# Trying to read a paperback book



## Guest (Jul 16, 2017)

I'm trying to read a paperback by Dan Brown. You know the type - big thick bestseller, small print and on cream rough paper.

How do you make the font bigger, and where's the back light button?

I had no idea my eyes had deteriorated to such an appalling level. I guess my pension this year is coming at just the right time :/


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

I read paper books all the time, either hardbacks or paperbacks.  I don't seem to have much trouble with them.  (Although reading magazines is sometimes challenging.....)


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## The 13th Doctor (May 31, 2012)

I find there's something quite relaxing about reading a paperback book. You don't have to worry about whether the book is powered up enough to be able to read it, for one.

However, Kindles are so handy when you have a gazillion books to read but no physical space to put them.


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

TobiasRoote said:


> How do you make the font bigger...?


To quote Lister to Kryten in Red Dwarf: "You move your head closer to the object."


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## C. Gold (Jun 12, 2017)

The 13th Doctor said:


> I find there's something quite relaxing about reading a paperback book. You don't have to worry about whether the book is powered up enough to be able to read it, for one.
> 
> However, Kindles are so handy when you have a gazillion books to read but no physical space to put them.


Ah but when the power goes out, it's much nicer to have that backlit Kindle (or other reading device)!

I was also a huge disbeliever of electronic readers. But then I got one for my bday and haven't looked back. Plus, it's a great way to save on cut trees and storage. I have an entire wall of custom built shelves for paperbacks and I still have some in boxes. (I blame used book stores!)


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## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

I was also one who thought: crazy e-reader thing! Never!

Fast forward:

I haven't bought fiction in paper for at least a couple of years now. That said, I still prefer non-fiction in paper. I seldom read non-fiction linearly, and I love to mark them up, and return to them for a visit. Maybe that's just me.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

Lynn is a pseud--uh said:


> I thought I'd never convert from paper to ebooks. But then I got a nook (original) and started propping it up at the table so I could read and eat and my eyes were opened to the possibilities. You know how hard it is to hold a paperback or hardcover open while it's propped up at the table and you're trying to eat with a knife and fork?
> 
> Oh yeah. I love my nook and Kindles and tablets and ebooks and I'll never go back to preferring paper unless the apocalypse comes and I can't find a way to charge them up.


This^

I can't read mass market paperbacks any more because the font is just too darn small (even WITH glasses). I find that hardcovers usually have a decent font size that is easier to read than pb. But most of the time I use my Kindle because of the ability to adjust the font size and read at night without disturbing my husband.


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## TromboneAl (Mar 20, 2015)

Here's the thing that bugs me no end about paper books. I put my finger down on a word I don't know, and, like, nothing happens. No definition, nothing. I've tried waiting for a whole minute. It just sits there.

And I still haven't figured out how to search the book to find out who a character is.

Un-be-lievable!


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## C. Gold (Jun 12, 2017)

TromboneAl said:


> Here's the thing that bugs me no end about paper books. I put my finger down on a word I don't know, and, like, nothing happens. No definition, nothing. I've tried waiting for a whole minute. It just sits there.
> 
> And I still haven't figured out how to search the book to find out who a character is.
> 
> Un-be-lievable!


HAHA OMG I forgot about this feature or lack thereof! I used to have a postit note of word definitions for one of my favorite authors so I could remember what they were without *gasp* looking it up in the dictionary. Like chiaroscuro (nope still can't spell it right the first time, love the red squiggles!), sanguine, sanguinary, exsanguinate and squamous (from another author).


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## deanstow (Jun 20, 2017)

Lynn is a pseud--uh said:


> I thought I'd never convert from paper to ebooks. But then I got a nook (original) and started propping it up at the table so I could read and eat and my eyes were opened to the possibilities. You know how hard it is to hold a paperback or hardcover open while it's propped up at the table and you're trying to eat with a knife and fork?
> 
> Oh yeah. I love my nook and Kindles and tablets and ebooks and I'll never go back to preferring paper unless the apocalypse comes and I can't find a way to charge them up.


