Do you prefer books or a kindle?

[Rayn]

I just love books. I have a kindle which is great for holidays and I tend to get 99p offers on it.

I love seeing a bookcase full of books and I like the smell, feel and anticipation when I get a new 'proper' book.

Trying to be more minimalistic and not buy things but I can't help it with books. A day out in Waterstones with a coffee will be my ultimate pleasure when I can go. I know it is open but I want ' the whole experience'. 😬

Just wondering if any book lovers prefer reading on the kindle? It annoys me that I can't flick back to a page!

Even my kids prefer books and won't read on the kindle so I am not sure if it necessarily a generation thing!

Kindle for me. I do love books and appreciate the tactile nature of them but like a pp I'm minimalist by nature and don't re-read books so I wouldn't keep them, I used to donate them to charity after reading. My kindle is lightweight to hold and easier to read at night without having to put a light on and disturbing sleeping DH. I like that the Kindle can hold lots of books for traveling and also for lining up titles to read when they come on 99p sale.

I do think browsing paperback books in a shop or library is much nicer though and my children read "proper" books.

A kindle, books are to heavy and hurt my hand. Also I can read in bed without disturbing dh.

I read on my iPad. A subscription to Scribd is £10 per month and I get unlimited books (and sheet music).

Books definitely! theres something about physically turning pages and the feel of the paper.

@bertiebotts I have kindle unlimited which lets you borrow up to ten books at a time. It does cost 7.99 a month but you don't have that worry if a book is rubbish-just borrow another one

Neither, I love audio books, especially on Audible! I love being able to listen while doing housework or crochet.

And I love the beautiful pink leather cover on mine!
Yes, I read my in bed if husband is asleep and I’m awake still

@BertieBotts

I used to prefer books but now that I have small children I prefer the kindle. I can read it one handed and I don't need a light. So it's great while breastfeeding etc.

It doesn't feel like a screen - I have the Paperwhite version. I wouldn't get the tablet version as I don't want it to be like a screen.

I flick back pages by setting a bookmark on the page I'm currently on and then I can come back to it.

The thing that I miss is second hand books - I find them very expensive on the kindle so it feels like a gamble to buy anything in case it turns out to be crap. And I don't like not being able to pass useful books on when I've finished with them! I miss that.

I like that I can search and highlight in the book.

You can use the library for ebooks, though, if you have a tablet, whereas you can't with Paperwhite as Amazon wants you to just buy their books. I use the night colours and it's fine.

I love my Kindle. I never thought I'd get over my love of paper books, but as I've got older and my eyesight is worse I love the fact that I can increase the font size on the kindle depending whether I've contact lenses in or not, and increase the brightness when my eyes are tired. I can also read while my husband is sleeping without having to have a separate light. You do have to have the right Kindle, I think some don't have the light adjustment. Also, when going on holiday for a fortnight we used to take about a dozen books between us, as we read a lot, and now we can just take a kindle each and download additional books when we need another one. I would love to have some paper books, but the ones I have I put off reading as I find it so much harder to read them than on the e-reader.

It depends on what and when I'm reading - my kindle is great for reading fiction and for holidays and travelling, and for reading in bed - but I tend to absorb more information when I read a paper book, so anything like non-fiction/history/work related I prefer a real book.
Cook books and travel guidebooks also don't work on kindle for me.
I love browsing new and second hand bookshops and having full bookshelves, so I would say that both kindle and real books have their place.

Abit of a mix then. Agree about the physicality of a book as nothing better than a new book sat by the bed.

The only thing I like about the kindle is been able to sample the books. I have just sampled one and I have now ordered the physical book as it's one I would like to keep. Even if I never read it again. I forget what I have read and which authors I like.
I do use good reads but still like to see the physical book!

All different I suppose. Just asked my 13 year old what he prefers and he said kindle although I have never seen him read it!!

Team kindle here. Never thought I would be, as thought I would miss the feel of a book, but I love being able to read one handed while the other hand stays nice and warm under the covers. Also love not needing to use a lamp.

On the odd occasion I read an actual book I do sometimes find myself pressing on a word to find out the meaning. Then I realise I'm pressing on a piece of paper and have a quick look round to make sure nobody noticed!

Both! Kindle is great for travel and reading in bed. I have a Paperwhite.

I've been a massive bookworm all my life and would always have said books. Over the last few years though I've fallen for my kindle, it's so light and easy to carry around and I love that I have my while entire bookcase with me whenever I want.

@Chasingsquirrels

Kindle. I didn't think I'd like it, loved books etc. NEVER read paper books now.

Same. I love being able to read in bed with the light off, love being able to buy a book and start reading it in the middle of the night. Love being able to take a whole library with me on holiday. I haven’t bought an actual book for donkey’s years and can’t see that I ever will. Still got shelves full of them though that I can’t bear to part with and there are some books that you need in paper form for reference eg Complete Works, US Constitution, bible, poetry, atlases all that sort of stuff.

Love my kindle, especially for sunbathing and commuting as I can turn the page and hold it one handed (good if standing on a wobbly train!). Also can read in the dark and with much less disturbance than with an iPad which is a useful way to pass the long, long nights with a newborn.

Kindle. I don't have enough storage space for hard copy books. Kindle is also so much better when travelling.

I prefer books and did buy them often when the shops were open but most of what I read is on my kindle, it's just so much more convenient.

Books and libraries. .I don't often buy books, except in charity shops

I love my Kindle. I love that I can have thousands of books on it, and thus always have something to read if the one I'm on doesn't take my fancy. And I can hold it without it killing my wrists (I'm only 38) so can read even the longest books without trouble. I'm very thankful for this as my usual fare runs to 800 pages.

I miss the feel of a real book, so do read them when I can, but the Kindle is a marvellous piece of tech.

Yes I agree with those of you have said non fiction paper books are best. I love cookery books and atlases! Wouldn’t consider using the kindle for that kind of non fiction.

Ah thanks, I don't really fancy Kindle Unlimited though. I don't want to pay a monthly subscription, I just want to be able to choose something in a charity shop or library! Plus a lot of the books that are included in it seem to be poor quality from what I have seen.

I suppose you can't do the browsing at the moment anyway.

Sometimes I do browse in RL bookshops (before COVID) and make myself a kindle wishlist - I assemble all the samples in a folder and when I have money to buy a new book I look through them and pick one that sounds good.

I do a mix of both. Kindle is convenient, but I'm stingy and prefer to buy cheaper used paperbacks rather than risk the same price on a kindle book. I have a really old Kindle too that doesn't have a backlight so it's not all that comfortable to use but can be handy for certain books (mostly freebies!)

Books every time. I have a kindle gathering dust somewhere, I have found it useful when travelling (as I will, given the opportunity, read a book a day on holiday - so it frees up space & means I can travel on budget airlines more easily! Not for a while now though sadly!).

I also clearly need my glasses at all times as I read the title as ‘boobs or a kindle’ which seemed like an odd dilemma!!

Kindle users
Don't you miss browsing in a bookshop?

My friend browses in Waterstones or other bookshops and then buys on kindle. Best of both worlds I suppose.