Asklemmy

I usually get physical books free through the local Buy Nothing group or Little Free Library network.

I usually get e-books legally from the library or extralegally from libgen.

I buy physical copies of cookbooks and books my friends wrote, and pay for e-books from indie writers who I don't know personally.

Physical only.

There is no way that anyone can take the book from my shelf. OK technically they could break in an steal it. But they could not remotely disable it. Or remotely delete it. Or the ebook for some reason is no longer in an electronic format that is usable. The government couldn't ban it and force it to be remotely removed.

I own it. The world can take a flying leap off a very tall building.

With a large form factor phone in my pocket, I have access to millions of books right away. When I'm not reading an ebook I'm probably listening to the audio version instead, because I need my hands and/or eyes for something else.

Recently purchased a high class ebook reader and had to return it. The display technology simply doesn't match paper yet.

As far as the pure reading experience goes paper is better. Also less distractions and no blue light that keeps you awake late at night. Printed books take up physical space which is a negative for me.

But digital has the advantage when it comes to working with the text: quickly being able to search for strings, copy and paste whole passages, get translations or pronunciations, reorder pages, etc. Plus all the meta data and library management.

Libraries are in a weird space betwixt when it comes to digital versions btw. They give you a digital text but lock you into a specific app that denies the advantages of the digital format mentioned above.

That being said stuff like blog posts, online articles, social media, etc simply doesn't exist on paper. But for anything I read for pure enjoyment like literature paper is the way to go.

Lastly, in my experience electronic versions tend to be a bit cheaper than paperbacks but a lot less so than you expect. But a library card pays off after borrowing even a single book, so there's that 🤷‍♂️.

Digital. I've run out of space for storing physical books.

I'm old fashioned so all my books are physical for now. I used to hate on ereaders (first Kindle), but as I'm older, sight gets worse, readers get better (hopefully) and space is also an issue I'm already thinking of buying one. But which one? That is the question. I'd prefer something simple, without online nonsense, where I can put my files too (e.g. local library puts out PDFs of royalty-free classics for free).

Digital the first time, because highlighters and tabs are a poor substitute for a search feature.

Then, if I like it enough, physical for subsequent reads, with the digital copy as reference material when needed.

Physical, and I buy used as much as possible. For some reason I just retain the information better when I read it in a physical book.

If I'm buying, it's physical. If I'm borrowing, it's digital.

I love a good personal library as a background for my video calls but honestly I do digital books cause I don't have room.

Physical for some comics, mostly digital because I get most of my books from the library. A lot of libraries around the US have fantastic support for digital media.

I love physical books, but ebooks are so convenient. Always having a book, being able to comfortably read one handed, and being able to read in the dark after my wife goes to sleep are all things that significantly increase how often I can read.

The only thing I buy physical copies of are art books and bird ID books. My phone screen isn’t a good size for viewing detailed art, and even a large tablet isn’t ideal because of how colors can vary depending on screen settings.

Otherwise I usually don’t buy ebooks either, I check them out from my local library with Libby. I don’t typically do a lot of rereads, and when I do it’s easy to recheck them out.

No, I download ebooks (except for The Knowledge, which is physical else it would be useless if I was in a situation to need it), as they have numerous benefits such as text searching, coming back to where I left off, customising how it looks, available anywhere and much lighter.

I like physical books as I find it more immersive compared to phones and such. When using a phone or computer it's much more tempting to open up social media or another app.

That's why I also like to draw/design on paper as well and use a dedicated music player.

I used to always do physical books, but I'm nearly 100% converted to ebooks for three reasons:

1. When traveling, I can take multiple books on my tablet and there's no additional space/weight because I take my tablet anyway.
2. I realized I had way too many paperbacks at home and had to take a few boxes to a donation center - no reason to build back up again
3. I've started to read a lot more, like more than a book a week, which got expensive, so I've converted over to ebooks from the library. Now there's no cost and I don't have to drive back and forth to get/return books.

E-books. I read too many books for physical to be practical.

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.).

Like fifteen years ago I would buy physical books, I still have a huge collection. I was getting really into math and would buy textbooks. Sometimes they could be pricey, but for a good hardcover, it can really be worth it if you're coming back to it a lot.

Very early 2010s the amazon books became awful overnight. You could pay $70 for a hardcover and the damn thing would start falling apart a few days into reading it. I really don't think I'm hard on my books, I treat them with care. These things just couldn't handle normal wear for even a short amount of time. Paperbacks were even less reliable and only slightly less expensive. So I completely ditched amazon and started ordering books directly from the publishers. Normally they'd be like $10-15 more than on amazon, but it's worth it, they weren't falling apart.

Probably around 2012 I finished reading volume 2 of Francis Borceux's "Handbook of Categorical Algebra". Those first two volumes are genuinely some of the best math books I've ever gone through, it took me like a year each though. Volume 3 was very expensive to get from the publisher, I think it was over $160, but since I had gotten so much mileage out of the first two I decided I wanted to just pony up. It was clear as soon as it arrived that it was a piece of shit, and did start falling apart immediately. I left emails and phone calls and they just ghosted me and I couldn't figure out a way to get my money back. That was the last book I bought for like a full decade, and I don't think I've made a book purchase from anywhere over $15 since.

Pretty sure that was Cambridge University Press, and I had purchased something else (although much much cheaper) from them the year before that was good quality.

I still greatly prefer having a physical copy, but I pirate almost everything I can't find in a library now.

I buy physical and obtain a digital copy later to chuck on the kindle. I enjoy reading physical books but time and life make it harder, plus I like to buy collectors editions where possible, they are not for reading (to me)

I pirate most of the books I read. I am not a millionaire and space on the bookshelf is limited. I only buy physical if I want to treat myself with special edition or a book not available digitally.

God bless Anna's archive!

Purely a space issue for me these days, but the more I use my Kindle, the more I like it. Being able to just highlight a word and get the definition has been a real game changer. Although, it's only because of e-ink displays that I even considered it in the first place. Definitely would not be reading books on a regular tablet/display.

Digital.

I always carry my phone so if I wish to read even when I don’t have my kindle, I can use phone at a pinch.

Vastly prefer the experience of reading on a kindle too. No issues with propping a thick book open, built in reading light, light enough to hold over head, can be read on the side easily and page changes are a dawdle (move a finger).

Also, I can’t get myself to throw books away, yet I almost never read them again (aside from a few classics) - my wife and I try our very best to avoid the house cluttering up, so not having a bunch of paper books moves us in the right direction.

Also, I can sync progress on an audio book (great when driving) and a physical book.

Finally, instant delivery.

Almost entirely digital now. As for why:

• backlight
• font size adjustment
• built in dictionary
• local library closed for a few years
• lighter/better form factor than most books I read

I find I buy far more books now that I have an e-ink reader.

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.

Physical always. The idea of reading, which for me is always to relax, on a digital screen is so antithetical to the point for me.

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).

Audio book gang unite!

I normally pirate audio books and purchase them physically for our bookshelves around the house because I like the look and supporting the author but I like listening a lot more.

Digital. I've been reading ebooks for years, starting on my flip phone back in the day. The best part to me is being able to seamlessly switch from reading with my eyes to being read to (tts - I'm used to it now and it's waaaay better than it was).

I do a lot of driving for work so I can get a ton of reading done on the road 😁

Audio books are a lot easier for me to consume as I am visually impaired

Almost always digital on my tablet or phone these days (I have a Kindle too but just can't get used to the display), but I'll buy physical copies to keep and/or give away if I really like them.

I still get hardcovers from my favorite authors