I mostly agree with you, however.....after the incident where the publisher of Dr Suess books decided to discontinue publishing some because they were "problematic" I decided that I needed hard copies of anything I wanted to make sure stuck around. I don't want to risk it going forever out of print, or being quietly deleted, or being quietly altered. Hard copies of books are SECURE from ideological tampering.
But once you bought the book, would't deleting the book file from your library be a crime? You purchased the book. They can't steal it from you. Not having it available to buy in the digital store is one thing. Deleting it from your personal library or removing your ability to download it is another thing. The same goes for quietly changing parts of it. I don't think books are like software that are automatically updated. Not that it's impossible to perform this, but it's not how the publishing industry works. A new version of the book is a new release, so it requires a new purchase as far as I know. Although you gotta keep in mind that if a digital store ends, you have to backup your books because you won't be able to download it again. I should also add that physical books are never 100% safe either. From accidents to bugs that eat them, or other enviromental risks like dust and humidity that gives them spots, physical books can be the target of many types of harm too. That's why regardless of them being physical or digital, they require work and time to be protected if they're so precious to you.
@@paulolima6407 have you ever read the TOS for any digital products? You basically give away all rights. You don't "own" digital products, you have a license under hundreds of pages of terms.
I prefer physical. Because after I have read a book, I put it on my shelves, and every time I see it, it prompts me to think about the material I read. By contrast, the books on my kindle I have forgotten about because they remain out of sight.
For me, the biggest benefit for Kindle is the fact that I can read by night in the bed with super good comfort, red screen light without need of having big light in room, also the way I can lay with it is super comftortable in bed. I read to sleep everyday and that’s the most significant difference
e-readers don’t cause eye strain, because the light is shining away from your eyes (onto the screen). Tablets are the opposite, they shine light from behind the text INTO your face.
One thing I’d like to add is that it’s much easier to read foreign language books on kindle due to the inbuilt dictionaries. That said, I prefer physical books overall.
Yes i loved reading the three body problem on Kindle. It has a ton of notes about China and Chinese history. You don't have to flip back and forth from the appendix, you can read the note by just tapping
E-books for me personally helped me reignite my love for reading that I had as a child then lost in my teenage years and young adult years due to mental illness and increased screen time. The convenience factor was really important to me as someone with ADHD with an impaired executive function. Even the act of picking up a book made me want to procrastinate and I lost focus VERY easily with physical books. Since I’m always on my phone anyways and was used to scrolling, e-books on my phone have helped me remove those barriers. And I’m even back to being able to enjoy physical books again (albeit taking more time and focus for me to read) so I definitely would never discount e-books as a medium!!
I agree the E-reader is an amazing tool for convenience purposes like having hundreds of books in a small device, and actually a study has been done that while reading on the kindle users usually finish their books faster than paper. For those reasons, and more kindle is my go to for reading. Yet sometimes like you said it's nice to feel a physical book and nothing beats the smell of a fresh new book.
I love paperbacks very much but I’ve gotten to the point where I have to admit to myself that I don’t have unlimited space. Also as someone who reads more than one book at a time, a kindle is less unwieldy than a stack of books. I like to think that my note taking and commonplacing in my journals supplies the romance and aesthetics missing from the ebooks.
But you dont need space. You can read tohusands of phisica books from the public library. All the classics are there. No need money neither space. Only one you finish to read all the library, you can think about kindle or to buy a proper book.
I LOVE both. My kindle got me back into reading after being in a slump for years bc I could lay in bed in the dark and fall asleep reading. I read most of my big, long series there because a physical book can be really daunting and keep me from reading. If I really love the book and want to reread it I’ll buy a physical version to annotate and display on my shelf.
You're definitely right that there's no need to strictly picking one medium of reading. I've recently gotten a Kindle and I'll admit that I prefer reading on it versus physical. I still love getting physical books like you said, because of the feel as well as the actual ownership associated with it. However with limited space at home and frequent traveling for work, I do enjoy the portability of the Kindle.
I use my Kindle as a means of organization in my reading. Like, I can have one physical book I'm reading, one audiobook, and one digital book. The variety of mediums helps me read more without getting sick of the activity itself. That's to say nothing of how nice it is to bring one Kindle with 100 books vs 3 very heavy books on vacations or trips.
I agree with most of what you said, but I think you really missed one BIG benefit of kindle books. I will highlight and take notes on the books and then export them into an organized document, which dramatically shortens my time and effort to create concise notes on a book. (I don’t have the time to organize hand written notecards). Another productivity hack I’ve recently discovered is that, for books I primarily listen to on audible, if I also have the kindle book, the two sync so while I am cleaning my kitchen, I have my iPad propped up on my counter, I’m listening to the book inside the kindle app (not audible), the text is highlighted while I listen, and if I hear something I want to remember, I quickly highlight it and move onto cleaning. That way, for meatier books that o want good notes on but I’m primarily listening, I still get that neatly organized document for a book, even while cleaning my kitchen 🤩
I am unable to remember anything I read on an electronic device. But I have nearly total recall with physical books. I can usually tell you what page I acquired the info, too. As for audiobooks…that’s not reading. I will fight anyone who says otherwise.
I’ve found the accessibility and portability of my kindle has made me so much of a reader and I find myself reaching for my kindle rather than my phone a lot of the time, something that would never happen with a physical book.
I too use both. I use my Remarkable for reading journal articles, physical books for course readings and books I want to read deeply, and my Kobo is for bedtime/pleasure reading that I won't be taking any notes on. They all serve a function and like you said, nothing wrong with using both.
Hi Jared. I only discovered your channel yesterday. I've watched 7 videos thus far. Very impressed matey. Good stuff. I certainly agree with you that digital and physical books can coexist and one doesn't need to choose between them. I haven't read any other comments, but one thing I really like about digital books is the word search function. Sometimes you want to re read a particular section of a book, and thumbing through hundreds of pages of a physical book is inefficient. I also don't like marking my books, so underlining is a no go for me. And Post It notes are kind of ugly, plus they tear etc. If you feel up to it, I'd like to hear you talk about Being And Time. Keep up the great work.
I have both physical and Kindle eBooks. There is certainly something about the feel, touch, look and even smell of books. The big plus with Kindle is that books you no longer require or will ever read again don't clog bookshelves. You can either delete of the device and have access in the unlikely event of ever finding an interest in that particular book or delete it with a few inputs.
As much as I love physical books, e-books have two extra bonus: they don’t take up any space in the house and when reading books not in our native language it’s a lot easier to use the dictionary and even Wikipedia. But I totally agree, we can love both!
@@Ssaidak That is assuming every book they want to read is in their local library. Not every library can house all books. Besides, it's their choice to read on Kindle or on a physical one, not yours.
@@iwaslikenope1070 it is very difficult to find a book that is not in the public library in your town or city. You can order any book of the catalogue to bring to your library. If you dont want to take space you have this option. A lot of people cant afford to buy a kindle, but every body can go to the library. And obviosly it is not my choice what people do. I didnt talk about any choice, only about the options and opportunities. To buy (a book, a kindle) is not an option for many people
@@Ssaidak "You can order any book of the catalogue to bring to your library" No, the librarian decides what books to buy to the library. You can't just demand that they buy a book that you want. Plus, the library still has a physical limitation on how many books they can store, which is not any different than your house having a limited space.
This past year I have usually had two book going at once. A physical book that is usually nonfiction or something that I can’t find on my library’s ebook app. Along with an ebook which I like to to read in bed at night. Reading a book while laying in bed, for me, is so much more pleasant with an ebook than a physical one. Also all the ebooks I read are from my library and I use them to sort of buffer how much money I’m spending on physical books. Both are great! And I switch between the two all the time.
Another good video. I have a somewhat similar attitude. I prefer physical books for literature or subjects that I really want to study. As you pointed out, listening to a book is good when I am kind of multitasking, e.g. cleaning the house or going for a walk. Typically I listen to books that I have either read before or books that are light reading, science fiction, or genre writing. Like you, I spend my day looking at screens, so I don't find looking at a screen to read a book enjoyable.
