Paperback or E-Reader? Join the great debate to win £100 of books or e-books

[RachelMumsnet]

Are paper books old news? These days there are more e-readers and literary apps than you can shake a USB stick at. We want to know if you've eschewed paper for digital, or if you reckon a well-thumbed paperback beats technology hands down. Join the discussion to let us know which medium you prefer and why, and you'll be entered into a draw to win £100 bundle of books OR £100 e-book bestsellers courtesy of Bloomsbury.

I mainly get e-books. For me the purpose of buying a book is to read the contents. It's cheaper and more efficient to do that on my e-reader. But, if I really love a book, I'll then get the paper copy for my shelf. It's quite an honor when a book makes it to my shelf.

I use my local library a lot for books but I also use my kindle for when I go away & find it invaluable. If I'm on holiday for a couple of weeks I can easily read 10+ books & that really adds to the weight of my suitcase.

When the BBC series was on I decided to re read Wolf Hall. I have a paperback copy & a copy on my kindle. I could not cope with reading it on the kindle, too difficult to skip back a paage or two.

I love a paper book, I really do, and have thousands of them. But I've had a Kindle since the day they were first released in the UK, and adore it. As an avid, fast, reader who travels for work, having hundreds of books available on it at the flick of a finger is wonderful. And more convenient to read one handed as well.

I'm firmly in the book camp - I have a kindle which has a keyboard on the bottom of it and for me the words per page is just too few so I seem to be forever turning pages and it gets on my wick!

Books - can skip back and forth - have several pages 'on the go' etc with more ease - and of course more reading per turn!

I'm not in the UK and English language books (actually books in general) are quite expensive here but I use a book swapping website which works well for a decent turnover of new material for me - and my local library has a good selection of English books too.

Also - when I first got my kindle, it was difficult to download books as my local amazon site didn't have kindle editions so I had to use the .com site - and my transactions were therefore in $ - just an added irritation for me. Now I can use my local site (.de) but not the UK site so prices etc are different and the offers IMO not as good.

Books - I order books from my local library or support charity shops - DH has a kindle and I asked him to download a book for me about 3 years ago - I have never read it on the kindle and found it in a charity shop last week so I will read that instead. . I am a complete technophobe and the thought of trying to download a book, where to connect the lead, what if the battery runs out, how to pay on line etc etc fills me with horror and I much prefer the real life contact of going to a library and talking to a librarian. .

I like a physical book - logically an e reader is just as good, but I like the heft of a book.I also spend a lot of time looking at a screen at work so I enjoy having the chance to look at a book.

I use both. I mainly read on Kindle (shared account with 2 Kindles with DH) as it allows me to read vast amounts very cheaply, and for us to share some books. I buy a lot of non-fiction as actual books because I am more likely to want to refer to them again. I also sometimes have paperbacks to read that I have borrowed, found in a bookshop or just wanted to be able to lend as well. I suppose a bit of a mixed economy. I love the fact that my 3G Kindle allowed me to read books that I had instantly downloaded by the pool in Turkey on holiday. I also like, as an English teacher, to not always display the books I am reading as there is some pressure to read "good" books and sometimes I just want to read a thriller or romance.

Paper, paper, paper! I've tried ebooks but it just doesn't feel right; I don't think I'll ever make the change away from books.

E-reader I don't have the space for the amount of books I read nor do I have a car to cart them to charity shops which are over run by book donations.

I do miss reading in the bath though and have been known to swipe my 12yo daughters books to read in the bath!

I was very anti kindle when they were first released, I adore books, the feel, the smell and spend a small fortune on them.

my mum bought me a kindle a couple of Christmases ago and I was very ungrateful, however I wouldn't be without it now, I love how I can take hundreds of books away on holiday with me without needing an extra suitcase, yes I really did take a small suitcase full of books, I also like the free downloads it means I've read books I probably never would have.

I love my kindle for quick, easy reads. For going on holiday it's brilliant. However, if I am to read something a bit more high brow, or non-fiction I want a 'real' book. You can't easily keep flicking back and forth with an e-book, so if you need to check facts etc, proper pages are much easier.
I also think of the many books I enjoyed as a child (definitely paper!!) that I have been able to pass onto my DCs and watch them enjoy - I don't think that will work as well in the future.

I love my kindle. It has a cover with a light. It is clear and bright to read. I can read at night without disturbing DH.

