Post: #1

It's almost 2013. E-readers have been around for a while and offer most titles in print. I'm curious to know how other guys are reading the written word these days.

I have a Kindle Touch 4 and do most of my reading on it, but I don't like it as much as reading real books. I just hate dealing with the physical baggage of real books: ordering them (and waiting for them to arrive), lugging them around, and storing them.

Does anyone here still do most their reading on real books? What about when travelling?

Post: #2

I love my Kindle, but yeah, reading a real book seems more enjoyable. I'll still stick with the Kindle simply because it allows me to take my books around the world with me.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #3

I use both.
I go through about 3-4 books a week on average. Mostly non-fiction. With that volume, I'd need a lot more money and space to hold them all. Nowadays, I torrent a book (If it isn't available for kindle) and put it on the kindle. If it is particularly useful, I buy the paper copy.

I think the kindle is excellent, but I wish there were a more efficient way to flip through pages and take notes and jump around on it.

Post: #4

What are "books"?

Kindle.

Post: #5

Depends on the kind of book. Some books I get hardcover because I like being able to skim, going back and forth, checking the index at the back. I read them with a pencil at hand to underline or make margin notes. It helps me interact better with the text and reflect on what I'm reading. This is mainly for history books or other nonfiction that's challenging.

Everything else on the Kindle.

Post: #6

I've got a pretty big book collection and a reference library that for years was able to answer almost any question I had. Then I got a smartphone and the Wapedia App which is nothing short of amazing for a quick reference in the palm of your hand although for depth and accuracy not always the best.

The problem with collecting books is I no longer have any space. I'll get a bookcase and fill it up in no time and then they start piling up again.

In the last 6 months I got the Kindle App for my laptop and the Calibre App for converting/reading non Kindle books. The books look great on the computer and are easy to read and I'm slowly building a digital library. Still, there's something about a physical book that I can't let go of yet. Maybe it's the fact that they don't need a power source that runs out, just enough light to read.

What I do love about Kindle is the ability to write a book and publish it. You no longer have overworked agents telling you it's not commercial enough or whatever. Only well established authors used to be able to publish vanity books (think Isaac Asimov's Annotated Gulliver's Travels, not a big seller). It's a lot easier now to spend a buck or two on something and blow through it instead of $15 on a piece of crap that looked good in the bookstore.

A generation or two from now, on our current trajectory, "books" will get beamed directly into your head.

Post: #7

Literature=Real books. I majored in English in college and wouldn't have it any other way.

Nonfiction=Nook, though some texts are so heavy I have to buy them in paperback (ordered Capital Vol 1 by Karl Marx in paperback since I know for a fact it is going to require a shit ton of underlining for comprehension).

Post: #8

Does anyone have an iPad and a Kindle but prefer to read on the e-ink kindle ? I know e-ink is easier on the eyes. Haven't got Kindle yet and wondering whether I should. I have an iPad 3rd gen.

Post: #9

(12-14-2012 08:27 AM)Menace Wrote:  Does anyone have an iPad and a Kindle but prefer to read on the e-ink kindle ? I know e-ink is easier on the eyes. Haven't got Kindle yet and wondering whether I should. I have an iPad 3rd gen.

Have both and strongly prefer to read on the Kindle. Especially at night-time before going to bed - the ipad really bothers my eyes and it takes me longer to go to sleep.

Some people don't mind though.

Post: #10

Kindle!!

Post: #11

Early Christmas present,

The Book of Pook - Pook.mobi (451.55 KB)

Converted from the PDF that's been around online for a long time and improved the structure a bit.

Post: #12

I have last year's Kindle Touch. I really like it. When all I want to do is curl up and do some serious reading, I reach for it. I also have an iPad, which is great for a lot of reasons, but a back-lit screen is not ideal for prolonged reading of text, IMO. (note: a lot of documents you come across online are in PDFs. For PDFs, the iPad is a vastly superior viewing device.)

It used to be when I was going to be travelling somewhere I'd have to narrow down my reading list to one or two paperbacks just to save space and weight. Now I can keep my entire library on a Kindle. And I can take notes, make annotations, tap on a strange word to get the definition, etc. Brilliant.

Kindle has an app for Google Chrome that automatically grabs the text from a web page and sends it to your Kindle. So if I come across a long article I want to be sure to read later, with literally two clicks I can send it wirelessly to my Kindle for later reading.

Post: #13

I have Sony PRS reader and use it for light non-fiction & fiction. You can have a lot of books, easy to transport, re-charge once a month - it's great.

On the flip side, it's almost impossible to read pre-formatted pdfs, and that's why (and work) I want to buy a tablet.

