Do you prefer physical book, ebook or audiobook?

chongshipei · 05-31-2026, 11:14 PM

Do you prefer physical book, ebook or audiobook? For me, I prefer physical book, followed by ebook. I don't buy audiobook. What about you?

Karellen · 05-31-2026, 11:52 PM

I prefer ebooks. They are convenient, no extra weight, and always with me.

Don't use pbooks as I have to make a conscious effort to grab it before leaving the house, carry it, becomes damaged, bookmark falls out and have to spend a few minutes finding the page I was on. But I do still purchase pbooks for those novels I rate highly.

Don't listen to audiobooks

maddz · 06-01-2026, 03:34 AM

Ebook, pbook, audiobook in that order.

My bulk reading is in ebook because I can carry a massive library in my pocket.

I keep pbooks for fancy editions (I usually have an ebook reading copy) or where I don't have the ebook/never been published as ebook. A lot of '80s and '90s editions have never made it to properly published ebooks because of software drift.

Audiobooks I can't concentrate on; I zone out very quickly, so I find it best for collections and anthologies or books I know very well.

bluepeter · 06-01-2026, 03:50 AM

E-book is my first choice - for the reasons set out by @Karellen. However, graphics - pictures, graphs, diagrams, maps and the like - are, typically, pretty much useless on the small e-ink screens that I favour. I therefore buy anything that relies on these in paper form. However, again for the reasons set out by @Karellen, I don't take them out of my house.

I don't listen to audiobooks at all. They just send me to sleep. (Even at primary school in the 1960s, I used to doze off when my teachers read stories to us.)

Yapyap · 06-01-2026, 04:53 AM

Ebooks.

I do still like a very occasional (like once a year) good quality hardcover (creamy paper, generous font size, spacing and margins, binding that doesn’t fall apart, nice cover art). I avoid paperbacks whenever possible (disliked them a great deal before ebooks were a thing).

I don’t do audiobooks at all.

drofgnal · 06-01-2026, 05:02 AM

ebooks only. i have no room for a paper book anymore. Except for a small rotating book case with some paperbacks and some of my old college textbooks I still use as reference, there are no paper books in the house.

Sirtel · 06-01-2026, 05:52 AM

Ebooks. I only buy paper books when there is no ebook edition at all. And I don't listen to audiobooks, because I hate listening to things.

Loosheesh · 06-01-2026, 10:06 AM

My order of preference is Ebooks-->Audiobooks-->Print.

Most times I'll listen and read at the same time, either via audiobook or TTS.

Smitmiller · 06-01-2026, 10:25 AM

Ebooks. Definitely ebooks. I thought I was a ride-or-die physical book reader... until I got my first Kindle and, two years later, realized I had only read one book from my 3,000-title physical library. It was Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and I was complaining about the weight and not being able to pet my dog while reading. Who knew?

The Old Man · 06-01-2026, 10:39 AM

ebooks only because of the eyes, no audio books because of the ears. What did old people do before… when was it now?

DiapDealer · 06-01-2026, 10:53 AM

I'm almost exclusively audiobooks these days. Never physical books, but still the very rare ebook.

Sirtel · 06-01-2026, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Old Man

ebooks only because of the eyes, no audio books because of the ears. What did old people do before… when was it now?

Depends on the person. My grandmother could read paper books perfectly well in her 80's. With glasses, of course.

Apache · 06-01-2026, 12:49 PM

I use both eBooks and Audiobooks. I like audiobooks when I am at work and the store is closed, when driving and walking.
Ebooks are for when I don't have to pay attention to anything else.
Apache

DNSB · 06-01-2026, 01:41 PM

My choice is ebooks. Pbooks are a pain since you can't increase the font size to suit my old eyes and audiobooks are just too slow—I look at my recent re-read of Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men on the Bummel which clocks in at 67572 words and took me 71 minutes to read according to the Kobo reading stats saved in calibre. Using the 150-160WPM that most audio books are recorded at give me around 7 hours 20 minutes to play the book. Upping to the 2x maximum speed on the audio player I played with, gives me ~3hours 45 minutes (approximately the same time as it took me to read Ilona Andrew's This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me which clocked it at 191,227 words).

DiapDealer · 06-01-2026, 01:52 PM

I always speed my audiobooks up. I love that I can do that without everyone sounding like munchkins. They speak faster, not higher. I've never made any comparisons to how long it takes me to listen to a book compared to reading it. Mainly because I don't want to read it. So I don't care. I just jack the speed up to where it feels comfy.

05-31-2026, 11:14 PM	#1
chongshipei Connoisseur Posts: 76 Karma: 2137842 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Singapore Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Do you prefer physical book, ebook or audiobook? Do you prefer physical book, ebook or audiobook? For me, I prefer physical book, followed by ebook. I don't buy audiobook. What about you?

