this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2023
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Audiobooks, e-Books, Paper, etc.?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

@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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

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

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

@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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Nice, thick, heavy hardcover, thick, textured pages, no jacket.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

And the wrong narrator just makes a great read a slog and a half.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I want to like audiobooks, but there are two me-problems holding me back:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

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!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I prefer ebooks because it's more portable, and I can have a bunch of books on hand. Recently, I have a new habit of highlighting sentences that stick out to me or points that I want to remember. I would never do this with a physical book because I would feel like I'm messing up my book. I do buy a physical copy if it's a book I love though. I absolutely cannot do audiobooks because I will tune them out and focus on other things. It's in one ear and out the other. I find it easier to focus on written media, so I generally prefer to read. I'm not a podcast fan either.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I read so much more an epaper ebook. It's so nice to be able to quickly swap between a handful of books in a form factor smaller than an already small paperback.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Physical paperbacks. I can never seem to get as engrossed in audiobooks or e-books as I do with physical copies, so i read physical ones ever when traveling.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It depends. I'm studying for my medical exams and paper books are the way to go. I typically smash through audiobooks while driving.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

When I was younger…well, there were only Palm Pilots back then, so it’s a bit unfair, but I’d prefer physical books, and if I were doing active reading then it’d usually be with a physical book.

Reading digital books now requires using a device that often has access to Youtube or something else that’s shorter and snappier and yet pulls hours upon hours out of my life.

And as I’ve gotten older…I haven’t read read a book in years. Is it a lack of attention span? Yes, which makes me feel sad and ashamed and so fucking frustrated because I could, I could read long books as a kid and now…I can’t.

It’s also that I have more to do: laundry, cleaning, work, cooking, errands, exercise… So there’s less time to sit down and read, or if I do, it feels increasingly hedonistic and therefore wrong to just do one thing at once. If I can multitask then shouldn’t I?

Audiobooks are both a godsend and a curse. I can actually consume books again! But I’m locked into the ease of it.

Actively choosing to doing just the one thing, for myself, is far harder than it ought to be.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I enjoy paperbacks sometimes but the convenience of ebooks wins me over. I also read in other languages so having easy dictionary or translation lookup is fantastic.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I prefer ebooks. I like to be able to carry my library around with me. Also, I rarely reread books so they end up collecting dust after I read them.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I prefer ebooks for reasons others already stated, including:

  • can carry a huge collection of books in a single portable device, such as one's phone
  • can customize the text's formatting
  • can customize ereader's appearance
  • can easily save quotes

I wanted to highlight accessibility, which is most important to me. I struggle to focus while reading, and listening to a screen reader narrate a digital text while looking at the written words helps me push through. With use of a screen reader comes the ability to adjust the speed, pitch and/or voice for faster or slower reading, and it's extremely useful when there are no existing audiobooks for said material. The consistency of a synthesized voice allows me to increase the speed and still understand, while audiobooks will contain pauses and emphases at the discretion of the narrator.

In some cases, ebooks can be shared more easily with people who are not physically nearby. I also frequently use full-text search for specific terms.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Another one to add to this is backlights! I don't have to get up to turn off the room light when I'm done reading.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@ArmoredCavalry Ebooks solve so many problems for me. I'll almost never read print if I can get the ebook.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Same, I also must read them on an ereader. I've tried my phone but it's all so easy to just do something else on a phone.