[Closed] Going back to reading books

Real books are much better than Kindles etc.

However ebooks are generally a lot cheaper.

I have both.

2nd hand books on Amazon can be very good value.

I much prefer a real book. So does my teenage daughter, which is interesting given how much time she spends on electronic devices.

I am an avid reader and have used a Kindle almost exclusively for the past 6+ years. I do love physical books but storage of them can be a big issue (unless you sell/donate after reading).

I still buy physical textbooks though as I like being able to flick easily between sections.

If I do go down the physical book route - are there any good sites/shops to purchase from?

I've been a Kindle user since the first smaller one came out - 2009! I read a lot and was running out of storage space, although I used to alternate 6 months of library use with 6 months of buying books until the library got some new stuff in.

The Amazon lock-in for new books is a bit annoying. I do still buy the odd physical book too, not everything works well on a Kindle.

Real books are better, but Kindle for the convenience of carrying a library in your pocket - I've been disappointed that Kindle books are mostly little cheaper than hard copy, but you do see bargains, a few people I follow on Twitter have had their books available for 99p for a limited time.

If I do go down the physical book route – are there any good sites/shops to purchase from?

I use Hive.co.uk, A) because I'm not putting money in Amazon's pocket, and B) because when you buy online from them, you can send some of the money to a local bookshop of your choice. 🙂

Don't discount the library. I will buy my favourite authors but will use the library for cocasual books. It's very good these days, online ordering, notification when available etc. Ours seems to put in a bit of effort with themes and displays. Also the kids love it too.

Do you have a library nearby? I'm in Birmingham and the library network has an online catalogue that lets you reserve anything in the entire system and have it delivered to your most local library pretty quickly. I'm yet to find a book that I want that they don't have.

I favoured a kindle as I carried it to read on public transport back in the day, but agree books are great and kindles for convenience.

I’m also doing a lot more reading now.

^wot Chamley said. Bristol libraries let you order anything from their whole network, as well as some neighbouring authorities too.

If I do go down the physical book route – are there any good sites/shops to purchase from?

If you're lucky there's a local place that can get hold of pretty much anything you want to read and lend it to you for nothing. They might even have an app or website so, for a nominal fee, they'll even find the book for you and put it to one side so you can collect it.

Libraries - use them or lose them.

i like a kindle, as i can read in bed without disturbing my wife. Also, as I read a lot there'd be loads of books lying around

however, a decent penguin book (the format of the physical book) is great. I love them. Less keen on the modern trend of big books, with big type. Harder to hold etc.

for second hand - I use http://www.abebooks.co.uk. It searches all (most?/some?) second hand book shops throughout the world

It is owned by amazon now though...

I much prefer "real" books. I find with Kindle type devices my attention tends to wander. And there's just something nice about the feel of a book.

Books really come into their own though with non-fiction, where things like photos and maps are used quite a bit.

If cost is an issue then libraries, as folk above have said, are a great resource. Loads of charity shops sell off books too, some sell nothing else in fact.

I'm a massive audio book fan. I like listening whilst I drive/ mow the lawn/ cook etc etc

One feature of the kindle is the ability to whispersync to an audiobook - you put the kindle down and start listening and it starts where you stopped reading. You stop listening and start reading and again you are at the right place. You just need a bit of wifi to connect your phone and kindle or buy one of the new fancy pants kindles that also does audiobooks. It's an expensive option mind as you have to buy both but the audiobook comes very heavily discounted if you buy the kindle book first.

Both.

Kindle for fiction, real books for non-fiction.

Sometimes you just want to flick back and forth, this doesn't work well on a Kindle.

I much prefer real books but most of the time I only read them once and run out of space for storage. You can also change the font-size on the Kindle, some paperbacks have tiny fonts and my eyes are getting old.

I will make start with the recommendations: Jack Reacher!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Floor-Jack-Reacher-1/dp/0553826166

Real books - WorldofBooks and Music Magpie are decent sellers. Very quick delivery. Charity shops are great though, usually around £1 a time.

Prefer real books - mainly because the lines of text are too damn short on a Kindle, eyes always jumping from one line to the next. Somehow I just find this less relaxing. That said, I probably read more on Kindle than real ones these days.

For cheap Kindle books [url= https://bit.ly/3ghjL1s ]Bookbub[/url] is good to sign up to, sends you lists of 99p Kindles in genres of your choice. Means I've got more books than I could ever read in my lifetime, but hey ho, choice is good!

Is an Amazon kindle the way to go

Yes.

Any perceived benefit of paper is just nostalgia or associative emotions. I find they heavier and more annoying to hold whilst reading, and you have to find somewhere to put the damn things where they sit on your shelf for a decade. If you read enough books this becomes a problem, unless you're rich, have a big house, don't have kids, or all three. I've actually re-bought books on Kindle because reading paper is such a faff nowadays.