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05-31-2026, 11:52 PM	#2
Karellen Wizard Posts: 1,839 Karma: 9600930 Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2	I prefer ebooks. They are convenient, no extra weight, and always with me. Don't use pbooks as I have to make a conscious effort to grab it before leaving the house, carry it, becomes damaged, bookmark falls out and have to spend a few minutes finding the page I was on. But I do still purchase pbooks for those novels I rate highly. Don't listen to audiobooks

06-01-2026, 03:34 AM	#3
maddz Wizard Posts: 1,529 Karma: 30455168 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK Device: Kobo Forma, Icarus, iPad Mini 2, Kobo Touch, Google Nexus 7	Ebook, pbook, audiobook in that order. My bulk reading is in ebook because I can carry a massive library in my pocket. I keep pbooks for fancy editions (I usually have an ebook reading copy) or where I don't have the ebook/never been published as ebook. A lot of '80s and '90s editions have never made it to properly published ebooks because of software drift. Audiobooks I can't concentrate on; I zone out very quickly, so I find it best for collections and anthologies or books I know very well.

06-01-2026, 03:50 AM	#4
bluepeter Addict Posts: 315 Karma: 1028630 Join Date: May 2024 Location: Salisbury, UK Device: Clara BW, Mini, Kindle (11G), Paperwhite (10G), Boox Poke 5, Go 7	E-book is my first choice - for the reasons set out by @Karellen. However, graphics - pictures, graphs, diagrams, maps and the like - are, typically, pretty much useless on the small e-ink screens that I favour. I therefore buy anything that relies on these in paper form. However, again for the reasons set out by @Karellen, I don't take them out of my house. I don't listen to audiobooks at all. They just send me to sleep. (Even at primary school in the 1960s, I used to doze off when my teachers read stories to us.)

06-01-2026, 04:53 AM	#5
Yapyap Guru Posts: 931 Karma: 5000001 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Oasis 2, Boox Go 7 Colour Gen II, Boox Go 10.3	Ebooks. I do still like a very occasional (like once a year) good quality hardcover (creamy paper, generous font size, spacing and margins, binding that doesn’t fall apart, nice cover art). I avoid paperbacks whenever possible (disliked them a great deal before ebooks were a thing). I don’t do audiobooks at all.

06-01-2026, 05:02 AM	#6
drofgnal Wizard Posts: 1,472 Karma: 10781468 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Ipad Pro/Kindle Oasis 3/iPhone 13 Pro Max	ebooks only. i have no room for a paper book anymore. Except for a small rotating book case with some paperbacks and some of my old college textbooks I still use as reference, there are no paper books in the house.

06-01-2026, 05:52 AM	#7
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 15,214 Karma: 247594217 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	Ebooks. I only buy paper books when there is no ebook edition at all. And I don't listen to audiobooks, because I hate listening to things.

06-01-2026, 10:06 AM	#8
Loosheesh Wizard Posts: 1,726 Karma: 3177153 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Jianghu Device: PW5, iPhone 13 Pro, iPad Pro 2021, iPad Air 2025	My order of preference is Ebooks-->Audiobooks-->Print. Most times I'll listen and read at the same time, either via audiobook or TTS.

06-01-2026, 10:25 AM	#9
Smitmiller Enthusiast Posts: 26 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2022 Device: Kindle Oasis 2	Ebooks. Definitely ebooks. I thought I was a ride-or-die physical book reader... until I got my first Kindle and, two years later, realized I had only read one book from my 3,000-title physical library. It was Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and I was complaining about the weight and not being able to pet my dog while reading. Who knew?

06-01-2026, 10:39 AM	#10
The Old Man Guru Posts: 623 Karma: 1606819 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New Hampshire Device: iPad Mini	ebooks only because of the eyes, no audio books because of the ears. What did old people do before… when was it now?

06-01-2026, 10:53 AM	#11
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 29,478 Karma: 212177022 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I'm almost exclusively audiobooks these days. Never physical books, but still the very rare ebook.

06-01-2026, 12:49 PM	#13
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,350 Karma: 91025542 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	I use both eBooks and Audiobooks. I like audiobooks when I am at work and the store is closed, when driving and walking. Ebooks are for when I don't have to pay attention to anything else. Apache

06-01-2026, 01:41 PM	#14
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 52,191 Karma: 180576670 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	My choice is ebooks. Pbooks are a pain since you can't increase the font size to suit my old eyes and audiobooks are just too slow—I look at my recent re-read of Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men on the Bummel which clocks in at 67572 words and took me 71 minutes to read according to the Kobo reading stats saved in calibre. Using the 150-160WPM that most audio books are recorded at give me around 7 hours 20 minutes to play the book. Upping to the 2x maximum speed on the audio player I played with, gives me ~3hours 45 minutes (approximately the same time as it took me to read Ilona Andrew's This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me which clocked it at 191,227 words).

06-01-2026, 01:52 PM	#15
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 29,478 Karma: 212177022 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I always speed my audiobooks up. I love that I can do that without everyone sounding like munchkins. They speak faster, not higher. I've never made any comparisons to how long it takes me to listen to a book compared to reading it. Mainly because I don't want to read it. So I don't care. I just jack the speed up to where it feels comfy.