I love physical books.. I couldn't imagine making reading another activity involving a screen. Also, I think eBooks strip away all the joy of reading/book collecting, that goes beyond the pure content of the book. The feel, the look, the smell, having a library as the center piece of your home... Priceless
I've been a huge Audible fan since 1999, when I had to use their (terrible) Windows-only app to side-load an MP3 to my (extremely primitive) Rio MP3 player. I listen to almost all of my fiction on Audible, sometimes switching between the audio and Kindle/printed version. (I have a long list of reasons I usually prefer the audio version of fiction that I won't enumerate.) I listen when my cognitive overhead is relatively low: walking to or from the train, cooking, and doing low-effort digital chores. I don't feel the experience suffers from multitasking, though I have a few tricks to help myself recover quickly if my attention shifts away while listening. And as a bonus, the act of listening keeps me away from my screen. When it comes to poetry, plays, and all non-fiction, I strongly prefer a printed book or the Kindle version. I've also had a Kindle for about a decade, and I like it a lot. I especially like how easy it is to grab highlights via a service like Readwise (or even Kindle's export function). But lately, I've realized that the absence of dimensionality makes me a bit anxious. It's hard to tell how much is left in a chapter or section, so I feel disoriented. I can tell the Kindle to tell me, but it somehow feels just *weird.* I don't plan to give it up, but I feel a growing tug toward printed books. For non-fiction, especially science non-fiction, I have to read printed books, mainly because they often have visuals that don't work well on Kindle and aren't available in the audio version (except maybe as a PDF appendix).
I enjoy both, and especially enjoy Kindle for casual/pop fiction. Another potential benefit of physical: There are studies showing people retain / understand better from a physical page than even a Kindle, let alone a phone or laptop.
I totally respect both ends of the opinions. My friends who love reading prefer physical books. For the recurring reason that they want to see the books on their shelves as achievements. While I prefer digital copies because I want to store my books for ages. And create E-Libraries. But either way, the virtue of reading does not change because of the means. Keep reading, folks!
I have tried purchasing some e-books to my Kindle app on my iPad, but reading e-books didn’t feel as encouranging as reading physical books. The feeling of holding a physical book makes me want to keep reading. There’s also this urge of switching to other apps while I’m reading on my iPad Kindle app, like social media, RUclips, Netflix, etc. On the other hand, as a Neurosurgeon who have medical textbooks with thousands of pages, I prefer the e-book version on my iPad, because I don’t have to bring these inconveniently large and thick books around (even the so-called “pocket book” version is stil very thick and obviously doesn’t fit in any pocket), and I can quickly search the topic I need by typing the keywords, do a quick read on the topic, add some annotations, write on my Note apps, and I’m done. Now that is convenient. So yes, I use both method, but for different purpose.
I like physical books, especially nice cloth bound editions with sewn bindings. But I like e-readers too. I’ll even go one step further and say I even enjoy reading on my iPad 😱 Due to limited space, the only books I tend to keep in physical form are nice hardbacks of classic horror, poetry books (line formatting and alignment can get wonky on epubs), and niche small press books/magazines that don’t come in physical form. Everything else gets read on epub, audiobook, or borrowed from the library.
What you said about audiobooks is pretty much why I don’t use them. If I’m listening to it while I’m doing something else, I’m not fully absorbing it. And if I’m just going to sit and listen, I may as well just read it because A) I can read it much faster and B) I’ll comprehend it much better too.
Not a huge reader. Trying to start. 36 for reference if that means anything. My mom was a library media specialist for years and is a wealth of knowledge and loves real books. But she has/had so many. It will be a nightmare to move one day. When I was 7 I got an encyclopedia set for Christmas and it weighed a million pounds and it's hard to store books like that. So digital works for me. I can kindle on my phone and listen to music when I'm slow at work without reddit or RUclips all the time. Very nice. It is just easier and more realistic for me in my starting journey. I get the battle of the phone ppl have but it's just so easy for a busy dad when you can have a movie player, book reader, and dap in your pocket. My phone helped me get sober in 2019 sooo much.
I've been reading ebooks for the last 15 years or so and almost completely stopped reading paper editions. Last week I took a paper book in my hands and was shocked by how small the font is. I just can't read the letters that small, the lines that tightly packed. And, of course, I would miss many things so natural for ebooks: a built-in dictionary, text search, ability to save a fragment and then export it to a file. I can control all text parameters, including letter size. I can set bookmarks. I don't have to jump between the text and the notes section at the end of the book. And don't even get me started on dead trees :)
Agree about text size. I picked up a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo in paperback, which I've been wanting to read for a long time, got it home and, blimey, I couldn't read a word. The text size was tiny. I had to download a free copy of The Count in order to read it on my Kindle, while the paperback sits untouched on my nightstand.
I do think that eReaders are more convenient, and as a high school student it might be easier for me to use that, but I just feel very attached to the idea of physial books and going shopping for them, building up my own little library, and lending them to friends. I feel like if I had both I would end up reaching for the kindle first and replace my physical books, which I don't want to do
Some great books are hard to find in local stores... I like ebooks for that reason... Availability is my top reason... I do like physical books but can't find all books physically...
I work in tech as well and the screen strain on my eyes is real. Even though the screens have improved over the years, the textures and lighting on natural paper are so much healthier(?) to the eyes.
I prefer physical books over the kindle or anything really. I like how personal it feels. from the moment you pick it out, to taking it home, and writing in the books.
I used to be in the physical-books-only faction. But I couldn't keep with the amount of comics I read, so I switched to digital comics few years back. Now, I still prefer physical books for difficult ones (philosophy books and extra thick philosophical fictions). But I can read fictions and light non-fictions in kindle now. Kindle app helps me to even read books on my phone while waiting for trains/buses, which is nice. Audiobook is still a no though, definitely not a multitasker
Kindle made me fall in love with reading again. I used to read so much in high school, other students would make fun of me. After school I stoped. Then I bought a used Kindle for fun and books just flew by. I love physical copies, but it's easier to read on a device
I really grew fond of reading on the iPad and then swipe in my notes app in small format to write down a thought. I could never read kindle books exclusively because I need to see my boos to be reminded of reading them :D
I’m thinking about getting a Kindle for the obvious benefits he has but I’m still very much to the old way, putting my book in my library after reading it is still so satisfying to me. I’m currently looking for an option where I know which kind of books are meant to be on kindle and the other ones in paper.
Can you explain to me the different things that Amazon is currently doing with buying physical books, audio books vs. Kindle books? They are making changes that are confusing to the normal person. Please help me!
I love physical books but because of mobility and heath issues I had to downsize my house to a small home with much less room for physical books. I'm adjusting to a mostly ebook life. I do utilize my library here for both ebooks and physical books. I have a micro SD card with 1TB of extra storage so I won't run out of space anytime soon. Here in Florida I have access to just about every library book in the state through the interlibrary loan system.
the only additional point I would've added to this excellent video is Vision Issues "down the road in life". I read on a computer OR a kindle fire. Both of which I can enlarge the font And adjust background color so I can see. I can manage about 20 mins of paper books before everything is blurry but on a screen - at the same price point as opposed to "large type editions" - I can read for hours. My vision challenges began about 10 years ago, to say the option of e-reading saved my sanity and kept health issues in perspective [pun intended] is a pathetic understatement. Would I still prefer tangible books, yes! That said, sometimes, life decides which is best and you just go with it.
I tend to buy Kindle books and read parts of them. When I buy a paper book it is more of an 'experience' I'd say,more 'considered' and I usually read the whole thing. I also don't know what to do with a large collection of paper books,so kindle us good storage wise. A mixture may be the answer I guess?
After spending more time developing a physical library and reading more books this year, I prefer an e-reader in a couple of scenarios. Travel, especially international travel, is where an e-reader shines just on space/weight savings. I also prefer an e-reader where I'm looking to borrow fiction from the library that I only intend to read once, so I'm not buying lots of books that occupy my limited shelf space. As I get older I appreciate larger text that an e-reader can provide, especially if a book is typically in the mass media paperback format. I also appreciate not holding up a doorstopper-sized physical book while reading, though I am not 100% convinced it is a strict advantage over physical books. I appreciate physical books more if I will reference them continuously, or if I intend to re-read them. And admittedly, I appreciate the shelf or two of Penguin Classics series books I'm building up - they do look nice!
I'm currently living out of the U.S so it's pretty difficult finding books printed in English consistently so my new (and first) kindle has been key in allowing me to continue reading at the rate that I do! Side note, I sideload books into my kindle all the time so I'm not sure what restrictions you are having with yours. What does the Amazon ecosystem prevent you from doing that the other e-reader doesn't?
