is when it comes to college textbooks. If I rent them from amazon they are so much more cheaper for the digital copy, and its easy to get rid of them when they are due back, they just get deleted from the Kindle.

I hate audio books, I just can't listen to them, it's so boring. If I want the book read to me I'll read it out loud myself.

I love the smell and feel of an actual book but I resort to digital books for a few simple reasons. Books are bulky and I'm too lazy to carry a bag so I rather read on my phone during random situations; also: I ran out of bookshelf space. I doze off during audiobooks so those don't do it for me.

the book is just more everything for me. i agree with pretty much everything being said. xD

Honestly, while I love the idea of an audio book, hearing problems plus attention problems equal nothing good for retaining what's read to me. It's less of a problem with podcasts, because those are usually shorter and more of a performance, which equals more vocal projecting.

And as much as I love physical copies of books, I tend to use e-readers almost exclusively these days. It's so much easier to carry hundreds of books with me, and cheaper to buy the books I want. Also I read quickly, so battery issues generally aren't.

i'm torn between physical books and kindle versions. they both have their benefits. i have an easier time sitting down for a long time with a physical book, because i'm not as tempted to check my email, but kindles are really nice how you can highlight and unhighlight them and jump from page to page. i think i prefer kindle for how-to books, and physical books for fiction, comics, art, and photography.

i hate audiobooks though. podcasts too. they're soooo slowwwww. i might as well watch 10 movies back to back, or read the book three times. [roll]

I prefer physical books, I like relaxing in bed and turning the pages of a paperback. I've never been able to get into audiobooks, I like to binge read and they are too slow for me. I also don't process the story as well when it's being read to me verse reading it myself.

I started my 2023 Goodreads challenge and for the first book I caved and bought the kindle version of a book I've been wanting to read. It is nice to have it easily available to me on my breaks at work. But I shouldn't get in the habit, mostly because of the cost. It's convenient to get the books I want. But I can shop at the local used bookstore for way cheaper. And I have like 150+ unread physical books on my shelves right now.

I've never tried a Kindle book, and I've only read 1 ebook but it was just a PDF copy of the book on my phone LOL.

I've never liked audio books this year. I have tried but I can't stand people just chatting away to me. I don't do podcasts either! BUT, I realized if you find an audiobook with someones voice you enjoy, it does make all the difference...AND you can speed them up, because I agree they read SO slow.

My first audio book was this year, and it was American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. It's about a young Mexican mother and her young son who are fleeing Mexico after the cartel takes out their family. The book is read by someone of Mexican descent so she has an accent, and rolls her r's and all that good stuff. So it was actually really fun to read, almost like the narrator in a movie. And I sped it up x1 to keep her going faster HAHA. The story was also really good.

My second audio book, that's I'm on now. I'm struggling with a bit but only because the story so far is so so...but I'm halfway through and they are making some big discoveries now which are giving you some "OHHHH" and "AHHH" moments of excitement lol. This one is "The Women of Pearl Island" by Polly Crosby and it's about an island off the British Coast and the person reading it has a beautiful British accent, I didn't have to accelerate this one because she reads fast, which I enjoy. She also has a voice for the main character and then a voice for everyone she talks to so you can differentiate in the conversation.

To find these two though I listened to 1st chapter samples of many books LOL if the audio reading sounds like a computer, I'm out. If the reader doesn't put emphasis on words and expressions, I'm out. If they pronounce words different than I do (by a lot), I'm out LOL

All this to say, I wouldn't completely write off audio books, make it your 2023 to find an audio book you can tolerate, it may open up a new world for you! I now listen to my book when I'm getting ready in the morning for work, on my drive in/home and when doing chores lol I find it's helped since I would rather read than doing any of that stuff, so now I can do both. I can't listen and work though, I am too distracted by my work to focus.

Just as an FYI, it may be different where you are of course, but our library offers e-books as rentals instead of just books. I download them right from the library app and then it reads like a kindle, I haven't use any of them yet, but I tested it out to see. Could be an option for you on the go! :)

---------- Post added 01-13-2023 at 08:45 AM ----------

As for myself, I love the actual book for the sole purpose that I love the feeling of the paper and the smell of the pages lol

oh i actually love reading books on my phone, i need to do that more when i'm out and about. but not at home, it's so rough on my wrists. but just like, instead of idly refreshing all my chat websites, i could just open hoopla and skimmy dip.



oh Spanish in audiobooks or podcasts is so good sped up! they always speak unnaturally slowly in children's books or books with more simple vocabulary, so it's nice to speed that up and hear a more realistic speaking pace. it's so cool they chose that narrator for that book! there's so much appropriation of Mexican culture, it's nice to get to appreciate it from someone who's part of that culture instead.



that's one situation where the slower pace is kinda good, right? then you really get the slow burn and suspense. i like when they do different voices, as long as they're good at it. it's definitely more like listening to a play then.


definitely good to know what you're looking for [lol] samples are so clutch, it's like getting to flip through a book before you read it.


i'll see if i can give it a shot! yeah i have that issue too, i'd want to listen to them while i'm drawing, but i find that i get really concentrated on what i'm doing and totally zone out what i'm listening to. i breathe really heavily too, art must really take a lot out of me [rofl][zzz]