do you still read paper books?

[chookie2]

oh yes, would not be without print books. My library probably contains more than some small town libraries.I have a pile beside my bed, my chair and at the table, and although most are non-fiction, I do have sets of favorite fiction in paper as well as on my ereader.There is definitely a place for both in my life.

[Canuck_in_Japan]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I read pbooks, every Shabbos.

I think a link to the Walter Sobchak clip on YouTube would have been more fun.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I read pbooks, every Shabbos.

What is the rational eschwartz? I can understand that turning a light switch on or off is akin to starting/extinguishing a fire, but Kindle ereaders don't have an on/off switch. Just curious.

[crich70]

I don't think I've really opened a paper book in months if not longer. I still have my collection but ebooks are so much easier to carry round.

[markom]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It would be impossible for me to read only ebooks, because most of the books I need for my academic studies are not available as ebooks.

My recreational reading is, however, exclusively ebooks.

For me it is not impossible, because it takes me a two or three hours to scan 1000 pages A5 book or four-five hours for 1000 pages A4 book (so usually two or three days, an hour and a half each day).

Then it takes computer a two hours to make searchable pdf, without my surveillance.

Those who don't like scanning can pay someone else to do that instead.

[drofgnal]

I haven't read a paper book in years. I do have Amber Chronicles by Zelazny and Downbelow Station by Cherryh on my TBR list sitting on a shelf, both in paper. Neither is available as an ebook. So eventually I'll read them.

I'm nearing retirement age. I may do like my dad did. He'd go around to some attic sales every saturday. He'd pick up a book or two, usually fairly new for as little as a quarter. never more than a buck. When he was finished with them they went to the community clubhouse where the residents had a fairly healthy personnal library where others dropped off and exchanged books. I'm sure in his retirement community, ebooks were not very popular.

[DrNefario]

Yes, I still read paper books.

Some are books I've had since before I got my first ereader. Some are books that aren't available as ebooks. Some are second-hand books that were much cheaper than their electronic versions, and which I am not so bothered about keeping. And some just have covers I really like.

I don't buy many brand new pbooks these days. My attachment to owning the physical object has dramatically lessened. I do wonder if capitalism is shooting itself in the foot a bit, there.

[Sweetpea]

I can answer that question very shortly: No. Reading a paper book in bed is just torture (and that's where I read the most). It's gone as far that I simply will skip a book, even though I might like it, because it's not available electronically.

(academic books excluded, not because they are not available in e form, because they usually are, but because paging back and forth is simply a lot more comfortable in a paper version)

[cfrizz]

Nope won't touch them with a ten foot pole anymore.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by crich70

What is the rational eschwartz? I can understand that turning a light switch on or off is akin to starting/extinguishing a fire, but Kindle ereaders don't have an on/off switch. Just curious.

And well you might ask, because the laws of melacha (work) on Shabbos are complex.

There are the 39 actions that were used in the building of the Tabernacle, which forms the core of what can and cannot be done on Shabbos.
These are the "Av" melachos, the "parent" or header of a category. Then there are the "Toldos", are not specifically mentioned in the Scripture but nevertheless considered to be the same type of action. And the Rabbis have frbidden some things as a safeguard because they look too similar to Biblical prohibitions and might cause confusion. And some things, while not strictly forbidden, are strongly discouraged because they aren't in the spirit of the day.

Here, electricity is considered a form of fire, and using electronic devices is Biblically prohibited. Which is to say, we can still reap the benefit of lights and heating/AC and suchlike, but we cannot change their state.

Random fun fact: brushing your teeth is a prohibition as well? Why such an innocuous thing? Because of... #29, m'macheik, or"smoothing". An Av melacha, wih its origins in scraping hides of leftover hair after the tannning. Its Toldah is m'marei'ach, or smearing.
(Mouthwash is okay. It is a liquid. Just as long as it isn't too thick... )

[bchaplin]

I love paper books! When I am re-reading a book I really enjoyed, particularly one that I want to flip around an just read sections of, paper has an advantage.

If I could afford it, I would have a paper AND electronic version of every book that I find worth keeping. I trust that the paper books will be around in 10 or 20 years. I love scanning them on my shelves, which offers a visual satisfaction I don't get from a list in an eReader. And it makes me very nostalgic, because as a kid, browsing the books around my parents' and relatives' houses was one of the things that quietly introduced me to the idea that reading was something that smart, interesting people did. I do not have children, but I do have nieces, and it makes me wonder a little if the reduced presence of physical books in their environment will have an impact on them. (Right now, they have all the children's books they can hope for, but there are very few adult books in their house, for various reasons.)

But the truth is that my paper books right now reflect my reading preferences of 5-10 years ago, as the new ones are mostly electronic. Textbooks, religious books, and foreign language dictionaries are the exceptions.

[Victoria]

I still buy some art books in paper. Everything is I buy in ebook format.

Now when I read hardcover art books, though, i find them heavy and difficult to hold. I wish I could get more of them in an e-version. A mini-ipad could provide the colour in a lighter format. However, many are not available that way yet.

[crossi]

I'm trying to declutter so I'm replacing my paper favorites with ebooks and not buying fiction pbooks anymore. The less stuff I have around the house the better I feel. Sort of the opposite of a hoarder. Digital stuff doesn't count.

Do I still read paper books? Absolutely, all the time. I'm awaiting a paper book requested through my library right now. A case of the book only being available in paper. In general if a paper book is cheaper or the only option I will read it in paper. Format does not impact my book selection.

[Wearever]

I still have some hardcover & paperback books at home, but only read e-books now. I tried to read a paper books recently, and found it cumbersome. I wanted to adjust the text size almost immediately. That never really bothered me before I got an e-reader. Also needing to sit near a lamp. I use a lighted device so that has not been a problem since I started e-reading. I am spoiled by e- readers & tablets for reading now. I will keep the hardcover & paperbacks that I have for sentimental reasons. I don't have that many anymore. The rest of my library all e-books, that go with me where ever I go.