Love looking at physical books but i like reading on kindle enough that i mostly read that way. Easier to carry, store, and can get library books on it with a touch of a button
The other benefit of your Omni is that when you buy an ebook through an author's website rather then a service like Amazon, the author doesn't have to give a cut of the profits to the service. So you pay the same amount for the book but more of the profit goes to support the person who actually wrote the book. The reason I've never bought a Kindle is that it literally prevents me from storing books I've bought through author's websites, but I can store ebooks I bought through Amazon on other ereader apps.
Agree - one is not better than the other, and you can do both. Love a physical book in terms of feel, touch and smell - and it never needs a recharge! That said, it's harder to have a paperback sit flat to read on the table while you are eating your breakfast. Also, as you get older and your eye sight deteriorates, you can easily make the font larger on a kindle! The ease with with which you can find, buy and download a book - especially those that are hard to source in the physical sense - are also a marvel. From a purely egotistical point of view, there is also a large degree of satisfaction of sitting back and staring at your large book collection on multiple shelves - something which a kindle / digital reader can never deliver. The Kindle boasts convenience whereas the good old book has presence in spades.
I wondered about this for a long time, and honestly you’re right, but it somehow feels like you have to choose one, until the point where you buy a kindle, before that you feel like, if you’re going to invest that much into a dedicated e reader, you better use it, honestly I mostly still buy physical books, if the ebook is a considerable amount cheaper I buy it, and I bought a refurbished 2022 kindle basic, which was almost half the cost of a new one, So it was a lot easier entry for me, I tend to have a lot of books into my kindle library and also a lot of physical books, that I have in advance before reading them, so that I always have a ton of options, beforehand, when I travel I tend to carry only one physical book and my kindle, which helps a lot, earlier I was never comfortable with kindle app on my phone and laptop, now After being comfortable with kindle e Reader and after reading a lot of ebooks, I have even started using kindle a lot on my phone and laptop as well when I am at work or waiting in line, or something if I don’t have my kjndle, I just open the kindle app on my iphone, so all in all it wasn’t a bad investment.
Jared, Do you find that you do or don’t have the same information retention with Audible verses a real book? I sometimes find myself re-listening to sections if I’m not dedicating my full attention.
I feel like there are some questions other people cannot answer for you. You can look to people around you and before you for inspiration. But ultimately the "Best" is the one that works for you. And the only way to know what works for you is to work with it. Unless you are asking about something that you can measure in a scale and compare, the answer will most likely always be that "it depends" and it depends on you.
Hi Jared, I'm curious what you think about the Note Air 2, I have used it exclusively (I like real boox, but find them bothersome to hold). I love the extra text you can view on a 10.3 inch device, but I remember my 6 inch e-reader being easier to read with in bed (side position) and being more mobile (as in it fit in my jacket pocket instead of an extra bag). Considering leaving the Air for PDF or work related text and getting a Leaf 2 at some point, especially if the reading progress sync function is decent.
I've had it for about a year and a half so far (had a Boox Nova 2 7.8 inch before that, and mostly Kobo readers before that, as new Kindle's are harder to get in Europe), I think I've read about 60-70 books on it so far, and I like it, however it is also sometimes hard to hold while reading, so I prefer to have it on a stand, or to read in bed.
For me audiobooks only work on non fiction. Fiction works better if you read because you can develop the characters voice and their own pacing in your head, whereas listening makes you bias towards the narrator voice.
I bought a Kindle in 2012 and three years later it was in a drawer and I never used it again. Sure, it's convenient, but the experience of reading was diminished by not having the tactile sense of a physical book in my hands. The binding, the pages, the way holding a physical book seems to center your vision onto the page and makes it harder to get distracted. Book marks. Pencil notes in the margins. I've begun eliminating digital content and digital devices from my life as much as is practical and possible.
I feel the same. I use my kindle usually during evening reading in bed when I don’t want to get away from my partner to read or didnt have time during the day, so I can read in bed with the lights switched off (I know this isn’t the best). But I prefer physical books because of the note taking the the aesthetics
Great video. I was literally just thinking of this for a video. I also read on both the kindle and paper books. I think theres a time and place for moth options!
I read a lot of novels for pleasure, and most of my reading time for fiction is at night before sleep. I just find a Kindle super convenient for doing that, plus I can check books out of the library to read on my Kindle from the comfort of my home. With my aging eyes, I also love the re-sizable type. The older I get the more I notice how tiny print can be in printed books. For nonfiction reading where I might want to take written notes or use sticky notes, I tend to prefer a paper book, and especially for needle crafts, I prefer a big print book full of photos and diagrams and patterns, which just can't be replicated that well on a small-format Kindle, though I would think a larger tablet might work fine. For collectible books, hardcover all the way. I don't think anyone should limit themselves to one kind of reading experience. In fact I know of people who have both a Kindle and a B&N Nook. Books, including ebooks, come in all forms, and each has its pros and cons.
Physical books for notes, e reader (not a kindle) for big books that don’t really need notes.They are somehow less intimidating that way. It’s also great on vacation, no heavy luggage, you can read in the sun without hurting your eyes and you don’t need a nightlight. Anddd audiobooks for commuting
I may be the only "bookish" person I know that has yet to ever use an E-reader. I am not against it at all, but have yet to hop on board. The Note2 looks very cool, but I am not sure what it will take to push me over the edge. Great video!
Personally, I’d buy this over a Kindle if I were in the market. But I don’t know if I’d replace my e-readers if they broke currently - I just love physical books so much.
E-books tend to be cheaper than physical books and are godsent if you are in a country that lacks a thriving resale market or sales volume to justify importing physical copies of more obscure texts such as philosophical writings. Censorship restrictions on certain political texts for example can be circumvented by freely accessible e-books that can be archived .
The problem for me is that physical books take lots of space, and once you read them, you need to sell them to buy new ones. With Kindle books, you just store them there, BUT kindle is limited with the books they have. I also use scribd to have more options.
Hey Jared, I love your video and I just recently subscribed. I love physical books for various reasons. I'm moving to another country soon and I have to give away a good portion of my books because of the cost of shipping. I was thinking of buying eReader and then just buy the ebook version of the books I give away. However I'm having a tough time with the idea of reading from a screen lol I'm trying to limit my screen time as much as possible. 😅
I'm old enough that I remember the big deal about paperbacks and hardbacks and now we add the ebooks into the mix! I find it very much depends on what I'm reading and when! If it is a reference book I usually prefer a hardback physical book. Although, I'm beginning to want both the physical and the Kindle for different purposes. I love the search function on the Kindle and the dictionary so I don't have to have 2 books when I'm reading a physical book. Yet I still like annotating a physical book better than a kindle. Although I also love my Kindle, I often just leave home with my phone with the Kindle app so I always have one or more books available at all times and I don't have to keep track of a book or two and a phone. Lately, I've been using my Kindle more often, but next week it may be my physical copy. The one thing I haven't heard about the Kindle that is a big deal for me, I can read in the dark! I love having options!
As someone who HATES marking physical books, I like ebooks of textbooks and books that I'll return to again and again. For physical books, I like fiction and books that have a fair number of graphics
Physical Books are the greatest in my opinion. I love going to a bookstore and buy a book and i really enjoy reading my books physically rather than just with a screen. I hate audiobooks! I get distracted easily, It's pretty annoying to me. Physical Books give me a calm and gentle vibe, It gives me peace! It's amazing. I'll save maybe for a kindle one day tho! It seems cute to see all these youtubers decorating their kindles with stickers, and maybe it also could be worth it. But I've seen some bad reviews of it too. I also really love reading stories on my device, It makes me happy when im bored or just don't have a physical book. I look forward to reading in digital if i want to read a different story. Overall, im staying with Physical Books all the way!! 📚❤️
I'm going back to reading physical books because I'm constantly looking at a screen, and the fact that people are putting subtitles in all of their videos is absolutely destroying my eyes. I have constant eye strain now and need a break from screens. I'm even struggling with sleeping because of all the excessive screen use I do. So physical books is the way to go for me. I just rent books from the library so I don't have to deal with storing them in my house.
I do both. Often for work I prefer digital, since I can read from iPhone, Mac, iPad...and I can bring with me every book I need without "weight". Instead if I read fiction I prefer physical book.
E-readers have gotten harder on my eyes as I get older. I use them sometimes, though. I wish that wasn’t the case, because I am a reformed book hoarder, and so now, I don’t like having tons of books cluttering up my space. I read a book, and, unless I really, really think I’ll read it again, I’ll give it away. Audiobooks are great for road trips, doing the dishes, sewing-so, multi-tasking, but truly mindless multitasking.