I have hundreds of books on it....I see books reviewed and think they sound interesting and then download them - to read at my leisure.

I read books quickly, and now I don't have plies of "one read" fiction books sitting around to be disbursed to others.

Other members of my family have kindles on my account - so we book share that way.

In fact sometimes people have passed a paperback to me and I have thought it looked ok - and downloaded it to read, just because I prefer the experience!

I've recently reverted back to paper books from my kindle. I love my kindle on holiday - how awesome that I can take all those books on holiday without paying for excess baggage - but theres nothing better than curling up on my couch on my balcony in the sun, reading an actual book.

I find I stay up later with actual book though. When I'm getting close to the end, I'll power through because I know I can finish it. With kindle books, I know the % at the bottom tells you where you are, but when you're in those last few mm of a proper book, you know the good bit is almost there and you just want to get to it.

Another vote for both. Books have a unique pleasure of their own and, for example, reading bedtime stories to DC, I would always opt for a real book. We have a house full of books and I wouldn't want the DC to grow up without them (they both prefer real books as well, inspite of having kindles of their own spoilt brats that they are)

OTOH, for reading when travelling for business or on holiday, my kindle wins hands down. I stopped using it for a while when I got an iPad, but have now gone back to it, as I find it much easier on my poor tired eyes than the iPad, and much easier to hold as well. The ability to buy another book at 3am when I can't sleep in some godforsaken country is also invaluable, and when we travel as a family 4 kindles are a lot more practical than the xxx kgs of books which we would need.

Both! I prefer a physical book, but since I often read while feeding the baby, a Kindle is handier for that. if I like an e-book I'll sometimes buy the book afterwards too.

I think both have their uses.

I was against the idea of getting a Kindle, simply because I do like the feel of having a book in my hand, plus I like having them up on the walls, but when DP came into some money he was adament he was getting one. Of course, I don't think he's ever used it whereas I do tend to take it on journeys to save myself having to take a pile of books with me. (I can't drive so will take a bus / train, and have to carry luggage.) Since he'll drive if he goes away by himself he has less of a need to save on space and weight. Plus he's not great with technology, and even though I have put books on it I know he'll like (and some he has requested) they've never been read.

I do find it weird reading the Kindle at home (which I only do if I have a half-finished book from a journey). There's something comforting about having the weight of a book in my hand. However, I do miss the search function. And like others have said, there are a few books I have read on the Kindle which I feel I have to go and buy them in paperback. Don't really know why though.

Kindle. I love it. You can set the type to increase or decrease the number of words on the page.

I love my kindle for holidays - another who takes 10 books for a week! And the ability to read trashy romance without judgement plus free books are great too. Cookbooks tend to need to be hard copy though and a couple of favourite authors too because I have all the others in paperback

I prefer e-books now. The weight and convenience is important to me as I travel a lot by public transport, so I often have to walk/do lots of transfers. I also don't like having any more clutter than necessary, and I'm terrible at getting rid of books once I've got them so it's easier just to not by paper books in the first place. I only buy paper books now if I can't get hold of a book in e-book form.

Kindle.
I was reluctant to convert but since getting my kindle I've actually read more than ever.
Recently I was in hospital and being able to have all my books to hand was a real comfort. I'm a fast reader and my visitors would have been begged to bring me new books constantly!
I've just upgraded to a paperwhite and love being able to read at night without the extra light on.

Definitely ereader all the way
so much easier to carry many many books
am reading dance of dragons at the moment with 1100 pages..... too heavy to to carrý

Kindle. I love my kindle so much. I still read books, but rarely buy one, they are from the library or second hand. My idea of a good birthday present is kindle money. I have discovered so many new authors through kindle. It's also great for reading in bed when lying down, which is nearly impossible with a big brick sized paperback.

Paperback, always. How could a tablet/kindle/phone ever compete (except possibly if I was backpacking again, but those days are long over, and I managed the first time round without one.)

Pre e-readers I started getting books out of the library to avoid having boxes of books I needed to recycle. I can think of one book only I haven't been able to get.

E-reader. I have nowhere to store books in my house & I hate getting rid of them so I love that I can have thousands of books of my Kindle! It's win - win!

Ive got a kindle which is great for reading a book instantly, should the mood take me, but for me, i much prefer real paper books. I've dreamt of a library in my house since I was a kid and first saw Beauty and the Beast
I've now decided that I'm going to turn my spare room into a library rather than having all my books in drawers.