That is why I bought this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006X2P00O/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

EC Sheedy said:


> I was also one who thought: crazy e-reader thing! Never!
> 
> Fast forward:
> 
> *I haven't bought fiction in paper for at least a couple of years now.* That said, I still prefer non-fiction in paper. I seldom read non-fiction linearly, and I love to mark them up, and return to them for a visit. Maybe that's just me.


Me, either. I borrow them from the library.


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## Sebourn (Jun 18, 2016)

I go back and forth. Sometimes I'm in the mood for my Kindle; sometimes I just have to have the book, because I still very much cherish actual _books_

What I wish is that it would become standard to purchase a book and receive a code with which you can download an e-book copy.

I'm sure I am not alone in at least occasionally wanting to switch between the two mid-book. I've been enjoying the novel I'm reading right now in physical form. But it'd be nice to be able to "sneak" it into a baseball game or perhaps the mall on my phone or Kindle! I'm aware this service exists in part through Amazon, and probably others, but it's not standard.... I'm sure because Amazon cringes at the idea of me purchasing a BOOK at Barnes & Noble and getting a "free" Kindle download with it. But my, how I wish this could work.

While I'm ranting, I find it totally absurd that, even if I'm willing to buy both, e-book editions for many, many books cost more than the paperbacks.


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## 77071 (May 15, 2014)

You're definitely not the only one!  When did printed fonts get so tiny??  To be honest, my eyes are great at close range.  I still hate reading tiny print!


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## Nicksm28 (May 16, 2016)

E-book versions obviously offer more options like font resizing, but I actually prefer paperbacks. If nothing else it can be a refreshing change from reading on a screen.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

dianapersaud said:


> I find that hardcovers usually have a decent font size that is easier to read than pb.


I was always wildly enthusiastic about the idea of ebooks, and I haven't bought a paper fiction book since I got my Kindle in spring of 2009 (have bought a few reference books). However, I still do get library books in paper and have no problems with hard covers. I kept some of my favorite books when I got rid of the books piled all over the house and do find the print in paperbacks so small reading them is no longer comfortable. Kindles really do help mitigate the aggravation of increasing close vision problems that come with age.


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## Tess McCallum (Jan 3, 2017)

TromboneAl said:


> Here's the thing that bugs me no end about paper books. I put my finger down on a word I don't know, and, like, nothing happens. No definition, nothing. I've tried waiting for a whole minute. It just sits there.


LOL. I have to say, the particular feature of ebooks has made reading the classics soooo much more meaningful. What I wouldn't give to have had that at my disposal back in high school english lit classes .

On a serious note, my mum was a lifelong avid reader struck down with macular degeneration late in her life. Despite compensating with large print books, magnifying and lighting devises, reading became increasingly difficult. Increasing illness and frailty also made it very hard for her to hold "heavy" hardcover or paperback books. Towards the end, she could only read sitting up for short periods to a homemade "reading stand" equipped with the latest magnifying and lighting devises. The inability to read freely caused her a lot of upset at a time in her life when being able to escape into a book was so needed. It has been a huge regret of mine that I converted to e-books, and discovered the benefits (lightweight, mobile devises, increasing font size, backlights etc), only after she had passed away. A Kindle would have been fabulous for her.


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## RightHoJeeves (Jun 30, 2016)

I prefer paperbacks, but I don't really have a good reason. I just like them as objects. I also want to have a library room one day, and I can't have that if I read everything on a kindle.


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## Cactus Lady (Jun 4, 2014)

Last paperback I tried to read, about a year ago, was a 1000+ page tome (mass market) with about 6 pt type. With my eyes not as good as they used to be and my small hands which are stiffer and achier than they used to be, I gave up after just looking at the first page and bought the ebook. This was the 6th book in a series and I read it in record time as an ebook, much faster than the previous 5 in paperback. Trade paperbacks are nice as far as a balance between size and type size, but too expensive. I've never liked hardbacks; too hard to hold. So it's ebooks all the way for me now (except an occasional non-fiction book for reference; I bought the textbook-size paper edition of The Story Grid. Doesn't matter if it's huge; I have it laying open on the table as I work through it).


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I've been almost exclusive to Kindle for about five years now. The other day I bought a print magazine and found myself trying to "click" to the next page.