Kindle for most fiction. Love that I can read in bed with the light off and not keep my partner awake. Kindle is amazing for travelling. Physical books for non-fiction. Always. Audible while out for a walk or while driving. Nothing makes the miles fly by like a good audio book. My 2 cents.
I like physical books, but I just don't feel like I can justify buying loads of classics when I can get them for free from Project Gutenberg. I'd rather just buy physical books of the classics I've read and loved. But I'm still struggling with developing a notetaking method for ebooks, especially since I do like annotating classics. I'd really love any tips on how to close read and take notes with an ebook.
You can get any book from the libraries. One thing is reading, you only need the public library, and a different think is colect books. When people talk about space and money I l know that they are not talking about reading, only about collecting. It is ok but they are really different things.
@Catriona Unfortunately, my library has been closed for a few years now, or I would definitely use it a lot🥲. Even so, I hate the idea of having to erase my annotations when I return the book. We read the picture of Dorian Gray in high school and used the school's books. It felt like I was erasing a piece of myself when I erased all my pencil annotations to return the book at the end of the year. 😓
Kindle books generally cost less and don't take up space; but with physical books, I don't have to worry about unwanted surprises with the software. Just recently, I tried to download a book I bought years ago, but it wasn't showing in my library. It was asking me to repurchase the book because the author had since added content that I never asked for. I had to call Amazon just to tell them that I don't want the added content; I just want the version of the book that was already paid for. These kind of incidences happen frequently and ruin my day. It's just not worth the frustration.
I like the idea of getting away from a screen. But Kindle doesn't feel like a screen. It's e-ink: it feels like a book that allows me to pick the font size the is easy on the eyes and always being light on the hands regardless of the book.
There is no better option. That is personal. But I would like to remark that usually the people that says that kindle is better, give the reasons: you have unlimited space and is cheaper. I read physical books and is cheaper than read and ebook and you dont need a lot of space in your house. Nobody read books from the libraries? I watch different people in RUclips talking about books and reading and they never mention the public libraries. Reading is free and accesible for every one. And about kindle I see the advantege to read books in different languages when you dont find that in your library. And I use audiobooks yo listening books in different languages as the same time I read the book, and it is very useful to learn languages.
Books are not something that you just read words in. They're also a tool to adjust your senses. When I'm not feeling well there are times that I can't take in what I read. When that happens, I try to think about what could be hindering my reading. There are books that I can take in smoothly even when I'm not feeling well. I try to think why. It might be something like mental tuning. What's important when you tune is the feeling of the paper that you're touching with your fingers and the momentary stimulation your brain receives when you turn pages... -Makishima Shougo
I like both for different reasons, but I am still a sucker for physical books. After some years on kindle I recently started buying physical books again and it's a joy. I wish all countries had the same standards as the ones in US and UK when it comes to quality of editions, here in France it's the horror - it's not just that you often only find 'poche', but they also manage to make the ugliest covers. Ha! and I dislike kindle and being bound to amazon, I wish I had bought a kobo instead!
I read mostly ebooks. If I like a book I will buy a physical copy so I can reread and add to my shelf. Also, if there's a special edition I will buy a physical copy of it.
Another thing is that physical books are just easier on the eyes. As someone prone to migraines reading any book for too long will give me a headache, but I can read physical for much longer. Whether this has something to do with physical pages having a more yellow tint or the blue light of a screen I have no clue.
i prefer physical book although it is heavy but a book is meant to be physical item. Ereaders are convenient to bring out with thousand of books condensed inside the device. I do not have any kindle nor kobo. but perhaps 1 day i might. Because for me, after reading a book sometimes i sell them for 2nd hand, whereas e books you can’t resell😅 haha but perhaps one day I might just buy one
Pick a method that makes you absorb the content the best. But all this I love holding this and the smell and the aging of that is a bunch of pretentious nonsense or holding on to the past. It should be *all* about the content that you're going to digest in your brain.
I would love to read physical books, but I prefer to read them in their original language. But the shipping would cost three to four times of the book so it's not worth it.
I can't for the life of me understand how someone can enjoy reading digital text, looking at yet another screen in their screen-consumed lives. I make every effort to get real (paper) books, even if that is hard in my part of Europe.
E-books/readers are 'physical books.' You still physically interact with them as you would with paper books. The difference is one has words printed on paper while the other has words displayed on a tangible screen. Although, it takes more physical work to read a printed book since it's heavier, requires more effort to turn a page, and requires a stronger light source at night. For me, e-readers annihilates paper books. The e-ink is much easier on the eyes with adjustable font and dim back/front lighting makes it easier to read in bed without disrupting sleep. Also, I don't have the room to display thousands of books. I never needed to touch and sniff paper to enhance my reading experience nor desire an ego stroke to show off my library. The paper waste and mass deforestation is not worth the tradeoff for a minor burst of dopamine when touching paper. But these are just first world problems. If printed books are recycled and passed over to poorer people without continuously reprinting more books than will ever be sold, then they could still maintain their worth. I don't expect to see a real decline in paper books in my lifetime despite the increase of climate change. The world is not ready to accept the superiority of an e-reader.
I love having physical books. But the pros of my kindle outweigh everything else. I’m not pressed for space, I can immediately get a new book, or better yet, a sample, without having to go out anywhere or order and wait. And the main plus, I can read in bed without needing a light that keeps my fiancé awake. But the only real answer to the question: it doesn’t matter. Just read. Read whatever and however you want. Sci-Fi, non-fiction, YA, crime thrillers. Reading is reading and not a competition. Enjoy it.
I’m the same in that I appreciate both e readers and physical books, but something that irks me about the technological nature of kindles is their lifespan! Technology isn’t built to last it seems😔
I don't think I will ever get an ebook, much less a Kindle. 1. You don't own anything. You can't gift or sell a book unless the publisher allows it. Your children will never be able to inherit your books unless the publisher allows it. 2. You don't own anything. The publisher can simple delete your books if the choose to do so. (That's not paranoia, that already happened.) Books critical of powerful interests can be changed after publication. 3. You are making yourself very dependent on your publisher. If you don't like him or he doesn't like you anymore it could be an expensive divorce. 4. I like books.
I don't like that Amazon knows my book-buying habits, and I'd hate to give them more data about my actual reading. It's creepy that they know readers' "most highlighted passages" and whatnot.
You are not locked into the Amazon eco system with Kindle if you don't register or if you pay to have the ads removed. I didn't register and didn't get the dictionary but downloaded 1903 Webster's. Using Calibre you can change epub to mobi easily or vice versa. I have 2 Kobos besides and the Amazon Fire with wifi switched off. I rarely use wifi on the ereaders. Amazon Fire is very good for books with links and footnotes. Poor battery life. Larger tablets are great for PDFs. Samsung has a decent battery life. And books, books, books.
I mostly agree with you, however.....after the incident where the publisher of Dr Suess books decided to discontinue publishing some because they were "problematic" I decided that I needed hard copies of anything I wanted to make sure stuck around. I don't want to risk it going forever out of print, or being quietly deleted, or being quietly altered. Hard copies of books are SECURE from ideological tampering.
@@Spamfactor Plus you can burn them to a disc. Optical discs have gotten a lot better over the decades with some claiming to last hundreds of years
I agree, I like to collect old books, and I have a massive collection that will never be found online.
just pirate old books and they'll never get tampered
But once you bought the book, would't deleting the book file from your library be a crime? You purchased the book. They can't steal it from you. Not having it available to buy in the digital store is one thing. Deleting it from your personal library or removing your ability to download it is another thing.
The same goes for quietly changing parts of it. I don't think books are like software that are automatically updated. Not that it's impossible to perform this, but it's not how the publishing industry works. A new version of the book is a new release, so it requires a new purchase as far as I know.
Although you gotta keep in mind that if a digital store ends, you have to backup your books because you won't be able to download it again.
I should also add that physical books are never 100% safe either. From accidents to bugs that eat them, or other enviromental risks like dust and humidity that gives them spots, physical books can be the target of many types of harm too. That's why regardless of them being physical or digital, they require work and time to be protected if they're so precious to you.
@@paulolima6407 have you ever read the TOS for any digital products? You basically give away all rights. You don't "own" digital products, you have a license under hundreds of pages of terms.