Paper books - serious only, where I do highlighting, underlining and just keep them around as reference on a permanent basis.

Post: #14

I have a ton of books at home I collected over the years but then got a Kindle for Xmas last year, on of the best gifts I ever received. Unfortunately I lost the damn thing sometime in the last month, which sucks, because they're great for travelling.

Post: #15

(12-14-2012 08:55 AM)Caligula Wrote:  

(12-14-2012 08:27 AM)Menace Wrote:  Does anyone have an iPad and a Kindle but prefer to read on the e-ink kindle ? I know e-ink is easier on the eyes. Haven't got Kindle yet and wondering whether I should. I have an iPad 3rd gen.

Have both and strongly prefer to read on the Kindle. Especially at night-time before going to bed - the ipad really bothers my eyes and it takes me longer to go to sleep.

Some people don't mind though.

Funny enough I'm the exact opposite way. I got both the kindle and Ipad and I wasn't a big fan of the kindle. But it seems I'm a minority in this respect - I like the big screen of the Ipad, the bright backscreen and the ability to view PDFs easily.

Post: #16

Audiobooks. My new favourite thing. I get through a book a week on average. I listen for about 90 mins a day while i'm cooking my meals. I seem to absorb the content better too than just reading. I signed up on Audible (owned by Amazon so pretty big selection). Most books have professional narrators too who are easy to listen to and make the content engaging (as long as the content itself IS actually engaging).

Can't recommend audiobooks enough. I have a Kindle but i cant see myself ever using it again.

Post: #17

(12-14-2012 06:05 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  What are "books"?

Kindle.

Ha.

What the hell is "Kindle"?

Books.

Post: #18

It depends on one's preference. A kindle is more convenient due to being light weight and having the capacity to store a massive number of books, all of which can be accessed by a few clicks. On the other hand, there's nothing like the feeling of actually flipping through the pages, feeling the texture, and hearing the crisp sound of a page being turned while holding a book in your hand. If you burn through a lot of books in a short time and are constantly traveling a Kindle is the obvious choice. If you're a more casual reader and are either home or close to home a book would be better in my opinion.

Post: #19

(12-14-2012 05:11 AM)Kitsune Wrote:  I use both.
I go through about 3-4 books a week on average. Mostly non-fiction. With that volume, I'd need a lot more money and space to hold them all. Nowadays, I torrent a book (If it isn't available for kindle) and put it on the kindle. If it is particularly useful, I buy the paper copy.

I think the kindle is excellent, but I wish there were a more efficient way to flip through pages and take notes and jump around on it.

I had the same problem, Goodreader on the ipad is a much better e reader. Also with this you can download PDF's but still search text, use dictionary, make notes on it etc. I have saved hundreds on books this way.

Post: #20

Real books, although I make a lot of money selling Kindle books.

Post: #21

Books for me all the way. I vastly prefer turning real pages, and reading real ink, and smelling real dust, to partaking of the various digital devices and their imitation-ink screens, buttons, batteries, etc. When you fly, you don't have to shut a real book off, either, nor do you have to treat them like they're delicate contraptions made of solid gold.

All that being said, I do have a first-gen iPad and occasionally read Kindle books, iBooks, and PDFs on there -mostly freely available classics and old works in the public domain, and sometimes things I would not want a curious guest or family member discovering on my bookshelf (Roosh's books, for instance.) I'll occasionally buy an ebook on Amazon, but only if it isn't something 'serious' enough to justify plunking down cash for.

Post: #22

I really want a kindle..But I haven't bought one.
I still carry books around or read them on my android phone kindle app.

When you read on your phone..people just assume you're on facebook

Post: #23

I Kindle read on my Android tablet. However, I read real books as well, but only when I am at home.

Post: #24

Books are still better for me, maybe because for now I have very good access to a great library.
The only downside is that you can't play Angry Birds Star Wars on books...

Post: #25

Getting a Kindle for Xmas, and super excited about it.

I can't stand reading on anything backlit, due to eye strain. I strain my eyes enough at work, home, etc so the hours spent reading are much easier with the digital ink of the Kindle. I haven't actually read a full book on the Kindle yet but the limited amount of time I've spent browsing through it, made me think "Yeah, you can do this for hours no problem."

Physically HAVING books is also a big annoyance for me. I know some people display books all over their houses like fucking trophies, and yet I give my books to the local library as soon as I'm done reading them (with a few exceptions, such as Bang/Day Bang ). I really don't need more clutter in my house and 95% of the time I don't re-read an entire book a second or third time.