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## 9 Diamonds (Oct 4, 2016)

C. Gold said:


> Ah but when the power goes out, it's much nicer to have that backlit Kindle (or other reading device)!
> 
> I was also a huge disbeliever of electronic readers. But then I got one for my bday and haven't looked back. Plus, it's a great way to save on cut trees and storage. I have an entire wall of custom built shelves for paperbacks and I still have some in boxes. (I blame used book stores!)


Hear, hear, esp the bit about the backlit screen. I love reading on my Voyage before I go to sleep.


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## CaraMunro (Dec 16, 2014)

Lynn is a pseud--uh said:


> I thought I'd never convert from paper to ebooks. But then I got a nook (original) and started propping it up at the table so I could read and eat and my eyes were opened to the possibilities. You know how hard it is to hold a paperback or hardcover open while it's propped up at the table and you're trying to eat with a knife and fork?
> 
> Oh yeah. I love my nook and Kindles and tablets and ebooks and I'll never go back to preferring paper unless the apocalypse comes and I can't find a way to charge them up.


When I first started reading on my phone (Google Play Book and then later Kindle app) I didn't think it would completely change how I feel about reading paperbacks.

I was wrong. Nowadays I find it really tiresome to have my hands holding the books and thumbing the page... I sound like a Millennial lol. I wonder if I could use this as a sign of me getting younger...? You know, the opposite of "get off my lawn!!1!"


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## ShinyTop (Apr 25, 2016)

The last time I tried to read a printed book I was struck that we no longer design our rooms to have reading light everywhere we may want to read.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

I have told this "I'm an idiot, but it's a true story" here on KB before, but ...

Several years ago I got a paperback that was not available on Kindle. I started reading, turned the page, and the continuation of the story didn't make sense. I turned back, reread the first page, turned the page again, didn't make sense again. Turned back one more time, turned forward, and finally realized I had gotten so used to single page, single page, single page being in front of me on my Kindle that I was skipping looking at the left-facing page and starting at the top of the right-facing page. each time. How stupid do you think that made me feel? 

Now, due to all the reasons others have listed - font size, weight, _front light_ instead of a back-lit screen, storage space, dictionary at the touch of a finger - I only read fiction on my Kindle, no more paperbacks for me.


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## Muddypawz (Jan 13, 2009)

After a year or two of going back and forth over which I preferred reading on, Kindle or book, the Kindle finally won.  Being able to comfortably hold the Kindle for hours on end, being able to read anywhere regardless of the lighting, easily having any number of books with me at any given time, having almost instant access to a desired book instead of having our small town library request it or waiting till I could travel almost an hour away to a bookstore......these are just a few of reasons e-ink reading won me over in general and the Kindle, starting with the Original, was just a no brainer.  I don't see myself ever going back to paper books for fiction.  I do prefer actual books for cookbooks and some non-fiction.  Ahhh, life is good!


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

A few months after I got my first Kindle I had a stack of books ready to donate to the library. The older I get the more reading I get done in the bathroom and as I hurried to the bathroom without my Kindle I grabbed a paperback. When I opened the paperback my first thought was, "I need to increase the font a bit." Too bad for me.

Nothing transports you to another time or another place like the sense of smell. So, for those who love old paperbacks there is a cover for a Kindle that's made of rough, mildewed paper and smells must like cat pee. You'd swear you were in a used bookstore as you read.


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## TT Rankin (Aug 10, 2016)

Sticking my favorite bookmark into the crease of a book and getting that glimpse of how far along I am, the dusky smell, the nostalgia...sorry, I may be a traditionalist for life when it comes to books.

Though I'm grateful all the readers of my ebook aren't 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

I have been re-reading the Mrs Pollifax books this month.  Only the first half of the series has been converted to an electronic format.  This time I went ahead and pulled my print books from the shelves.  I had to read 3 paperbacks and 3 hardbacks to finishe the series out.  It was excruciating.  I had to find decent light, I had to use both hands to hold the book and turn the pages, and of course I couldn't make the font bigger.  Oh and I had to find a bookmark!