I’ve actually re-bought books on Kindle because reading paper is such a faff nowadays.

Ironic! I have books on Kindle that I, one day, will buy hard copy of. 🙂

For a paperback novel, is it really worth cutting down trees somewhere in Scandinavia, making them into paper, shipping them over here to be printed on, driven to you, so that in 20 years time they can be pulped?

That's why 2nd hand is the way to go 🙂

For a paperback novel, is it really worth cutting down trees somewhere in Scandinavia, making them into paper, shipping them over here to be printed on, driven to you, so that in 20 years time they can be pulped?

If only there were some kind of facility to store books for reuse. Ideally it would have a lending system to the general public.

You're forgetting the need for a well stocked book case in order to impress people on Zoom conferences. You can't do that with your e reader

I'm collecting political biographies and philosophical texts, plus books with nice colours. Perhaps 'The Leviathan' sat next to Katie prices memoirs, to show how random you are and your lack of snobbishness with low culture

Sort of like this:

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For a paperback novel, is it really worth cutting down trees somewhere in Scandinavia, making them into paper, shipping them over here to be printed on, driven to you, so that in 20 years time they can be pulped?

That wasn't the argument you were making before, and e-readers are not without an impact on the environment. Want me to show you my dad's books, which I still have and read, which are much, much more than 20 years old? 🙂

Edit: Mum's books went to a charity shop - no pulping here. 🙂

I’ve had a Kindle Paperwhite for years, maybe 2012, and almost every book I’ve bought since is on it. That said, I’m constantly pushed for time so rarely get to see anything through to the end.

My way around that is Audible. Signed up in Nov last year and found it the most time-efficient way to get my ‘reading’ fix.

Beyond that, most of the physical books we buy are for monkey jnr. That includes a lot of sets, anything from 3-10, so that quickly adds up to a LOT of books lying around, hence storing a lot of those in the loft.

So in summary:
- physical: you can’t beat holding a book and sharing that tactile experience with young ones
- Kindle: absolutely the best for storage, accessibility and downloading samples
Audible: excellent company when doing DIY, taking the dog for a walk etc

For a paperback novel, is it really worth cutting down trees somewhere in Scandinavia, making them into paper, shipping them over here to be printed on, driven to you, so that in 20 years time they can be pulped?

Ever heard of recycling?
It's a very big thing in the paper/card/board market.

I am an avid reader and have used a Kindle almost exclusively for the past 6+ years. I do love physical books but storage of them can be a big issue (unless you sell/donate after reading).

I still buy physical textbooks though as I like being able to flick easily between sections.

Pretty much this. Recipe and non-fiction books on paper, any fiction on the Kindle.

eBay can be good for second hand books too

I love real books but now only buy a few that I have really enjoyed on Kindle. I like lending them out - when they come back.

Edit: Oops posted in wrong thread!

PS you can get Ebooks and audiobooks through your local library (ours anyway). We use them for stories for kids to listen to on journeys and my other half has read a few library ebooks now.

Edit: thanks for spotting my stupidity @mogrim

That's an odd book @slowol

Todays 99p Kindle 🙂

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. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B089T26F4D.

Want me to show you my dad’s books, which I still have and read, which are much, much more than 20 years old? 🙂

Agreed, and my kids wouldn't be able to browse through mine, my parents or my grandparents books if I didn't have them scattered around the house. A world without physical books would be a rather sad place, I think. And you don't have to keep all of them. I read too much crap to keep every book I buy - they go straight to the local Oxfam bookshop, unless they are worth keeping.

Mind you, I also try to buy the crap ones on my Kindle, rather than as physical books because of that.

Your point about books being over 20 years old is funny - I still own books I bought or was given in the 70s. My grandfather's books date back about 90 years. I'm not sure how old the oldest in my 'library' is? Couple of hundred years? Anyway, off topic.

Want me to show you my dad’s books, which I still have and read, which are much, much more than 20 years old?

How often do you re-read a paperback? I tend to want new stuff, I rarely re-read.

They've got a finite life though. And recycling them still means there's a material cost.

Still don't care for books. The important bit is the words, the medium is meaningless.

Agreed, and my kids wouldn’t be able to browse through mine, my parents or my grandparents books if I didn’t have them scattered around the house.

They can browse them on their Kindles.

Your point about books being over 20 years old is funny – I still own books I bought or was given in the 70s.

I too have old books. But how many books from 90 years ago are still extant? Not very many of them I'd imagine. They deteriorate, they get worn out, people end up just not wanting to read them any more. Wilbur Smith anyone?