# Do you ever read printed books



## jbcohen (Jul 29, 2011)

Now that you have an electronic book reader do you ever read printed books?  I am trying to get away from printed books but there is one publisher that I deal with that simply has not gotten with the digital revolution as yet so I am forced to read their books in printed form, although I would really prefer to get their titles in electronic form as well.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I do, yes. 

My preferred way is definitely my Kindle, and a lot of the work I do is also on my Kindle -- but I have years of accumulated books in print. I'm also in the Amazon Vine Program, and any book I select from there is in print.


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

Yes. I don't buy them, but I read quite a few from the library.


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## MadCityWriter (Dec 8, 2011)

My Kindle is on my iPad, so I use it mostly for travel.  I still read lots of books from the library, and people give me books for birthdays and Christmas.  That's still my preferred bedtime reading.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Textbooks... only 1 this semester is on my Kindle. last semester it was 3... sigh..textbooks are so darn BIG and HEAVY!


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## LilyWhiteKY (Feb 2, 2012)

I still love reading a print book.  I like to highlight favorite/important passages.  And I'll never get over the smell of a really old book.  I have a Robert Frost collection printed in the 1950s.  Smells like heaven. =)


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## Meka (Sep 8, 2011)

Not since I got my Kindle last year in August.


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## flipside (Dec 7, 2011)

Yes, I still read books. And publishers sent me a combination of eBooks and print books.

Is there a preference? Depends on my mood. Sometimes I prefer a print book. Sometimes I prefer reading a PDF on my computer monitor. Sometimes I like reading ePubs and Mobi on my iPod Touch. Or my iPad.

I'm an inclusive reader


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## twg144 (Jan 16, 2012)

Interesting answers. For one I like printed books. I have also been posting results of a poll that is being held at FB to aggregate answers and I have to say the printed book wins out over all formats by a large margin. You can see the first results here http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,101582.0.html which I post every few days (I cannot post updates more frequently as it is deleted due to the rules of the board). Of course one needs a few thousand voters, but printed books seem to still be the favored among the majority. Whether they buy or borrow or use the library for these books, I have no way of knowing.


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

Only when it is a gift or it is a book that has not yet been made available as eBook.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I love my books. For me, the Kindle has just replaced mass-market editions. Can't read that print very well these days, for one thing, and didn't always save them for another. The books I want to own I still buy in hardcover, but there are fewer and fewer of them. Don't have any room left on the shelves, for one thing.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

I use Kindle for convenience -- vacations, traveling -- and for picking up on new authors or books you cannot get in print. But I still read a lot of paperbacks as well.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I just finished a huge book, the next-to-last in the Wheel of Time. I got it from the library, I didn't want to buy it. I should look into getting library books on my Kindle. While reading, holding the enormous book, I did wish it was on the Kindle. I also wanted to make the font bigger.


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

I voted yes because I do - but very, very rarely. I generally only read print books if I can't find it in electronic format, or if I'm only using it for a reference and can just borrow it from the library. Or if it's a book I don't care about owning and just want to read.


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

Actually, even with the availability of digital books, I still read more paper books...

...almost all of them "pre-owned". It's a habit I developed years ago - namely, not having to read the latest and greatest when it first came out, particularly as the timeframe between new and used became shorter and shorter with the advent of the internet (Amazon Marketplace, Ebay, etc.) and now the surge of eReaders encouraging many to sell or even donate a good portion of their paper libraries. Library sales, garage sales, thrift stores - paper books are cheaper than ever...

...if you have a little patience.

Example: Dan Brown's "THE LOST SYMBOL". Sure, nobody was paying the fantasy $29.95 cover price for this book even when it was first released, as discounts always abound. But 3 months after it hit the bookstores, I found a pristine copy at a local library sale for $1 - and there were 2 other copies available!

Okay, the book itself kinda sucked, but you get my point.

Anyway, I know this feast of cheap paper books won't last forever, as fewer and fewer of them will be published with the increasing dominance of eReaders.

But for now, it's a Paper Par-_teh_!

