Books

I vastly prefer paper books - it's a much better reading experience for me. I tend to get my books from the library if I can, or otherwise usually Amazon.

All of the books I've read over the last few years have been ePubs on my Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 because yarr, but if I read them for longer than an hour I start to get a headache. For that reason alone I think physical books are far superior.

If a DRM-free digital version is available and any of these conditions apply:

• is free in digital form
• needs to be written on
• receives and provides me updates without extra costs
• doesn't have physical eye-candy editions
• is too big

then I buy the digital version.

I buy physical books second-hand, usually from booklooker, a German platform.

So that's hard to answer for me.

I like physical because I then own the thing and can do what I want with it or give it away.

But digital is easier to read for me. I've never been a particularly fast reader, I also have eye floaties, and I might be dyslexic. But having like Edge use its read aloud feature (for whatever reason the built-in read aloud voice is the most pleasant to listen to, less sharp) I can crank up the speed and just follow along as it reads it to me and I can process it so much easier and faster than if I had to do it the old fashioned way.

I wish when we bought a book physically we get the ebook version. Then we don't have to "chose".

Honestly? Digital overall. And I'm talking about reading; there's benefits to digital outside that, but I wanna do it separate.

A decent tablet with a good app is a better reading experience overall. Yes, it lacks multi sensory experience, and the comfort of curling up and sinking in.

Where it gains is that, regardless of eink vs standard displays, you can change fonts, font size, contrast, and even the colors of text and background. You can choose to scroll instead of turning pages. This all means that no matter what kind of eyesight you have, whether you're dyslexic or not, you have a high degree of making sure that you can actually read. Done properly, you can do so without eye strain, and usually while holding the device in one hand, in any position.

Assuming a backlight or other built in lighting on eink, you can read without it needing a lamp that might bother someone beside you.

As much as I love paper in hand, the smell, sound and feel of it, I can actually read with full comfort on even a cheap tablet. And, being dyslexic, instead of dealing with the frustration of the publisher picking the font and font size, thus making me work harder; I get to pick what works and just enjoy reading.

And then you get into the stuff that isn't purely about reading. For one, portability. I can carry thousands of books in my hand digitally. I can take them almost anywhere, and (assuming I pick the right device) even read in pouring rain or the shower if I wanted to, so tub reading ceases to be a problem.

Which is related to storage. With digital, I never have to worry about it. I don't need an entire room dedicated to books, or have bookshelves in every room just to have access to everything.

So, I could entirely convert to digital and have extra space.

Or! I can freely choose which books to keep physical copies of. That means I can even have hardback editions with less concern over space compared to paperbacks. Just the Wheel of Time books are an entire shelf in hardback. In paperback, there's still room for more. Yay digital! I can trade or sell off the paperbacks, keep my hardbacks for the sensory delight, and not have to fret about running out of room as much.

Going digital and replacing less read books entirely took me from ten bookcases crammed full, with things stacked in bad ways; to ten that are neatly organized with room for more if/when I want, and better displays of my favorites.

If you want an actual collection of books, as opposed to simply accumulating books, digital is the perfect accompaniment.

Right now, everything on my shelves is either a favorite, out of print, or special in some other way. Some are all three. Before, it included stuff that I might only reread once a decade, but didn't want the hassle of tracking them down in a library that might not have a copy, and might not have an entire series for those. I even have room to display some of the nicer covers instead of having to have every book in there spine out.

As far as pricey books go, at least with digital as a main format for the collection, it means you can actually afford the more pricey books when you really want them.

As far as sourcing cheaper paper books, you gotta go local to used book dealers. It's really the only practical way to really save money. You can sometimes do eBay though. Otherwise, you're paying full price at any store that sells new. You might run into sales, but that's not reliable.

I much prefer digital. However, I don't have a lot of space, and my local library has a much bigger digital selection that physical. Plus when I go backpacking I can take an obscene amount of books with me on my Kobo vs physical books.

I prefer ePub. Much more convenient for me than a paper book.

• I simply don't have the space to physically store a lot of paper books
• It's much easier to bring my Kobo with me when commuting or traveling
• Much easier for me to buy eBooks than physical books
• Even though I've been having my device for like 8 years, I'm still fascinated by how cool the e-ink display is

On the other hand, paper books have only one thing to offer that sometimes holds:

• They're all DRM-free, while some eBooks I've been wanting to buy are DRM-enshittified. Still hasitating about those, as I'm not willing to spend money on such books.

Physical for me. I just can't read for long durations on a screen. I just can't. I need the tactile feeling of turning pages and having a physical thing to hold and take with me. In that same vein, I have a hard time even reading softcover. One of the biggest reasons I read anyway is to get away from screens/technology anyway. I also like having a physical library in my bedroom that I can look at. I understand that these are all really objectionable, prissy reasons to prefer physical.

For your second question. I've had good luck with eBay, at least as a US buyer. It helps that USPS ships books really cheap for sellers and most stores that I see usually have more than 1 item on my wishlist so I can knock out a bunch of books in one order, get them used (better for the environment), and avoid Amazon

Depends on the type of book. Novels, I like digital (or audio), cookbooks and other reference texts, I like physical, even though it's usually easier to ctrl+f to find stuff.

If it's a book I know I want to actually own, I'll buy a physical copy. Basically, my criteria there is if I expect it to be a reference I'd use multiple times, or if I expect to lend it to friends, or if it's an author I want to support.

My preference is library for most books. I'll scan thrift stores for books to buy, though obviously no guarantee of any books there. Local used bookstores are next, then local new bookstores, then online used book stores like thriftbooks.com or abebooks (though that's an Amazon subsidiary). I rarely get new books online.

Why not both?

I use my little Kobo for reading in bed or when out and about but prefer an actual book if I can. Also I don't buy many and use the local library most of the time.

IT just doesn't feel right trying to read a book digitally. I exclusively read physical books. I will admit that hauling them around when I move is a bit of a pain, though.

Digital, but it’s because I listen to audio books. Lately, I find it hard to sit still and read for a set period of time. Cleaning while I “read” is perfect for me. Get stuff done and still get to be in the world of a book.

Both digital and printed have their merits, but I came back to real books some time ago. My goal is to have a curated home library, catered to my taste. It will look good, they won’t go anywhere and I just have need a quick step to the shelve if I need something.

Digital is fine for travelling or just as an addition if you don’t want to use shelf space. I love my kindle, but it’s not a full alternative.

Audiobooks, then ebooks, then physical.

That said, I recently started going back to owning physical in the last few months. I still primarily read with audio, then ebooks before reading physical copies, but I have built out a physical library of maybe 100 favorites and the urge to keep going is strong.

Some physical books are pretty cool.

Even with them on my shelves, I mostly don't read that way, though. I prefer a typesetting that fits more on a page than most books do.

I use both depending on what I need from them. For example, if it is a trashy/novelty book that I don't care much about and just use it to pass time, I will use digital.

If it is a book I have wanted for a long time or an art book for references or a book I want tied to a place (I try to read a new book whenever I vacation somewhere new so the memories of said book are related to my trip) I buy physical. I love love the smell of ink and old books.

I prefer paperback in terms of reading experience but I don't like the idea of destroying the environment over it. Being able to copy and paste things is also a plus because I mostly read in my third language and I wouldn't survive without dictionaries.