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 much prefer a physical book but my kindle is brilliant for holiday use as I read such a lot.

E-reader. I have a Kindle & love it, it means I can access the (not inconsiderable) selection of free & public domain books on Amazon etc. My only complaint is that it's not compatible with Overdrive (for library books) - so I use my tablet for that. I do also borrow real books from the library, but I no longer buy paper books. For me, an e-reader represents freedom from the clutter of books, without losing the books.

I have loved books all my life and can't resist buying them,unfortunately once I have bought them I can't bear to part with them so my house is overflowing much to my husband's despair. Given a choice a physical book will always beat an e book but for holidays being able to take an unlimited supply of books is like having a safety net,it means I can read as much as I want and know I will never run out of reading material - unfortunately it does tend to make me a little bit anti social. I also use the library which I think is such an important social service it should be maintained at all costs.

Catzpyjamas- there's a scheme called Matchbook where books bought on Amazon can be made available on Kindle cheap or free, but I think it's up to the publisher to do it. Not sure if it's available in the UK yet.

This is the link to the story about Matchbook launching in the U.S.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23953258

I love the feel and smell of a new book (and the smell of an old book).
BUT for sheer convience of taking books on holiday, an e-reader (kindle here) is hard to beat. 3 weeks in Asia, sitting with small kids each evening after they had gone to sleep (my choice - better than the alternative of listening to DH chat to his family in a lanugage I partially understand, discussing people I've never met). The weight of lugage the number of books I got through in that time would have been phenonomal!
I also like the ability to access the dictonary on the e-reader. I've looked up words I wouldn't have moved from my seat to look up, but did electronically. It has probably expanded my vocab in that way.

BUT The thought of loosing the librarys fills me with fear, and we still regularly visit our local library with the kids - to borrow books for everyone, and to the craft sessions there.

I have always loved books, but when I got my ipad mini, I downloaded the Kindle app. I surprised myself by using it a lot. It is great when I go on holiday as now instead of taking books I just take the one ipad mini.

I have got nearly every book I ever read and I am trying to decide whether to keep them or get rid of them. Some I have had for over 30 years. I do love reading, and it will be hard to part with them, but kindle is just so much easier and you can also get a lot of free books on it too.

I am reading much more now that I use the kindle app.

Paper books for me every time.
I just love the feel of a book in my hands, (and even that weird sort of musty-type booky smell you get with used editions sometimes!)

Also I prefer to gauge how much I've read by the "left sided" book thickness and the "right sided" thickness gives me a rough idea of the number of pages to come.

I've tried with the electronic version but just can't seem to get on with it (perhaps I don't really want to...) and simply don't find it nearly as satisfying or enjoyable as the physicality of reading a book with pages.

paperbacks, I have tried a kindle, but I keep going back to the real thing. I think its just the feel of them

Paperbacks - you can't beat the smell of an old book and the memories these can bring back.

As a life long avid book reader, I wasn't sure I'd like the Kindle hubby bought for me. However I do like it, you can download lots of books for free and it enables you to find new authors wanting to break into the mainstream.
It's also great for holidays, no toting half a dozen books with you taking up space in your baggage!! Plus with a Paperwhite you can read anywhere and and at any time.
So i'm a convert - kindle all the way for me!!

I read both books and my Kindle. I wasn't sure about the Kindle at first, in fact I gave my first Kindle to dh. Then the slightly smaller one came out and I bought another and haven't looked back. It's fantastic when we go on holiday, as we're all big readers and one book is never enough. Dd14 also has her own Kindle now, as she reads non stop! The only thing that bothers me about the Kindle is if I have to go back in the book to check something - I find it difficult to judge how far to go back, somehow it seems leafing through a book is easier.

I've got the Kindle app on my phone and read a few things, mostly from Project Gutenberg, but the screen isn't really big enough. I'm the sort of person people expect to have a Kindle and I'm sure I'll buy one eventually, but didn't want to be locked into one supplier.

I think I prefer paperbacks but can't hold ones that are too heavy - I'd never have read David Copperfield without being able to use the electronic version.

Until recently I was always a paperback reader and was adamant I wouldn't like a Kindle. However, after receiving a paperwhite last year as a present I'm converted and love reading it, especially in bed as its so easy to use. I can even read it without disturbing the other half as I don't need a light on to read it :)

The ease of a kindle is brilliant having a whole library in your bag is great, BUT
Nothing beats the feel & smell of opening a paperback book. Esp if it's 1 that you've been looking forward to reading, all the kids are happily sleeping wine & tasty snacks are also close at hand,can feel myself relaxing just imagining it.

E-reader and paper books, love and read both. Every room n our house has books. My kindle is great for taking on holidays as can take my whole book case with me in my case and read whatever I am in the mood for.

I love an e-reader. I had a Sony one before the Kindle was released, I'm on my second one now.

I love tossing it into my handbag, no worries about will I finish the book and need to take a second one with me.

Holidays are so much easier since DH, DS and I all moved to e-readers, far less suitcase space wasted, since all 3 of us can easily clear 10 books each in a 2 week holiday.

I do prefer actual paper books as it's an escape from looking at a screen (laptop, TV, phone). Although I do own an e-reader also and try to alternate between the two and use this when out and about.

I don't have an e-reader, and though I can sort of see the appeal for a nice neat device storing a library, I still prefer a book to hold and turn the pages, and I love the smell of books, especially my leather-bound editions. I've spent years building a decent personal library and if I lived in a bigger house I'd have a bigger library! My bookshelves are something full of memories, adventures, travels, history, characters and places that have become familiar friends. Give me a good book any day.

I have agonised over this question over the last two years, especially after I moved from a house to an apartment where shelf space is limited. I am still buying books. Why? Because I love the feel and smell of them; like seeing them on my shelf; and many of them have a history--overseas trips, gifts from friends, special people recommended them . . Most of all I have friends who borrow them (although its getting rarer with many of them moving to an e-reader). I have been to be less sentimental due to space and starting donating some books to local libraries and second-hand bookshops.

I like the advantages of technology, I use a smartphone and a laptop but still no e-reader device - I couldn't read a book like that. I feel a story through its pages, a screen wouldn't give me that and I love the book you're reading just sitting on the side waiting for you to continue the adventure or intrigue or questioning about life etc. Also it is not the same holding a paper copy as a hand-held device I imagine.. and your copy is to
do what you wish with: read then keep or re-gift or donate to charity - that I love.

It's not an either or for me. I wouldn't want to be without my physical books, not like the convenience of my e-reader when travelling.

"but" not "not"

RustyBear, I just saw your post. Thanks for the info. I'm off to Google

Rustybear, I don't know how to change my Kindle from showing reading progress in page numbers instead of percentage. I hate percentage, and just want page numbers and how many in total. Nothing like the tactile progress you get with an analogue book though!