Todd


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## J.R.Tate (Jul 20, 2010)

I visit the library regularly. I still like to actually feel a book in my hands. I know it's weird, but I also like the smell of books. (Unless I get a really old, dusty one) LOL.


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## acellis (Oct 10, 2011)

I use the library, and occasionally buy books from book stores. But now as many as I used to.


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## wRiTiNgFiEn (Feb 4, 2012)

As much as I love my e-reader, I LOVE being able to have printed books. There's just something special about being able to hold a book in my hands and the way the printed pages smell that I still think of as magical   

~Annabell


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## jumbojohnny (Dec 25, 2011)

Yes, all the time. I don't consider print v digital to be a battle but simply choices.


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## J.R.Tate (Jul 20, 2010)

wRiTiNgFiEn said:


> As much as I love my e-reader, I LOVE being able to have printed books. There's just something special about being able to hold a book in my hands and the way the printed pages smell that I still think of as magical
> 
> ~Annabell


I love the smell too!  I don't feel so weird now. LOL


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

Sure, and I still love hard copy books.

But I prefer reading anything not image/picture-heavy on my K3. More ergonomic and lightwt than any book.

The limiting factor for me in fiction is $. I will still buy lower-priced hard copies.

For non-fiction, it depends on a variety of factors. I still buy quite a bit of my non-fiction in hard copy.

Space is my limiting factor for hard copies and is what drove me to explore e-books...and I'm very glad I did!


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## Aenea (Dec 24, 2011)

I don't have the room to store paper books and I hate to throw them away, so I only read ebooks.


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

Aenea said:


> I don't have the room to store paper books and I hate to throw them away, so I only read ebooks.


I've read this in several threads recently...like the one asking what books you wanted to throw against a wall. So it is not directed only at you.

Do people ever really throw books away?

For me, that is an appalling thought, almost on par with burning them...truly. Books can be donated to many many organizations. Alot of people donate to libraries, I donate to Veterans Hospitals.


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## emilyward (Mar 5, 2011)

Most of the physical books I read are from the library or books from used bookstores or thrift stores. I'm cheap and feel strange paying $10 for the commercially published books that I'll probably only read once. So the library it is!


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## JB Rowley (Jan 29, 2012)

I have been reflecting on this recently. 

For someone who has always been passionately in love with books I surprised myself by making a complete switch to audio books a few years ago. Having been seduced by this form for its sheer enjoyment as well as convenience, I rejected reading in favour of listening. However, ebooks have brought me back to reading. 

I never thought it would come to this but I definitely prefer ebooks to tree books, although my first preference is ear books. JB


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## Aenea (Dec 24, 2011)

Lursa (was 9MMare) said:


> I've read this in several threads recently...like the one asking what books you wanted to throw against a wall. So it is not directed only at you.


Huh? I never posted in that thread and I was only answering the question. I don't understand the hostility.


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

Aenea said:


> Huh? I never posted in that thread and I was only answering the question. I don't understand the hostility.


Sorry. I did write that it wasnt just aimed at you, esp since you said you didnt want to throw books away (but, have you?).

Your post was just one more of several lately that brought up throwing away books. Which, again, I cant understand at all.


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## Sherlock (Dec 17, 2008)

For the time being - yes - because I have a stack of paperbacks and some hardbacks in the TBR shelves.  I do NOT, however, enjoy reading them anymore. 

It's been a long struggle transitioning....I love the covers and the tactile experience of paper books, but nothing matches the sheer convenience of my Kindle.  I've been trying to read a paper book then an ebook and another paper one and so on, just to move the paper ones on.  It's getting harder and harder, though, because I've noticed that when I read a paper book I get muscle aches across my shoulders and a corresponding headache up my neck and left temple.  Doesn't happen when I read on my K2 so it's the proverbial no-brainer.  To that end I've been fairly agressively sorting out the paperbacks that I don't have a burning desire to read and donating them to the library for their sale (which is where some of them came from originally  ).  Dropped 7 stuffed grocery bags off at the library this morning, which leaves me with 50 paperbacks and 14 hardbacks still to read....maybe.