I prefer physical. Because after I have read a book, I put it on my shelves, and every time I see it, it prompts me to think about the material I read. By contrast, the books on my kindle I have forgotten about because they remain out of sight.
Umm.. print a poster and paste it on your wall?
@@weeblet8745 hell nah
Only.if you have purchased Ghose books. I read physical books and I always return them the library.
The book can still be in your Kindle library that you can still see.
“On a Kindle, out of mind.” 😅
For me, the biggest benefit for Kindle is the fact that I can read by night in the bed with super good comfort, red screen light without need of having big light in room, also the way I can lay with it is super comftortable in bed. I read to sleep everyday and that’s the most significant difference
Are you sure its healthy to read Kindle before bed since it causes eye strain over time?
e-readers don’t cause eye strain, because the light is shining away from your eyes (onto the screen). Tablets are the opposite, they shine light from behind the text INTO your face.
One thing I’d like to add is that it’s much easier to read foreign language books on kindle due to the inbuilt dictionaries. That said, I prefer physical books overall.
Yes i loved reading the three body problem on Kindle. It has a ton of notes about China and Chinese history. You don't have to flip back and forth from the appendix, you can read the note by just tapping
E-books for me personally helped me reignite my love for reading that I had as a child then lost in my teenage years and young adult years due to mental illness and increased screen time. The convenience factor was really important to me as someone with ADHD with an impaired executive function. Even the act of picking up a book made me want to procrastinate and I lost focus VERY easily with physical books. Since I’m always on my phone anyways and was used to scrolling, e-books on my phone have helped me remove those barriers. And I’m even back to being able to enjoy physical books again (albeit taking more time and focus for me to read) so I definitely would never discount e-books as a medium!!
THIS
I agree the E-reader is an amazing tool for convenience purposes like having hundreds of books in a small device, and actually a study has been done that while reading on the kindle users usually finish their books faster than paper. For those reasons, and more kindle is my go to for reading. Yet sometimes like you said it's nice to feel a physical book and nothing beats the smell of a fresh new book.
Great! I absolutely agree with you. Just don't try Audio books because I get distracted easily too, You CANNOT focus at all!!
I love paperbacks very much but I’ve gotten to the point where I have to admit to myself that I don’t have unlimited space. Also as someone who reads more than one book at a time, a kindle is less unwieldy than a stack of books. I like to think that my note taking and commonplacing in my journals supplies the romance and aesthetics missing from the ebooks.
But you dont need space. You can read tohusands of phisica books from the public library. All the classics are there. No need money neither space. Only one you finish to read all the library, you can think about kindle or to buy a proper book.
I LOVE both. My kindle got me back into reading after being in a slump for years bc I could lay in bed in the dark and fall asleep reading. I read most of my big, long series there because a physical book can be really daunting and keep me from reading. If I really love the book and want to reread it I’ll buy a physical version to annotate and display on my shelf.
For me it's the wight and thicknes. It's just hard to turn the pages
You're definitely right that there's no need to strictly picking one medium of reading. I've recently gotten a Kindle and I'll admit that I prefer reading on it versus physical. I still love getting physical books like you said, because of the feel as well as the actual ownership associated with it. However with limited space at home and frequent traveling for work, I do enjoy the portability of the Kindle.
I use my Kindle as a means of organization in my reading. Like, I can have one physical book I'm reading, one audiobook, and one digital book. The variety of mediums helps me read more without getting sick of the activity itself. That's to say nothing of how nice it is to bring one Kindle with 100 books vs 3 very heavy books on vacations or trips.
I agree with most of what you said, but I think you really missed one BIG benefit of kindle books. I will highlight and take notes on the books and then export them into an organized document, which dramatically shortens my time and effort to create concise notes on a book. (I don’t have the time to organize hand written notecards). Another productivity hack I’ve recently discovered is that, for books I primarily listen to on audible, if I also have the kindle book, the two sync so while I am cleaning my kitchen, I have my iPad propped up on my counter, I’m listening to the book inside the kindle app (not audible), the text is highlighted while I listen, and if I hear something I want to remember, I quickly highlight it and move onto cleaning. That way, for meatier books that o want good notes on but I’m primarily listening, I still get that neatly organized document for a book, even while cleaning my kitchen 🤩
😂
I am unable to remember anything I read on an electronic device. But I have nearly total recall with physical books. I can usually tell you what page I acquired the info, too.
As for audiobooks…that’s not reading. I will fight anyone who says otherwise.
haha, agreed. count me in to fight those who say otherwise.
i also prefer physical books because it gives me sense of pleasure and i love the smell of the pages and i just can feel what i am reading
I’ve found the accessibility and portability of my kindle has made me so much of a reader and I find myself reaching for my kindle rather than my phone a lot of the time, something that would never happen with a physical book.
I too use both. I use my Remarkable for reading journal articles, physical books for course readings and books I want to read deeply, and my Kobo is for bedtime/pleasure reading that I won't be taking any notes on. They all serve a function and like you said, nothing wrong with using both.
Hi Jared. I only discovered your channel yesterday. I've watched 7 videos thus far. Very impressed matey. Good stuff.
I certainly agree with you that digital and physical books can coexist and one doesn't need to choose between them. I haven't read any other comments, but one thing I really like about digital books is the word search function. Sometimes you want to re read a particular section of a book, and thumbing through hundreds of pages of a physical book is inefficient. I also don't like marking my books, so underlining is a no go for me. And Post It notes are kind of ugly, plus they tear etc.
If you feel up to it, I'd like to hear you talk about Being And Time.
Keep up the great work.
I have both physical and Kindle eBooks. There is certainly something about the feel, touch, look and even smell of books. The big plus with Kindle is that books you no longer require or will ever read again don't clog bookshelves. You can either delete of the device and have access in the unlikely event of ever finding an interest in that particular book or delete it with a few inputs.
As much as I love physical books, e-books have two extra bonus: they don’t take up any space in the house and when reading books not in our native language it’s a lot easier to use the dictionary and even Wikipedia. But I totally agree, we can love both!
You dont need space for phisica books. Read the books from the library. Cheaper than kindle.
@@Ssaidak That is assuming every book they want to read is in their local library. Not every library can house all books.
Besides, it's their choice to read on Kindle or on a physical one, not yours.
@@iwaslikenope1070 it is very difficult to find a book that is not in the public library in your town or city. You can order any book of the catalogue to bring to your library. If you dont want to take space you have this option. A lot of people cant afford to buy a kindle, but every body can go to the library. And obviosly it is not my choice what people do. I didnt talk about any choice, only about the options and opportunities. To buy (a book, a kindle) is not an option for many people
@@Ssaidak "You can order any book of the catalogue to bring to your library" No, the librarian decides what books to buy to the library. You can't just demand that they buy a book that you want. Plus, the library still has a physical limitation on how many books they can store, which is not any different than your house having a limited space.
This past year I have usually had two book going at once. A physical book that is usually nonfiction or something that I can’t find on my library’s ebook app. Along with an ebook which I like to to read in bed at night. Reading a book while laying in bed, for me, is so much more pleasant with an ebook than a physical one.
Also all the ebooks I read are from my library and I use them to sort of buffer how much money I’m spending on physical books.
Both are great! And I switch between the two all the time.
Another good video. I have a somewhat similar attitude. I prefer physical books for literature or subjects that I really want to study. As you pointed out, listening to a book is good when I am kind of multitasking, e.g. cleaning the house or going for a walk. Typically I listen to books that I have either read before or books that are light reading, science fiction, or genre writing. Like you, I spend my day looking at screens, so I don't find looking at a screen to read a book enjoyable.
I love physical books.. I couldn't imagine making reading another activity involving a screen. Also, I think eBooks strip away all the joy of reading/book collecting, that goes beyond the pure content of the book. The feel, the look, the smell, having a library as the center piece of your home... Priceless
I've been a huge Audible fan since 1999, when I had to use their (terrible) Windows-only app to side-load an MP3 to my (extremely primitive) Rio MP3 player. I listen to almost all of my fiction on Audible, sometimes switching between the audio and Kindle/printed version. (I have a long list of reasons I usually prefer the audio version of fiction that I won't enumerate.) I listen when my cognitive overhead is relatively low: walking to or from the train, cooking, and doing low-effort digital chores. I don't feel the experience suffers from multitasking, though I have a few tricks to help myself recover quickly if my attention shifts away while listening. And as a bonus, the act of listening keeps me away from my screen. When it comes to poetry, plays, and all non-fiction, I strongly prefer a printed book or the Kindle version. I've also had a Kindle for about a decade, and I like it a lot. I especially like how easy it is to grab highlights via a service like Readwise (or even Kindle's export function). But lately, I've realized that the absence of dimensionality makes me a bit anxious. It's hard to tell how much is left in a chapter or section, so I feel disoriented. I can tell the Kindle to tell me, but it somehow feels just *weird.* I don't plan to give it up, but I feel a growing tug toward printed books. For non-fiction, especially science non-fiction, I have to read printed books, mainly because they often have visuals that don't work well on Kindle and aren't available in the audio version (except maybe as a PDF appendix).
