When I buy books I buy physical, but sometimes digital is more practical, even with small format books I struggle to read them in public transit during my work commute, with a reader like Kindle or even with a smartphone I don’t have to work about my book being damaged in a bag it someone, even without a cover a reader will say least scratch a bit, on the other hand dropping a reader is another story, the screen can easily break, book won’t. Also the obvious thing is you can get ebooks instantly, physical ones have to be shipped or at least brought from the store like everything physical. Another thing is WAREZ, you can get ebooks illegally, I don’t condone it but it makes the access easier, sometimes it’s the only way to get a given book because it’s sold out or something. But I’m one of those people who don’t have a problem with ebooks, on an ebook reader I see them equal with paper ones
I’ve tried digital books, but I’ve found that physical books work much better for my brain. I retain more information and can “get lost” in the story, whereas, for some inexplicable reason, digital books being read on a screen kind of “flatten” a story for me. It’s almost like a 3d vs 2d experience for me.
Have you ever used an eink reader, or just a tablet or something? The difference is night and day for me. The first time I used an eink reader I thought there was paper covering the screen at first.
I have! But unfortunately, I had the same result as if it were my phone/tablet. I really wish I understood why it was like this for me so I could maybe work on it, but I guess I’m just one of those “need-to-physically-turn-the-page” people :/
It doesn’t impact my experience of the story, but there is something to having the next page hidden behind the turn and knowing that it’s right there. When I read an ebook it’s like reading an article. The sensation is different and it loses a touch of excitement without that tactile feeling of ‘the next page’. Pages don’t matter in ebooks either. You adjust the text size and the ‘page’ count is suddenly radically different. I measure my progress in chapters or percentages now.
It makes sense to me why that wouldn’t work for some folks.
Digital. No space for a bookshelf in my tiny little apartment, and I don’t need the social gratification of displaying a big impressive shelf full of books.
I don’t really care about the feel and smell of books.
My digital reader lets me read anything in OpenDyslexic font allowing me to read more, faster, with less energy expenditure.
I can look up any word with a long press
I can highlight and take notes without ruining the freshness of the book.
And most importantly of all: I can read on my side in bed without having to switch positions for every page.
I like physical books but I don’t buy them often. Like you, physical space limitations are a big thing. I love picking my own font and font size, and being able to easily read at night with white on black and an amber backlight is great.
I get most stuff from the library instantly without going anywhere, and strip drm from everything.
Ebooks have their convenience, and once in a while I’ll take a free one if offered, or pick them up cheap in a bundle.
But physical books capture my interest way better. More satisfying to hold and look at. Having a physical object around is a reminder to read. And paper books are better for tuning out distractions. If I try to read ebooks on a phone, tablet, or PC I can easily lose focus (though nice dumb-device readers are surely out there, I don’t have one).
Physical books! I want to fully own my books not have them be locked by some asshole company. It’s also just nicer to read paper instead of a screen. It’s also easier to carry around a small book instead of a bigger tablet and having to deal with charging yet another device.
Digital, unless I really want the book and it is only analog.
The analog form factor of books is IMHO much nicer, and I understand everyone who doesn’t like digital books.
Stil, for me going digital beats analog:
Having books always in my pocket, I never wonder what to do if I have to wait somewhere
Going for work/leisure travel, always fully stocked with interesting reading material
Learning from books and making notes? Digital makes it far easier
I mostly read English books for learning and in my country one has to pay a heavy surcharge for English books
I also have to say, Amazon really earned all the critic it gets, but their Kindle apps and physical devices are awesome. It is easy to buy DRM free books and read/sync them with Amazon kindle infrastructure (send to device etc.).
Ebooks wherever possible - except, perhaps, for reference books. I simply find the experience of reading an ebook on something like a kindle so much more pleasant than reading a print book. So much so that I really hate reading print books now.
Physical. And then, depending on what I feel like, maybe download a digital copy somewhere and read it on my ereader. Usually the case with big, phat books that I don’t feel like holding for a longer time or lugging around with me.
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