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## Guest (Feb 6, 2012)

I read much more printed books than digital. i.e.: I won't read Iain M. Banks books on e-reader, just in print. I have most of his books on my shelf.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

All the books I read are printed.  Some are printed on paper.  Some are printed in eInk on my Kindle.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> All the books I read are printed. Some are printed on paper. Some are printed in eInk on my Kindle.


Like it!


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## Phyllis Lily Jules (Dec 5, 2011)

It's funny, I was so against eBooks until I got a Kindle. The thing is, when the screen is so small like that, plus so clear and easy on the eyes, I am totally immersed in the story. I think just seeing the paragraph I'm on, plus only the one coming up, I'm not unconsciously scanning ahead, thus pulling me out of the story. I've read more in the three months of getting the Kindle than I have for several years. And I love adapting the text for my eyes, not the average eyes.

So I'll read the few print books I have left to read, and will be strictly eBooks from now on. I'm not sure I'll buy another print book ever. Strange how that is, as I've had thousands of them over all these years, and have loved them sitting on my library shelves. But things change.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I don't throw books away in the normal course of things, but before my Kindle -- which can be stuck in a Ziplock -- a few books perished in the bathtub.

For the most part, I keep them, donate them, or give them away. 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk


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## Aenea (Dec 24, 2011)

Lursa (was 9MMare) said:


> Sorry. I did write that it wasnt just aimed at you, esp since you said you didnt want to throw books away (but, have you?).
> 
> Your post was just one more of several lately that brought up throwing away books. Which, again, I cant understand at all.


It's okay. No, I haven't thrown any away. I've had ereaders for as long as I can remember (long before the Kindle came out). I just have very little space in my living area and I wouldn't have anywhere to store them. The nice thing about the newer ereaders is that you can store so much on them. The older ones were pretty limited.


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

A book is a book is a book. Why would anyone herself based on format?


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## Jorja Tabu (Feb 6, 2012)

I'm an equal opportunity hoarder--I love used books, and I have will probably drag my crates of books into the grave with me; my kindle is loaded to the gills too.  I think this might be the way of the future for those of us who just can't give up the feel of the printed page!


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## sandrasstories (Feb 1, 2012)

I love printed books. They are my favourite. But I know in the near future I'll have to get used to reading electronic copies. The world is heading that way, regardless of what anyone prefers. They're already replacing textbooks for ipads in schools now. It's only a matter of time before the printed word will be a thing of the past. It's good for the trees, but I will miss the feel of turning pages.


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## Angela Kay Austin (Dec 29, 2010)

I love books, regardless of their format.  But, I do have preferences for certain genres or authors.  Right now, I'm reading Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews and I'm reading it in hardcover.  

Sometimes, I love to sit back with a book instead of my Kindle.


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## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

I rarely purchase print books, but I borrow them from the library all the time. I mostly buy books for my Kindle. Right now the ratio is 65% print, 35% digital as far as my reading material goes. But that's mostly because I have a bunch of stuff from the library I'm reading.


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## seanday (Feb 5, 2012)

I definitely still read paper books (especially since there is a stack of unread ones staring at me), but when I go shopping for a new book, I look for the Kindle version first. Now that many libraries are lending Kindle versions, it is getting even more slanted toward Ebooks.


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## Math (Oct 13, 2011)

Interesting most have answered as though the question was 'do you ever read printed novels'

If that was the question then I could quite easily give up the printed paperback. But there'll always be a real sense of pleasure looking through a large coffee-table glossy book, or a book that you really get the most out of when you can see a two-page spread.

Then again, it is an obvious assumption - as, for me, even an iPad is a poor substitute for a really large dimensioned book

It used to be a book is a book - but (interestingly) I expect that kindle has categorised books in the way of being suitable for e-readers or not.

For _every _ printed book to be replaced effectively enough for me - either publishers or technology will have to change a lot  more.

