Into the Fire

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So which is it for you?

      Library_pataskala_026

                                                            OR

                 Ebook

The feel of a print book, turning the physical pages, or the tap of an e-reader with your finger or a stylus? The bulk of a paperback or the convenient size of a Kindle? 

I prefer a print book, but unless it's a favorite author, I buy Kindle copies and only if they're reasonably priced. There are obvious reasons for both preferences. Space is important, especially if you don't have it, for the never ending supply of reading material. But if you do, ah the love of bookshelves filled with paperback and hardcover books . . . 

The e-reader was a genius invention and set the print copies back for a time, but I think now the print books have bounced back due to their charm and their own kind of convenience. It's so much easier (at least for me) to find a particular place you want to recall with a print book – just flip back those pages and reread what you were looking for. But if you have to wait anywhere or are traveling, you can't beat an e-reader. 

I'm all for both! What about you?

 

Lord, thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. Thank you for stories. Thank you for providing me with any inspiration I can capture. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

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7 responses to “So which is it for you?”

  1. Brenda S. Anderson Avatar
    Brenda S. Anderson

    I still prefer print books, but the ebook definitely serves a purpose. Love bringing the Kindle on vacation.

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  2. BK Jackson Avatar
    BK Jackson

    I would like both in any case but for me the decision was made physiologically. The older I get, the worse my eyes get. I can’t adjust the font on a printed page.
    I like knowing that when I take my android device with the Kindle app on it to work to read at lunch, that within it I can choose from probably 700 different books. My backpack doesn’t hold that many physical copies. 😎
    Having a Kindle also saves me HUGE amounts of time. I can utilize the public library’s digital library loan system, so I don’t have to work time in to my schedule to make as many physical trips to the library.
    But it’s a catch-22. I read almost entirely non-fiction and I do a LOT of highlighting whether in print books or e-book. As you mentioned, it’s easier to go back to a section in a paper copy.
    I actually just emailed Amazon with some Kindle highlighting feedback. There are 4 highlighting colors you can use on Kindle and I have specific uses for each one–I highlight in blue when I want to highlight author/book names within a text that I want to check out later. I use pink for “HEY! REMEMBER THAT!” alerts to myself, and the yellow and orange for highlighting portions of text in general for note-taking.
    What drives me nuts, however, is that after you highlight a portion of text in a specific color, you can’t use the same color again–you either have to choose another color or else highlight in a different color then change it to the color you want. And you also can’t de-select highlighting–at least I haven’t found a way. Cuz sometimes I change my mind and don’t want parts highlighted. Sigh. The rigors of technology. 😎
    And if Amazon REALLY wanted to make my day, they could add the option of purple highlighting. 😎

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  3. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar
    Nicole Petrino-Salter

    With you, Bren.
    Brenda, arrggghh! For all the research and highlighting you do, I bet you could really use print copies, but I know you’ve mentioned before your space is limited. Kindle is a wonderful device and I love mine, but, for me, trying to remember where stuff is and get back to it on an e-reader? Not easy. And what’s with not numbering the pages?!

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  4. BK Jackson Avatar
    BK Jackson

    I’m a little puzzled by the page numbering thing–sometimes I see it on Kindle books. Sometimes I don’t. I haven’t taken the time to investigate it but I am wondering if they are starting to do that with more recent Kindle books. But I could be totally off base. I’ve learned to acclimate to thinking in terms of % completion (and for a geek like me that’s not so bad) but yes, it would be nice to simply know what page you’re on.

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  5. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar
    Nicole Petrino-Salter

    The percentage thing is okay, but it goes on for a few pages and doesn’t help with trying to locate something specifically. I was “cataloguing” some errors for an author friend and just try describing where they are with only % location. And then toward the end of her specific novel, there was nothing at the bottom of the page. Zero, zip, nada. There weren’t a lot of errors, but she wanted to know them in order to correct them. I don’t even know if she could find them with my descriptions. I don’t get not numbering the pages. If they can put the %, why can’t they number the pages?

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  6. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    Yeah, I’m with you all on the pros and cons.
    Physical books are more attractive and preferable for reference books for the ability to “flip and find”.
    E-books are great for space at home and going on vacation. Along with that is savings in the weight. They are also great for those on foreign assignments. We had a weight limit when we went to Japan, and the movers couldn’t believe how many books we were bringing.
    Here are some other thoughts:
    I love the ability to enlarge the font on an e-book.
    I love the look of a physical Bible.
    – I have such fond memories of growing up and seeing my dad reading his Bible in the evenings. I didn’t get an e-reader until my sons were in college, so now when they come to visit, I feel like I should put my Bible on the table next to my chair so they feel like they’re coming home!
    – I teach children’s Sunday school, and I want them to be fully aware that what I’m teaching comes from the Bible.
    – During the sermon, if the pastor compares another scripture with the passage he’s on it’s quicker for me to find it with a physical Bible.
    Here’s what I like about reading the Bible on my e-reader:
    – again, the font enlargement
    – a high-quality Bible, especially a study Bible, feels so heavy now!
    – I’ve gotten great enjoyment out of my daily reading being from different sections of the Bible. I used to have bookmarks all over the place. Now I have 7 Bibles on my e-reader, so it’s easy to keep my place.

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  7. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar
    Nicole Petrino-Salter

    All excellent points, Deb. Right on.

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