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'm a huge e-book lover. I used to think they were less personal but actually I find the ability to read anywhere like the doctors surgery, at lunch at work and on train journeys really is a huge advantage. Reading in bed is more comfortable and I never have to make to effort to remember to take it with me as its always in my bag. When recommending books to people I can just whip out my kindle and look through my shelves to find the one I'm talking about. It's just fab. The only downside is lending/borrowing books between friends

If it's fiction then it's e book all the way.
I just love a real cookbook though. I can't see an e reader replacing those for ME

paperbacks definitely. I love books and the feel of book, looking at the cover etc. But there is also the passing on of the book to others when you have read a good one, and getting another one in return. Especially on holiday, going through the hotel library and seeing what has been left by others.

plus I have dry eye syndrome and cant stare at the screen even if I wanted to.

I love both -
I love a real book, the feel, the smell, it's physical being, I prefer reading them in bed (I sleep better without the screen before bed) + I can share it.
BUT I also love the convenience of my kindle - I am a voracious reader, half my suitcase used to be taken up with holiday reading, now I just pop my kindle in my suitcase. Stuck waiting for my monthly hospital appointments, waiting for kids swimming lessons, train to get in to station.... I've got my kindle in my purse.
I like a world with the best of both and I think I still have that.

I still get a lot of satisfaction out of reading books. My children bought me a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday last year and I find it useful for popping in my handbag for hospital waiting rooms etc; but I don't think that I will ever be fully converted. If someone steals my paperback whilst I am in the swimming pool abroad it isn't a huge problem but my Kindle would be more likely to be stolen and much more expensive to replace.

I like paperback books. All books look different, not always the same font, paper quality, feel or thickness. I like to look at the front and back covers and read everything there and then on the front pages about where it was printed and if dedicated to anyone.

I love books and don't have a Kindle (yet). I love looking at the cover & reading the inside to see if I want to read it & then the bit about the author at the back. A new Book is like a new cheque book, pristine & inviting. I cannot be without a book at bedtime & would feel odd holding up a Kindle.

For me it was always about "real" books - until i had my son. Now, because we have a small house and i can read a book a day (I am a super speed reader), I have foresaken my love of the printed page and content myself with an e-reader so that I can still satisfy my love for words, without taking up all the space in the house with books. For mini me though (who is 5) it is paper all the way. He isn't allowed to use my e-reader until he is older - i think its important for kids to get to know the feel of a paper book, and anyway the colours and pictures are better!

I'm a fast and somewhat obsessive reader so taking enough books to last me on holiday used to be a challenge that normally left me staring wistfully at the random selection at book exchanges. So e-readers were a welcome and life-changing invention! Now I have a baby, being able to read one-handed in the dark while breastfeeding has been equally revolutionary. So yes, ereaders all the way for me. I've even gone so far as to buy the e-copy of favourite books that I own in hard copy so that they can travel with me everywhere. Just wish it was easier to lend them to friends and family!

I have had a Kindle for some time, but have gone back to paperbacks, except when I am on holiday. I find with a paperback you can easily flip back if you have missed something about a character or storyline, whereas it is quite laborious to do this with a Kindle. There is also something good about actually holding a book!!

I love reading - always have from first going to the library when little - more years ago than I care to mention. To actually own books is a joy, they are like friends on my shelf.
Both my DD's have kindles and I can see the usefulness but..
I usually have 4 books on the go at once- one by my chair, one for the bath, one for bedtime and a 'pick up/put down ' book for when I am busy. - I couldn't be bothered to carry a kindle around with me, and certainly don't fancy trying to read in the bath with one.

Paperbacks, for the look and feel. I hate handling hardback books, and have tried very hard to get on with using my Kindle, but it's just not the same tactile experience as reading an old fashioned book.

I love my kindle mainly because I can make the font bigger so I don't have to wear my glasses all the time. I also find books require too much storage space in my small house and I love the fact that you can get free books sometimes and order a sample to see if you like it before committing to buying a book.

I love my Kindle, and have lots of books on there.

I can just buy one when I'm feeling bored and get it immediately, rather than have a half hour bus ride to the bookshop, or order a paper book online and have to wait a few days for it to arrive.

But I do like paper books too. Apart from anything else, I wouldn't read my kindle in the bath, so I still have to have some paperbacks for that!

I adore my kindle, I can read books in the dark now! I like holding it one handed while I feed the baby to sleep. I can get new books instantly- especially the free classics.

I do love my books though, much easier to have a book in my handbag or one in the bathroom.
And of course to scribble notes in, it's a bit difficult in a kindle!
The kindle just edges it for me, although next time I'd get a Nook so I am not tied to Amazon and I can use the library borrowing facility.

I love my Kindle for everyday reading, especially the flexibility to change screen for different lighting conditions (reading in bed while DH is fast asleep is so easy now!) and font style and size etc for my eyes which can get very tired at the end of the day.

However text books and anything with diagrams still have to be printed, for me. If it's something I want to annotate, paper wins every time.

I use both still. I must admit I tend to buy books for my e-reader now more than the hard copy, partly as they're usually cheaper but also due to storage space at home. Also SO much more convenient for commuting/holidays. I haven't replaced any of the paperbacks I have already though and series like Game of Thrones which I already have in paperback, I will continue to buy the non-electronic versions for completeness.

I do only tend to buy certain types of books electronically though. Cookery books I would always get the hard copy, same with reference books I think.

Definitely e reader, although I'll never get rid of my books. I have the kindle app on my pad and phone too so can read where ever I am.

Haven't been converted to electronic books at all - I like the feel of books and sight of them on my bookshelves (although I'm trying to ruthlessly have a clear out before we move house). Their batteries don't run out, you can lend/borrow them, buy them second hand, and I can't imagine snuggling up in bed with a gadget (and I do most of my reading last thing at night).

I love books but I really love my kindle paperwhite. It means I can read without disturbing DP so I read a whole lot more now.

Paperbacks - I can borrow from the library, or buy second hand then pass on to someone else. Also, I don't want yet another electronic item to charge / be broken / turn into landfill.

I'm a recent e-booker - having just been given one. It's so much easier to read big books one handed, while waiting somewhere. I really hate that I've recently finished 2 books that DH would love, but to let him read them means handing over my kindle, so he'll have to take my recommendation and pop to the library...

I'm visually impaired, I used to get large print books from the library but often had to wait a while with them on order and then they would be so heavy. Now I have my wonderful Kindle Paperwhite, I can read it in any environment and I can enlarge the text which makes it so much easier to read. I love it! I do love to see a bookshelf full of books but for me the kindle is more accessible.

I like paperbacks s I can see my progress in reading the cook (I know my e-reader has a progress bar but it is not the same).

I also like to flip around, especially if it is non fiction book.

E-reader is great as I always have something to read with me. But for some reason I rarely finish the books on my e-reader.

I also begrudge money for e-books. For book club I am suppose to pay 7 pounds for a 97 page book (that reviews say is poorly translated) so I think not.

I have a stash of unread paperbacks and there is nothing better to read on the beach or the bus or other places you don't want to get out your kindle. I have the kindle app on my tablet. Novels are good either way but I find I like to have a paperback sometimes as well. Once i have read a book it feels good to recycle it to the charity shop as I can't read anything twice (there are too many books out there to double up). Paperbacks for holiday and they stay for others to read at the hotel - makes my case lighter on the way back. i don't take my kindle away on holiday for fear of damage.