I enjoy both, and especially enjoy Kindle for casual/pop fiction. Another potential benefit of physical: There are studies showing people retain / understand better from a physical page than even a Kindle, let alone a phone or laptop.
I totally respect both ends of the opinions. My friends who love reading prefer physical books. For the recurring reason that they want to see the books on their shelves as achievements. While I prefer digital copies because I want to store my books for ages. And create E-Libraries. But either way, the virtue of reading does not change because of the means. Keep reading, folks!
I only read physical books. I like to see how much is left and I like turning the pages. It feels like I’m making progress.
I have tried purchasing some e-books to my Kindle app on my iPad, but reading e-books didn’t feel as encouranging as reading physical books. The feeling of holding a physical book makes me want to keep reading. There’s also this urge of switching to other apps while I’m reading on my iPad Kindle app, like social media, RUclips, Netflix, etc.
On the other hand, as a Neurosurgeon who have medical textbooks with thousands of pages, I prefer the e-book version on my iPad, because I don’t have to bring these inconveniently large and thick books around (even the so-called “pocket book” version is stil very thick and obviously doesn’t fit in any pocket), and I can quickly search the topic I need by typing the keywords, do a quick read on the topic, add some annotations, write on my Note apps, and I’m done. Now that is convenient.
So yes, I use both method, but for different purpose.
I like physical books, especially nice cloth bound editions with sewn bindings. But I like e-readers too. I’ll even go one step further and say I even enjoy reading on my iPad 😱 Due to limited space, the only books I tend to keep in physical form are nice hardbacks of classic horror, poetry books (line formatting and alignment can get wonky on epubs), and niche small press books/magazines that don’t come in physical form. Everything else gets read on epub, audiobook, or borrowed from the library.
What you said about audiobooks is pretty much why I don’t use them. If I’m listening to it while I’m doing something else, I’m not fully absorbing it. And if I’m just going to sit and listen, I may as well just read it because A) I can read it much faster and B) I’ll comprehend it much better too.
Not a huge reader. Trying to start. 36 for reference if that means anything. My mom was a library media specialist for years and is a wealth of knowledge and loves real books. But she has/had so many. It will be a nightmare to move one day.
When I was 7 I got an encyclopedia set for Christmas and it weighed a million pounds and it's hard to store books like that.
So digital works for me. I can kindle on my phone and listen to music when I'm slow at work without reddit or RUclips all the time. Very nice. It is just easier and more realistic for me in my starting journey. I get the battle of the phone ppl have but it's just so easy for a busy dad when you can have a movie player, book reader, and dap in your pocket. My phone helped me get sober in 2019 sooo much.
I've been reading ebooks for the last 15 years or so and almost completely stopped reading paper editions. Last week I took a paper book in my hands and was shocked by how small the font is. I just can't read the letters that small, the lines that tightly packed.
And, of course, I would miss many things so natural for ebooks: a built-in dictionary, text search, ability to save a fragment and then export it to a file. I can control all text parameters, including letter size. I can set bookmarks. I don't have to jump between the text and the notes section at the end of the book. And don't even get me started on dead trees :)
Yeah, same. The scalable font is the reason I purchased my dad one. Before Kindle he had to stop reading books.
Agree about text size. I picked up a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo in paperback, which I've been wanting to read for a long time, got it home and, blimey, I couldn't read a word. The text size was tiny. I had to download a free copy of The Count in order to read it on my Kindle, while the paperback sits untouched on my nightstand.
@@charlesbarrowbooks plus you have to pay for physical books. I generally download high-quality ebooks for free on the internet.
@@mohandeshpande3201 you mean you pirate high-quality ebooks for free. You say that as if though that's a commendable achievement.
I do think that eReaders are more convenient, and as a high school student it might be easier for me to use that, but I just feel very attached to the idea of physial books and going shopping for them, building up my own little library, and lending them to friends. I feel like if I had both I would end up reaching for the kindle first and replace my physical books, which I don't want to do
Some great books are hard to find in local stores... I like ebooks for that reason... Availability is my top reason... I do like physical books but can't find all books physically...
I work in tech as well and the screen strain on my eyes is real. Even though the screens have improved over the years, the textures and lighting on natural paper are so much healthier(?) to the eyes.
but reading the natural papers,dont you feel sorry for trees?(
I prefer physical books over the kindle or anything really. I like how personal it feels. from the moment you pick it out, to taking it home, and writing in the books.
I used to be in the physical-books-only faction. But I couldn't keep with the amount of comics I read, so I switched to digital comics few years back. Now, I still prefer physical books for difficult ones (philosophy books and extra thick philosophical fictions). But I can read fictions and light non-fictions in kindle now. Kindle app helps me to even read books on my phone while waiting for trains/buses, which is nice. Audiobook is still a no though, definitely not a multitasker
Kindle made me fall in love with reading again. I used to read so much in high school, other students would make fun of me. After school I stoped. Then I bought a used Kindle for fun and books just flew by. I love physical copies, but it's easier to read on a device
Man! U make quality stuff!
I really grew fond of reading on the iPad and then swipe in my notes app in small format to write down a thought.
I could never read kindle books exclusively because I need to see my boos to be reminded of reading them :D
I’m thinking about getting a Kindle for the obvious benefits he has but I’m still very much to the old way, putting my book in my library after reading it is still so satisfying to me. I’m currently looking for an option where I know which kind of books are meant to be on kindle and the other ones in paper.
Can you explain to me the different things that Amazon is currently doing with buying physical books, audio books vs. Kindle books? They are making changes that are confusing to the normal person. Please help me!
I love physical books but because of mobility and heath issues I had to downsize my house to a small home with much less room for physical books. I'm adjusting to a mostly ebook life. I do utilize my library here for both ebooks and physical books. I have a micro SD card with 1TB of extra storage so I won't run out of space anytime soon. Here in Florida I have access to just about every library book in the state through the interlibrary loan system.
the only additional point I would've added to this excellent video is Vision Issues "down the road in life". I read on a computer OR a kindle fire. Both of which I can enlarge the font And adjust background color so I can see. I can manage about 20 mins of paper books before everything is blurry but on a screen - at the same price point as opposed to "large type editions" - I can read for hours. My vision challenges began about 10 years ago, to say the option of e-reading saved my sanity and kept health issues in perspective [pun intended] is a pathetic understatement. Would I still prefer tangible books, yes! That said, sometimes, life decides which is best and you just go with it.
This is the main reason I prefer digital over physical. I like to bump up the font size.
I tend to buy Kindle books and read parts of them. When I buy a paper book it is more of an 'experience' I'd say,more 'considered' and I usually read the whole thing.
I also don't know what to do with a large collection of paper books,so kindle us good storage wise.
A mixture may be the answer I guess?
After spending more time developing a physical library and reading more books this year, I prefer an e-reader in a couple of scenarios. Travel, especially international travel, is where an e-reader shines just on space/weight savings. I also prefer an e-reader where I'm looking to borrow fiction from the library that I only intend to read once, so I'm not buying lots of books that occupy my limited shelf space. As I get older I appreciate larger text that an e-reader can provide, especially if a book is typically in the mass media paperback format. I also appreciate not holding up a doorstopper-sized physical book while reading, though I am not 100% convinced it is a strict advantage over physical books.
I appreciate physical books more if I will reference them continuously, or if I intend to re-read them. And admittedly, I appreciate the shelf or two of Penguin Classics series books I'm building up - they do look nice!
I'm currently living out of the U.S so it's pretty difficult finding books printed in English consistently so my new (and first) kindle has been key in allowing me to continue reading at the rate that I do! Side note, I sideload books into my kindle all the time so I'm not sure what restrictions you are having with yours. What does the Amazon ecosystem prevent you from doing that the other e-reader doesn't?