Sorry to be pedantic


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## Jen Black (Oct 17, 2011)

Reading on Kindle is new for me, and I still forget to bookmark and then have trouble finding the correct page again. The habit will form eventually, but I'll always read printed books and keep the ones I know I'll read again. It's so much easier to flip forward and backwards, check character lists and stuff in a printed book. And Footnotes, if it's non-fiction. Libraries need everyone's support. You know the old adage that you never know what you've got until it's not there anymore? I hope we'll never wake up and discover how much we relied on libraries but they've all turned into supermarkets or something.


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## Jorja Tabu (Feb 6, 2012)

So, how many people here have certain authors that they have to have in print (just from reading the replies, that's what it seems like--certain books by certain authors are mentioned as being must-haves in print)?  What is it about that particular book/author that makes you want to have a physical copy?


I have lots of reference books that I like to stick post-its in, lots of older copies of sentimental value, and any book with beautiful artwork I like to keep a separate copy of, but I'm not author specific.  Just curious!


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## By The Book (Feb 4, 2012)

Both forms happily coexist in my house.  My kids still prefer paper format so we visit the library often (and frequently hit our 100 max checkout limit) and look forward to yard sales and thrift store finds.  My eldest has come around a bit on the e-book format (she has the app on her iTouch) so she has grudgingly started to experiment with reading on that. 

("Hey, mom -- I can read wherever I am and not have to lug all these books around!" -- Hayley.  "Wow.  Really?  Gee."  -- me, with just a touch of I-told-you-so sarcasm)

I still prefer to buy print versions of non-fiction books but most of my fiction is now read on my Kindle.


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## ciscokid (Oct 10, 2010)

I read both. I have gotten some really good freebies and discounted kindle books.....and I read a lot of those. I try to keep in mind the best sellers that I want to read, then I go to a local bookstore that sells old library books. Most of those are best sellers from the last year or so and I can pick them up at a heavily discounted price.  I just have to try to have the patience to wait until the bookstore has the books I want.  The other day I picked up Janet Evanovich's Smokin' Seventeen, Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks, The Passage by Justin Cronin, and The Heaven Trilogy by Ted Decker.....for $12...all hardback library books, all in good shape.  The same books for the kindle would have cost me over $40.


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

Math said:


> Interesting most have answered as though the question was 'do you ever read printed novels'
> 
> If that was the question then I could quite easily give up the printed paperback. But there'll always be a real sense of pleasure looking through a large coffee-table glossy book, or a book that you really get the most out of when you can see a two-page spread.
> 
> ...


I mentioned that I still buy quite a few non-fiction books in hard copy....more specifically I want to maintain my little 'boutique' epidemiology library in hard copy. But in general for practical and personal considerations...practical being that photos, charts, maps, etc are better in hard copy....I like having hard copies of some non-fiction. I also think it's easier to use them for reference when looking for information.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I read 2-3 printed books a year, but only when the books are not available for the Kindle. For me, that's mostly older history books, especially military history.


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## romac (Jun 23, 2010)

I've maybe read 2 or 3 print books since I bought my k2 years ago, and I don't think any of those were purchased....all borrowed.


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## LadyHawk (Feb 7, 2012)

I love my Kindle.  



But my bookshelf house my prized book. Mostly collections and series from certain authors. Book that I have read dozens of times and will continue reading.


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

I love my Kindle and it has many advantages - last but not least, it is much easier to read in the evening if your eyes are not what they used to be. However, it can never replace books printed on paper. They've been my best friends since I was 4 or so. There is no way I could live without them. Deep inside, I consider ebooks to be a bit less ... real? Valuable? Permanent? I lived without an electricity for 2 weeks after one of our hurricanes, and I would hate to spend all that time without reading. When I come across a book on Kindle I truly love and will want to reread I tend to get it as a paper book. And then there are series I need to have on my bookshelves. And of course non-fiction, with pictures and maps that look gorgeous on my iPad but I need to see them "for real".


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

Math said:


> Interesting most have answered as though the question was 'do you ever read printed novels'
> 
> (...)
> 
> ...


