Audiobooks, e-Books, Paper, etc.?
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Audiobooks are good for doing yard work and for the books that I want to check out but find to be a bit of a slog. There are also some great narrators who really bring something extra to the story.
e-books for the last 10 years or so. Some books can be large and/or thick and are a hassle to cart around. My e-reader is slim and lightweight - very easy to take with me when I’m out and about. Also like being able to tap a word and have a definition popup. E-books are also cheaper and have great sales regularly.
Never liked jacketed books, they are silly things.
Do you have any favorite narrators? I enjoy most things by Tim Gerard Reynolds!
I really enjoyed Ray Porter narrating the Bobiverse series and am looking forward to the new book and audiobook release.
Currently listening to and really liking William Dufris narrating the Old Man’s War series.
Of a similar vein but not exactly audiobooks, I really like the old BBC radio dramas where they have a full voice acting cast doing things like Sherlock Holmes and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
I enjoy Ray Porter (and Bobiverse) as well!
I’ve listened to a few full cast productions over the years. I think one of them was the BBC version of Chronicles of Narnia, really enjoyed that one. Not sure if you’ve heard of it, but there’s a site called “GraphicAudio” that create them as well, although they are pretty pricey.
I’ll have to check them out later. Their website doesn’t like my vpn. But excluding all the superhero stuff, theres some titles listed in their wiki that I’d be interested to check out.
Kobna Holbrook-Smith was the narrator that taught me an audio book performance can truly enhance the books. Even though I still buy the ebooks of Ben Aaronovich’s Rivers of London books, I listen to the audio books first.
eBooks for sure.
Don’t get me wrong - absolutely nothing beats the feeling of paper. But if I have my Kindle, I read everyday. If I need to worry about carrying and taking care of a physical book… I read sometimes.
I’m also spoiled by having quick dictionary access, saving quotes, etc.
If it’s a very special book I’ll buy the physical edition though, just for having it on my shelf.
@kadu @ArmoredCavalry To be honest, the main thing that bothers me about eBooks is that it doesn’t support my local bookstore. I tend to buy eBooks from Amazon because it is convenient (yes, I know there are other options, but I admit to laziness here). Local, independent bookstores are a precious resource and I will be mad at myself when they are gone. I will look at the hundreds of books on my Kindle and feel guilty.
I started buying my e-books on the Kobo store for this reason as I don’t want to support Amazon. Kobo books have the added benefit of making it easy to strip the DRM. You can see a guide here: https://github.com/subdavis/kobo-book-downloader
No argument here, but you can in fact support local bookstores with Kobo ebooks. https://www.kobo.com/indie
That’s a really good point, I love any visit to local bookstores (especially when visiting new areas). I should really get into the habit of making some form of purchase whenever I visit one. If nothing else, just to help keep them afloat!
@ArmoredCavalry Amen!
Once they are gone, they aren’t coming back. My best friend works in our local bookstore and I rarely need a book right away…but I’m embarrassed to say that I give into the temptation of convenience far too often and order from Amazon. That bookstore has been there all my life and it would be a big loss to the community if it went away.
Paper, softcover, thin rough pages.
Hardback is hard to hold on to, and I hate those book jackets they come with yet it pains me to just throw them away
I started listening to audiobooks for my commute, and that’s mostly what I stick to these days. The right narrator can make all the difference though!
And the wrong narrator just makes a great read a slog and a half.
eBooks because the device is lighter and I can read in the dark room while my wife & 1year old daughter sleep in the same room.
Nice, thick, heavy hardcover, thick, textured pages, no jacket.
I usually read on my Kobo (epub format) but I like buying pretty paper editions (hardcover or not) to show them off in my room!
I’ve never tried audiobooks, but lately have grown to love, maybe even prefer, e-books. The ability to tap on a word and instantly see its definition or translation is amazing! I also like how I can read in the dark, turn on dark mode, and shrink/enlarge the font size.
I prefer physical books for the most part but I have a hard time justifying their cost when I own an ereader.
I like listening to audiobooks when I’m out and about but I find I’ll occasionally miss the odd sentence when I get distracted or forget to pause when I take my headphones off which leads to me skipping around trying to find where I was at.
Ebooks. Kindle has a nice display showing how much is left in the chapter. It has a warm light back light, and i can take multiple books with me on a trip (i have some unfinished books).
I can put down the kindle without losing the page, or having to bookmark it. And i can sideload the books for free.
Physical books are tempting too as i can get them free at a library and very cheap second hand, but i know i would still prefer to read it on kindle where i can choose the font size I like.
For many years it’s been ebook mainly because of limited space and aging eyes.
But strangely I just picked up a trade paperback at Barnes & Noble that I’m liking reading very much, not just for the story but for the tactile nature of it. I’ve read my whole life and never thought I’d ever trim my library. But having kids and getting older abused me of that notion. 🙂
I’m still going to use my Kindle for most books, but it’s been nice to have a physical book again.
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When I’m at home I prefer physical books, they simply make me happy. Also, buying them on my Kindle is really not much cheaper than buying the actual book, especially when I have a huge and amazing used bookstore a couple blocks away from my house where I can get them for the cheapest!
When I’m traveling, I prefer my Kindle because it’s light and takes up very little space in my suitcase. Also, I can have multiple books on me during a trip which is great because sometimes I like to read multiple books at the same time and I’ll pick up whichever one I’m in the mood for. When I’m traveling, I’m certainly not going to bring two or three different physical books with me. One other area that the e-reader is superior in has to do with all the wonderful classics that are public domain and free!
I’ve tried audio books two or three times but I just can’t get into them. I don’t feel the same level of engagement when I’m listening that I do when I’m reading and I don’t feel that I experience them the same way, so I just don’t bother with audio books anymore.
I want to like audiobooks, but there are two me-problems holding me back:
- I feel like a lot of eBooks are distributed at a very low bitrate. Somewhere around 64kbps I think is pretty common, which I know is enough for voice-only, but to me I think most sound pretty bad.
- I cannot stop my brain from wandering off and doing other things…
So I tend to prefer reading with my eyes instead of my ears, with a preference towards eBooks due to form factor and the ability to change fonts, font size, margins, etc. if I don’t like the publisher’s choices. Though from time to time, I’ll get a book from the library, a second hand store, or will buy one I really liked which I read digitally. I also have a much easier time choosing a book to read from the library or a second-hand store, probably since there are relatively fewer choices, and having a physical thing to pick up.
I only read e-books anymore. However; when I find something I love I buy the hardback to have on hand to loan to friends and family that wouldn’t want to buy before reading.