Love looking at physical books but i like reading on kindle enough that i mostly read that way. Easier to carry, store, and can get library books on it with a touch of a button
The other benefit of your Omni is that when you buy an ebook through an author's website rather then a service like Amazon, the author doesn't have to give a cut of the profits to the service. So you pay the same amount for the book but more of the profit goes to support the person who actually wrote the book. The reason I've never bought a Kindle is that it literally prevents me from storing books I've bought through author's websites, but I can store ebooks I bought through Amazon on other ereader apps.
Agree - one is not better than the other, and you can do both. Love a physical book in terms of feel, touch and smell - and it never needs a recharge! That said, it's harder to have a paperback sit flat to read on the table while you are eating your breakfast. Also, as you get older and your eye sight deteriorates, you can easily make the font larger on a kindle! The ease with with which you can find, buy and download a book - especially those that are hard to source in the physical sense - are also a marvel. From a purely egotistical point of view, there is also a large degree of satisfaction of sitting back and staring at your large book collection on multiple shelves - something which a kindle / digital reader can never deliver. The Kindle boasts convenience whereas the good old book has presence in spades.
I wondered about this for a long time, and honestly you’re right, but it somehow feels like you have to choose one, until the point where you buy a kindle, before that you feel like, if you’re going to invest that much into a dedicated e reader, you better use it, honestly I mostly still buy physical books, if the ebook is a considerable amount cheaper I buy it, and I bought a refurbished 2022 kindle basic, which was almost half the cost of a new one, So it was a lot easier entry for me, I tend to have a lot of books into my kindle library and also a lot of physical books, that I have in advance before reading them, so that I always have a ton of options, beforehand, when I travel I tend to carry only one physical book and my kindle, which helps a lot, earlier I was never comfortable with kindle app on my phone and laptop, now After being comfortable with kindle e Reader and after reading a lot of ebooks, I have even started using kindle a lot on my phone and laptop as well when I am at work or waiting in line, or something if I don’t have my kjndle, I just open the kindle app on my iphone, so all in all it wasn’t a bad investment.
Jared,
Do you find that you do or don’t have the same information retention with Audible verses a real book? I sometimes find myself re-listening to sections if I’m not dedicating my full attention.
I feel like there are some questions other people cannot answer for you. You can look to people around you and before you for inspiration. But ultimately the "Best" is the one that works for you. And the only way to know what works for you is to work with it.
Unless you are asking about something that you can measure in a scale and compare, the answer will most likely always be that "it depends" and it depends on you.
Hi Jared, I'm curious what you think about the Note Air 2, I have used it exclusively (I like real boox, but find them bothersome to hold). I love the extra text you can view on a 10.3 inch device, but I remember my 6 inch e-reader being easier to read with in bed (side position) and being more mobile (as in it fit in my jacket pocket instead of an extra bag). Considering leaving the Air for PDF or work related text and getting a Leaf 2 at some point, especially if the reading progress sync function is decent.
I've had it for about a year and a half so far (had a Boox Nova 2 7.8 inch before that, and mostly Kobo readers before that, as new Kindle's are harder to get in Europe), I think I've read about 60-70 books on it so far, and I like it, however it is also sometimes hard to hold while reading, so I prefer to have it on a stand, or to read in bed.
For me audiobooks only work on non fiction. Fiction works better if you read because you can develop the characters voice and their own pacing in your head, whereas listening makes you bias towards the narrator voice.
I bought a Kindle in 2012 and three years later it was in a drawer and I never used it again. Sure, it's convenient, but the experience of reading was diminished by not having the tactile sense of a physical book in my hands. The binding, the pages, the way holding a physical book seems to center your vision onto the page and makes it harder to get distracted. Book marks. Pencil notes in the margins. I've begun eliminating digital content and digital devices from my life as much as is practical and possible.
Another great video, Jared! I’d rather read physical books.
Cheers from Brazil!
I feel the same. I use my kindle usually during evening reading in bed when I don’t want to get away from my partner to read or didnt have time during the day, so I can read in bed with the lights switched off (I know this isn’t the best). But I prefer physical books because of the note taking the the aesthetics
Great video. I was literally just thinking of this for a video. I also read on both the kindle and paper books. I think theres a time and place for moth options!
I read a lot of novels for pleasure, and most of my reading time for fiction is at night before sleep. I just find a Kindle super convenient for doing that, plus I can check books out of the library to read on my Kindle from the comfort of my home. With my aging eyes, I also love the re-sizable type. The older I get the more I notice how tiny print can be in printed books.
For nonfiction reading where I might want to take written notes or use sticky notes, I tend to prefer a paper book, and especially for needle crafts, I prefer a big print book full of photos and diagrams and patterns, which just can't be replicated that well on a small-format Kindle, though I would think a larger tablet might work fine. For collectible books, hardcover all the way.
I don't think anyone should limit themselves to one kind of reading experience. In fact I know of people who have both a Kindle and a B&N Nook. Books, including ebooks, come in all forms, and each has its pros and cons.
Physical books for notes, e reader (not a kindle) for big books that don’t really need notes.They are somehow less intimidating that way. It’s also great on vacation, no heavy luggage, you can read in the sun without hurting your eyes and you don’t need a nightlight. Anddd audiobooks for commuting
I may be the only "bookish" person I know that has yet to ever use an E-reader. I am not against it at all, but have yet to hop on board. The Note2 looks very cool, but I am not sure what it will take to push me over the edge. Great video!
Personally, I’d buy this over a Kindle if I were in the market. But I don’t know if I’d replace my e-readers if they broke currently - I just love physical books so much.
E-books tend to be cheaper than physical books and are godsent if you are in a country that lacks a thriving resale market or sales volume to justify importing physical copies of more obscure texts such as philosophical writings. Censorship restrictions on certain political texts for example can be circumvented by freely accessible e-books that can be archived .
The problem for me is that physical books take lots of space, and once you read them, you need to sell them to buy new ones. With Kindle books, you just store them there, BUT kindle is limited with the books they have. I also use scribd to have more options.
Hey Jared, I love your video and I just recently subscribed. I love physical books for various reasons. I'm moving to another country soon and I have to give away a good portion of my books because of the cost of shipping. I was thinking of buying eReader and then just buy the ebook version of the books I give away. However I'm having a tough time with the idea of reading from a screen lol I'm trying to limit my screen time as much as possible. 😅
I'm old enough that I remember the big deal about paperbacks and hardbacks and now we add the ebooks into the mix! I find it very much depends on what I'm reading and when! If it is a reference book I usually prefer a hardback physical book. Although, I'm beginning to want both the physical and the Kindle for different purposes. I love the search function on the Kindle and the dictionary so I don't have to have 2 books when I'm reading a physical book. Yet I still like annotating a physical book better than a kindle. Although I also love my Kindle, I often just leave home with my phone with the Kindle app so I always have one or more books available at all times and I don't have to keep track of a book or two and a phone. Lately, I've been using my Kindle more often, but next week it may be my physical copy. The one thing I haven't heard about the Kindle that is a big deal for me, I can read in the dark! I love having options!
I've never used a kindle. I still think that I would prefer physical books. Being surrounded by shelves of books is a good feeling.
U can upload PDFs on kindles by sending them to ur kindle email
As someone who HATES marking physical books, I like ebooks of textbooks and books that I'll return to again and again. For physical books, I like fiction and books that have a fair number of graphics
Physical Books are the greatest in my opinion. I love going to a bookstore and buy a book and i really enjoy reading my books physically rather than just with a screen. I hate audiobooks! I get distracted easily, It's pretty annoying to me. Physical Books give me a calm and gentle vibe, It gives me peace! It's amazing. I'll save maybe for a kindle one day tho! It seems cute to see all these youtubers decorating their kindles with stickers, and maybe it also could be worth it. But I've seen some bad reviews of it too. I also really love reading stories on my device, It makes me happy when im bored or just don't have a physical book. I look forward to reading in digital if i want to read a different story. Overall, im staying with Physical Books all the way!! 📚❤️
I'm going back to reading physical books because I'm constantly looking at a screen, and the fact that people are putting subtitles in all of their videos is absolutely destroying my eyes. I have constant eye strain now and need a break from screens. I'm even struggling with sleeping because of all the excessive screen use I do. So physical books is the way to go for me. I just rent books from the library so I don't have to deal with storing them in my house.