To be just as pedantic  

The question is 'Do you ever _read_ printed books', well I definitely _have_ printed books, books by favorite authors in hard copy, art books (a lot), some reference books and my small first edition collection.

_But_ if I just can my medium of choice for reading is my Kindle: I don't read the first editions, my favorites are there just in case or for emotional attachment but I've them on the Kindle too, and as to the reference books I wasn't able to find for Kindle and the art books I usually don't _read_ them, I_ study_ them.

So, mostly no, I don't read paper books if I can read on the Kindle.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

I read both paper and digital. It mostly depends upon where I'm at when purchasing. If I'm at home and hear about a book I want, I'll usually get it for my Kindle. But I love to pour through used book stores to search for lost gems, and when I find something I like, I'll buy it.


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## tahliaN (Nov 6, 2011)

Not much anymore. I prefer my kindle. Print books take up too much space.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

I read print books because, now that I have more time for reading, I'm trying to clear up 4 stacks of books I've been collecting--and paid good money for--over the years. Even after I get through them, I'll still buy the occasional print. If I go to a writing conference, I often get free books in the bag, which I'll also read, and I buy the books of colleagues at book launches. I'm one of those who believes there's still room for print, ebooks, and audio books, depending what needs of the moment.


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## MartinStanley72 (May 17, 2011)

I'm quite happy to flit between the two. I'm currently reading _The Bastard Hand_ by Heath Lowrance in ebook format and _The Hunted _by Elmore Leonard in print. I tend to read two books at a time and having one as an electronic book and one in good old-fashioned print helps me to juggle this method of reading rather well. Anyway, I still have a lot of print books in my library that haven't made it to Kindle yet.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

I was at a bed and breakfast last weekend, and there were a lot of books. I picked up a book that was was a compilation of seven of Jane Austen's novels. It was one of those books that was more meant to be displayed than to be read. The font was so tiny that it was just too hard to read. I will read paper books, but if the font is too small, it isn't worth the effort.


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## SadieSForsythe (Feb 13, 2012)

I do. As much as I love the convenience of my electronic media. There is still something about turning the pages, feeling the weight, the smell. It may only be nostalgia, but I still like actual books. What I don't like is what they cost. I'm not complaining that they are extraordinarily expensive or anything. I know there are production costs etc. But I can devour a good standard length novel in a day or two. That can get pretty expensive at $10 a pop. My solution is to try and limit myself to inexpensive ebooks and buy all my print books second hand. This way I am recycling and supporting a charity or small business all in one.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

My name is Harry and I am a Book Sniffer. The Kindle give me no rush at all.


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## Anette_Darbyshire (Jan 22, 2012)

Any fiction books I buy for myself are on Kindle but I usually give my family a long list of print books that I'd like for my birthday or Christmas as I love unwrapping a book  

The only print books I tend to buy are non fiction, for example, jewellery making, quantum physics etc as I like to flick back and forth and make notes etc (yes, I know that I can do that on the Kindle too, but its just a preference).

Anette xx


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## John Barlow (Oct 16, 2011)

Just gone back to a paperback or the first time in perhaps 6 months.
Really enjoying the feel if it, esp. sitting in a bar with it.
Plus, as ereaders become more popular, there's gonna be a lot of cheap paperbacks in thrift shops, so I'm looking forward to continue reading cheaply in both formats!


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## DrJeckyll101 (Feb 13, 2012)

I really enjoy reading print books more.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Harry Shannon said:


> My name is Harry and I am a Book Sniffer. The Kindle give me no rush at all.


Smell of Books


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## Meb Bryant (Jun 27, 2011)

The ratio for reading print vs. eBooks is 50/50 for me. I was just gifted 11/22/63 by Stephen King in print. Because of it's weight, I worked out and read at the same time. There are benefits to reading!


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## tedkeller (Feb 14, 2012)

Maybe it's self-suggestion, but I actually feel my eyes relax when reading a well-laid out paper book, while Kindle, not so much. The difference becomes apparent after the first hour of reading.


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