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## 77071 (May 15, 2014)

Tess McCallum said:


> LOL. I have to say, the particular feature of ebooks has made reading the classics soooo much more meaningful. What I wouldn't give to have had that at my disposal back in high school english lit classes .
> 
> On a serious note, my mum was a lifelong avid reader struck down with macular degeneration late in her life. Despite compensating with large print books, magnifying and lighting devises, reading became increasingly difficult. Increasing illness and frailty also made it very hard for her to hold "heavy" hardcover or paperback books. Towards the end, she could only read sitting up for short periods to a homemade "reading stand" equipped with the latest magnifying and lighting devises. The inability to read freely caused her a lot of upset at a time in her life when being able to escape into a book was so needed. It has been a huge regret of mine that I converted to e-books, and discovered the benefits (lightweight, mobile devises, increasing font size, backlights etc), only after she had passed away. A Kindle would have been fabulous for her.


These are some pretty important points! For some of us Kindles are a fun way to read, a nifty gadget, an enjoyable and easy way to read. And some people may not be able to read much or at all without some of the enhanced accessibility features.

I really hear you about the classics, as well. Certainly can be very helpful for students. And on that note, let me share this link:
https://www.kindleclassroomproject.org/


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## cagnes (Oct 13, 2009)

crebel said:


> I have told this "I'm an idiot, but it's a true story" here on KB before, but ...
> 
> Several years ago I got a paperback that was not available on Kindle. I started reading, turned the page, and the continuation of the story didn't make sense. I turned back, reread the first page, turned the page again, didn't make sense again. Turned back one more time, turned forward, and finally realized I had gotten so used to single page, single page, single page being in front of me on my Kindle that I was skipping looking at the left-facing page and starting at the top of the right-facing page. each time. How stupid do you think that made me feel?
> 
> Now, due to all the reasons others have listed - font size, weight, _front light_ instead of a back-lit screen, storage space, dictionary at the touch of a finger - I only read fiction on my Kindle, no more paperbacks for me.


Haha crebel, that is a funny story! 

I can't remember the last time I read a paperback or any print book. After eight plus years of reading on a kindle, there is nothing about a paper book that appeals to me.... besides possibly admiring the cover.


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## NightGoat (Feb 2, 2011)

What I miss most about paper books is reading a page, then tearing it out and eating it.
But that's just me, I guess.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

I started back with a Kindle Keyboard, then a PW1, now a Voyage. I went back and forth between hard copy books and ebooks for awhile but I still have a bookshelf full of fiction from that period right when I switched. I guess I'm just too lazy to hold them now!

I pretty much only buy non-fiction, and only some of those, as hard copy books now. I do have tons of wildlife and botanical field guides, travel guides, and an epidemiology library that I cant let go of.

I am just spoiled by the lightweight, perfectly lighted in any environ, and adjustable fonts on my Kindle now.


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## Skip Knox (May 12, 2013)

EC Sheedy said:


> I haven't bought fiction in paper for at least a couple of years now. That said, I still prefer non-fiction in paper. I seldom read non-fiction linearly, and I love to mark them up, and return to them for a visit. Maybe that's just me.


Not just you. I'm a historian. When I'm doing research, I move through books in a highly non-linear fashion. I never mark them up, but that's a different topic. Moreover, physical books (good ones, anyway) have indices, which are also incredibly useful. Yes, yes, search. But that's still not the same as simply scanning an index. Or scanning the text either. I have a fairly strong physical memory. I can remember that the passage I want (whose precise wording I cannot recall, so hush Search) was on the verso page toward the bottom. Or was in a footnote.

I still have most of my history books. OTOH, I've got rid of most of my fiction books, save for treasured old ones, or the occasional author (e.g., Graham Greene) who can be had only in physical books. Reading fiction on my phone or my Kindle is perfect.


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## northofdivision (Sep 7, 2010)

I carry 2 or three e-readers at all times in my backpack (currently: Oasis, baby kindle, Sony prs 350 5") though I have to admit, I still love grabbing a paperback and reading them, scribbling on the margins, smelling them, and folding pages as bookmarks. that hopefully will never get old despite all these great new generations of e-readers.


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## Bobby_Jones (Oct 3, 2017)

On the contrary, I like books in the paperback, they are more convenient to hold in hands


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## Rosie Scott (Oct 3, 2017)

We're on a Kindle board here, so I shouldn't be surprised at all of the love for the thing. It's a nifty little piece of tech, and I admire Amazon for the design, but...no, just no. Paperback books lead the charge for me. There's nothing like holding a book with the smell of paper and ink in your hands.