I do both. Often for work I prefer digital, since I can read from iPhone, Mac, iPad...and I can bring with me every book I need without "weight". Instead if I read fiction I prefer physical book.
i want to love my kindle, or iPad reader, but i just don't find it as easy or smooth as paper
I use an audio book while reading the book in my hand following along with the reader
E-readers have gotten harder on my eyes as I get older. I use them sometimes, though. I wish that wasn’t the case, because I am a reformed book hoarder, and so now, I don’t like having tons of books cluttering up my space. I read a book, and, unless I really, really think I’ll read it again, I’ll give it away. Audiobooks are great for road trips, doing the dishes, sewing-so, multi-tasking, but truly mindless multitasking.
I was almost feeling guilty about my Kindle 😅
Tks!
What’s the point on taking note from book?
Kindle for most fiction. Love that I can read in bed with the light off and not keep my partner awake. Kindle is amazing for travelling. Physical books for non-fiction. Always. Audible while out for a walk or while driving. Nothing makes the miles fly by like a good audio book. My 2 cents.
So true about reading with the light off. Definatley a big plus! And the travelling thing.
I like physical books, but I just don't feel like I can justify buying loads of classics when I can get them for free from Project Gutenberg. I'd rather just buy physical books of the classics I've read and loved.
But I'm still struggling with developing a notetaking method for ebooks, especially since I do like annotating classics. I'd really love any tips on how to close read and take notes with an ebook.
You can get any book from the libraries. One thing is reading, you only need the public library, and a different think is colect books. When people talk about space and money I l know that they are not talking about reading, only about collecting. It is ok but they are really different things.
@Catriona Unfortunately, my library has been closed for a few years now, or I would definitely use it a lot🥲. Even so, I hate the idea of having to erase my annotations when I return the book. We read the picture of Dorian Gray in high school and used the school's books. It felt like I was erasing a piece of myself when I erased all my pencil annotations to return the book at the end of the year. 😓
Kindle books generally cost less and don't take up space; but with physical books, I don't have to worry about unwanted surprises with the software. Just recently, I tried to download a book I bought years ago, but it wasn't showing in my library. It was asking me to repurchase the book because the author had since added content that I never asked for. I had to call Amazon just to tell them that I don't want the added content; I just want the version of the book that was already paid for. These kind of incidences happen frequently and ruin my day. It's just not worth the frustration.
I like the idea of getting away from a screen. But Kindle doesn't feel like a screen. It's e-ink: it feels like a book that allows me to pick the font size the is easy on the eyes and always being light on the hands regardless of the book.
There is no better option. That is personal. But I would like to remark that usually the people that says that kindle is better, give the reasons: you have unlimited space and is cheaper. I read physical books and is cheaper than read and ebook and you dont need a lot of space in your house. Nobody read books from the libraries? I watch different people in RUclips talking about books and reading and they never mention the public libraries. Reading is free and accesible for every one. And about kindle I see the advantege to read books in different languages when you dont find that in your library. And I use audiobooks yo listening books in different languages as the same time I read the book, and it is very useful to learn languages.
Books are not something that you just read words in. They're also a tool to adjust your senses. When I'm not feeling well there are times that I can't take in what I read. When that happens, I try to think about what could be hindering my reading. There are books that I can take in smoothly even when I'm not feeling well. I try to think why. It might be something like mental tuning. What's important when you tune is the feeling of the paper that you're touching with your fingers and the momentary stimulation your brain receives when you turn pages...
-Makishima Shougo
I like both for different reasons, but I am still a sucker for physical books. After some years on kindle I recently
started buying physical books again and it's a joy. I wish all countries had the same standards as the ones in US and UK when it comes to quality of editions, here in France it's the horror - it's not just that you often only find 'poche', but they also manage to make the ugliest covers. Ha! and I dislike kindle and being bound to amazon, I wish I had bought a kobo instead!
I read mostly ebooks. If I like a book I will buy a physical copy so I can reread and add to my shelf. Also, if there's a special edition I will buy a physical copy of it.
Another thing is that physical books are just easier on the eyes. As someone prone to migraines reading any book for too long will give me a headache, but I can read physical for much longer. Whether this has something to do with physical pages having a more yellow tint or the blue light of a screen I have no clue.
This is a good point. I don’t find a Kindle or the Boox to be straining on the eye, but I definitely couldn’t read from an iPad due to my migraines.
Yup, reading on the iPad/smartphone kindle app is not the same as reading on a kindle.
i prefer physical book although it is heavy but a book is meant to be physical item. Ereaders are convenient to bring out with thousand of books condensed inside the device. I do not have any kindle nor kobo. but perhaps 1 day i might. Because for me, after reading a book sometimes i sell them for 2nd hand, whereas e books you can’t resell😅 haha but perhaps one day I might just buy one
Pick a method that makes you absorb the content the best. But all this I love holding this and the smell and the aging of that is a bunch of pretentious nonsense or holding on to the past. It should be *all* about the content that you're going to digest in your brain.
I would love to read physical books, but I prefer to read them in their original language. But the shipping would cost three to four times of the book so it's not worth it.
I can't for the life of me understand how someone can enjoy reading digital text, looking at yet another screen in their screen-consumed lives. I make every effort to get real (paper) books, even if that is hard in my part of Europe.
E-books/readers are 'physical books.' You still physically interact with them as you would with paper books. The difference is one has words printed on paper while the other has words displayed on a tangible screen. Although, it takes more physical work to read a printed book since it's heavier, requires more effort to turn a page, and requires a stronger light source at night.
For me, e-readers annihilates paper books. The e-ink is much easier on the eyes with adjustable font and dim back/front lighting makes it easier to read in bed without disrupting sleep. Also, I don't have the room to display thousands of books. I never needed to touch and sniff paper to enhance my reading experience nor desire an ego stroke to show off my library. The paper waste and mass deforestation is not worth the tradeoff for a minor burst of dopamine when touching paper.
But these are just first world problems. If printed books are recycled and passed over to poorer people without continuously reprinting more books than will ever be sold, then they could still maintain their worth. I don't expect to see a real decline in paper books in my lifetime despite the increase of climate change. The world is not ready to accept the superiority of an e-reader.
I think the main advantages of an e-reader is that you can read using just one hand and it has a built-in light that makes it easier to read at night.
I love having physical books. But the pros of my kindle outweigh everything else. I’m not pressed for space, I can immediately get a new book, or better yet, a sample, without having to go out anywhere or order and wait. And the main plus, I can read in bed without needing a light that keeps my fiancé awake.
But the only real answer to the question: it doesn’t matter. Just read. Read whatever and however you want. Sci-Fi, non-fiction, YA, crime thrillers. Reading is reading and not a competition. Enjoy it.
I usually buy both kindle and physical so I take my books on the go plus I live in a small space I don’t room for a million books
I don't think it matters if you are reading off a screen in a book or in the back of milk cartons just read
I’m the same in that I appreciate both e readers and physical books, but something that irks me about the technological nature of kindles is their lifespan! Technology isn’t built to last it seems😔
you can put pdf in kindle... i have never bought a single book
I don't think I will ever get an ebook, much less a Kindle.
1. You don't own anything. You can't gift or sell a book unless the publisher allows it. Your children will never be able to inherit your books unless the publisher allows it.
2. You don't own anything. The publisher can simple delete your books if the choose to do so. (That's not paranoia, that already happened.) Books critical of powerful interests can be changed after publication.
3. You are making yourself very dependent on your publisher. If you don't like him or he doesn't like you anymore it could be an expensive divorce.
4. I like books.
I ❤ books. But I think about trees and feel I should go for Kindle
I prefer physical books
I've got a kindle but never bought a book from amazon.
I don't like that Amazon knows my book-buying habits, and I'd hate to give them more data about my actual reading. It's creepy that they know readers' "most highlighted passages" and whatnot.
You can get another brand such as Kobo and it doesn’t need to be connected to a shop
You are not locked into the Amazon eco system with Kindle if you don't register or if you pay to have the ads removed. I didn't register and didn't get the dictionary but downloaded 1903 Webster's. Using Calibre you can change epub to mobi easily or vice versa. I have 2 Kobos besides and the Amazon Fire with wifi switched off. I rarely use wifi on the ereaders. Amazon Fire is very good for books with links and footnotes. Poor battery life. Larger tablets are great for PDFs. Samsung has a decent battery life.
And books, books, books.