If our library had any books I would agree but they are computer workshops now and coffee shops you rarely see a book in them here.
That’s a shame! Nice to meet folk in the library, we have “altered book” workshops in ours and they have a competition for the best one each year.
Has to be a real book for me…and a cuppa with my feet up, heaven. I, also, like holding things, Rachel…
Er? Well you holds a kindle or you holds a book.
So which is it?
Yu is wot is called ‘ambiguous’. I read that word in a book wot was on a Kindle - double whammy hold job.
Mine is definitely the audio book, mostly on account of my eyes get tired very quickly on the e/books, but also because if you have a good professional reader reading a book it’s a joy to listen to it. I prefer the murder/mystery books.
It is not an either/or situation. I use an ereader (definitely NOT a Kindle) which I like very much but the last three books I have read have been hardbacks from the library.
The ereader is far more convenient it has about 100 books on it at the moment yet is smaller than a lot of paperbacks. Certainly when travelling I take the ereader but at home I don’t mind; the library certainly has a better selection of physical books than it does ebooks but when I buy a book it is invariably an ebook.
The ereader also has the advantage of holding audio books and music
neither
I HOLD …
Not used my Kindle for ages, even though it comes on holiday with me. By the time I’ve read newspapers, magazines, surfed the internet, sight-seed, slept, eaten, watched telly, etc., I’ve barely had time to open the device.
I always take one or more physical books too, which yes, defeats the object, but if at the time I have a goodun from the library, it comes with me.
I could read my books on my iPad or my Asus tablet, too, but I’m always at the library. Unfortunately I don’t read books as often as I’d like to, especially if I’m disturbed by the neighbours and therefore can’t concentrate. I always have a paper, Daily Mail, Metro, Evening Standard, Mature Times, or magazine (Computeractive, Writing, anything free from the supermarket) on the go.
I don’t often have time to read a book these days but when I do they are almost always old friends from my bookshelf :-).
Slightly brown at the edges and with a reassuringly familiar scent, incomparable
Oooo yes … Enid Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ books
I used to love those - and earlier - “The Folk of the Faraway Tree” - I thought the concept of an ever changing world at the top of a tree was just brilliant - even if some of the lands were a little scary !
Has to be a real book. Had the use of a Kindle for a long week-end - not for me. I suppose, as a lot of you have said, it would be useful when travelling.
I enjoy both.
I have a tablet which I read my books on I also like the fact I can read the same book on my phone and it tells me if I have read more pages on one or the other device and do I want to move to that page. Brilliant.
What I usually do as well is look for all the free books and gets those which lets me get to know other authors which I would not normally look at. There is a big collection and you can usually get books for under £2 which I like.
I have to admit though there is nothing more enjoyable than reading a proper book and going to a book store and seeing what is on offer.
I’m trying to collect all of the P.G. Wodehouse books and I really enjoy scrabbling around second-hand book stores and charity shops trying to find these. I could, just as easily, pick up the lot from the internet, but there would be no fun in that at all. There’s certainly something about an old hardback book that’s yellowing with age.
The only problem with Kindle books is that everyone believes they ‘have a book in them’ (which may well be true) but now everyone can publish it, which makes for quite variable quality
Absolutely! Fantastic concept which I only discovered when my sister was little and I read them to her.
I love PG Wodehouse, I’m enjoying the Blandings series on BBC, loved the books.
True everyone thinks they have a book in them Phil, and they probably have, the only problem with that is we all have a voice but can’t all sing. For my reading it’s a mixture of style, humour, subject, and skill in holding my attention throughout the book, long descriptions of places and their surroundings tend to get me bored, but some readers love that kind of thing. Love stuff is, as they used to say years ago, “Strictly for the Birds”. It’s very hard to please people and I for one wouldn’t have the patience nor the will to even try, they need have no worries bless 'em, they will never be inflicted with any effort from mise, sod 'em all, I’ve got me pension.
I probably sounded a bit petulant in the previous post. It is true that the competition in Kindle books has become intense but, on the other hand, there are an awful lot of very good books that are now available which would never have seen the light of day via traditional publishing routes.
Well I hope I have more than one book in me as I have already written one. Mind you the content wasn’t exactly deep or meaningful .
Something amazing happens when I (you as well?) attempt to write a book in that it develops a mind of it’s own. Quite creepy I found it as I didn’t know what the hell my characters were going to do next.
I know what you mean about the characters, although I’ve only written one work of fiction and that has not exactly been universally acclaimed My stuff largely comprises humorous memoirs, the characters are real and captured in the past, so they don’t have a lot of leeway.
I think deep and meaningful is overrated!
I prefer real books, but read electronic books on my iPad most of the time these days. Our library has subscriptions to two eBook services with lots of interesting books for free, but many of the books I’d like to read aren’t available.
I used to take three to five books on vacation with us (plus our travel books) and my wife absolutely hated it. Even though she didn’t have to deal with the weight, the idea that I was dealing with it affected her.
I do enjoy reading the eBooks now, and definitely like being able to have a device that has books, games and other features in a small package in my backpack when I travel. However I would definitely like to be reading real, printed books if it were an option.