I bought a Kindle some years back when I combined lots of sales (it made it $30). Most of my book sales were through Kindle and not paperback, so I figured there must be a reason for it. I tried it. Read one book through it, and haven't touched it again other than to test out my own book formats on it. There was a lot I didn't like about it, particularly the loading lag for each page. Everything else is pretty nice. It's a good product. Just not for me. And this is coming from someone who's super tiny, so long books are hard for me to hold, and I have OCD, which keeps me from reading books that have creases on the binds. I read the entirety of _Crusade's End_ in paperback, and that thing was 924 pages, so keeping the bind free of creases was a challenge. I still preferred it over using the Kindle, though.



NightGoat said:


> What I miss most about paper books is reading a page, then tearing it out and eating it.
> But that's just me, I guess.


Don't worry, NightGoat. Me too. This is something Kindle can never replicate, unless they start selling each Kindle with a stack of complementary snacking paper.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

LovingLife139 said:


> There's nothing like holding a book with the smell of paper and ink in your hands.


Yep, nothing like it. That's why I vastly prefer my kindle where you don't get ink on your hands, you can make the print the size and style that's easiest to read for you, your hands don't cramp from having to keep pressure on pages so the book doesn't close, and you don't get sneezing fits from mold and dust. Not to mention being able to carry a library with you on vacation without having to pack a whole 'nother bag, and always having something else to read when you finish a book.

But, you know: To each, their own.


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## Rosie Scott (Oct 3, 2017)

Ann in Arlington said:


> That's why I vastly prefer my kindle where you don't get ink on your hands, you can make the print the size and style that's easiest to read for you, your hands don't cramp from having to keep pressure on pages so the book doesn't close, and you don't get sneezing fits from mold and dust.
> 
> But, you know: To each, their own.


Haha. Yeah, I definitely see why others prefer it. None of that affects me (yet). Who knows? Maybe when my eyesight starts fleeing me I'll switch over.


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## cagnes (Oct 13, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Yep, nothing like it. That's why I vastly prefer my kindle where you don't get ink on your hands, you can make the print the size and style that's easiest to read for you, your hands don't cramp from having to keep pressure on pages so the book doesn't close, and you don't get sneezing fits from mold and dust. Not to mention being able to carry a library with you on vacation without having to pack a whole 'nother bag, and always having something else to read when you finish a book.
> 
> But, you know: To each, their own.


Yep, I'm with you on all those points. One thing I remember most hating about paperbacks is not being able to set them down on the table without pages turning or the book closing. I read a lot while eating & my kindle is perfect for that... just barely have to touch it with any finger to turn the page & I don't have to place a heavy paperweight on it to hold it open.


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## Skip Knox (May 12, 2013)

I'll go one better. I do a lot of my reading on my phone, with a Kindle reader app. Has all the advantages of my Kindle, plus it fits in my pocket and is always with me. 

Lag? I've never experienced page-turn lag. Three different Kindles over the years, plus two phones. It's actually slightly quicker than turning a physical page.


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## Todunz (Oct 9, 2017)

Yeah, Amazon Kindle app the most user-friendly among readers for Android. I also use for the long trip readings


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## Lee (Nov 7, 2008)

Last year I picked up my paperback copy of "I, Claudius" and started to read.  I had bought this copy in the late '70s, so only about 40 years old.  The paper had yellowed, the pages were stiff and sometimes split off from the binding.  Holding the book open was uncomfortable for wrists and fingers.  I only lasted a few chapters, then broke down and bought the Kindle edition.


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## alarsen77 (May 28, 2016)

I actually have a book that is on paperback that I borrowed from someone and don't have the Kindle version of the book and really don't feel like buying it. But needless to say I made it through a chapter or two and found myself reading something else on my kindle because I do most of my reading laying in bed at night and my girlfriend is usually sleeping and I don't have a reading light and don't want to disturb her with a bright reading light so the kindle is just more convenient and really the only way for me to read in bed at night. I have been spoiled by my kindle.


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