Book VS Kindle

[EmilieT]

Hi everyone!

With today being Shakespeare's day as well as a symbolic day for world literature, I thought it'd be a good opportunity to learn more about your reading habits and how much your phone or technology in general is involved in these. 

As I studied literature, I used to think physical books were the only legitimate way to read, and that reading on a screen could never compare. Commuting everyday with 1000+ pages novels in my handbag slowly made me reconsider my position : I now find that I read much more thanks to my kindle, and how convenient it is 

The Kindle app on my iPhone is also great for a quick read inbetween other things! That being said, the smell of a fresh new book will always be something special, and I don't plan on completely stopping to extend my library anytime soon 

So what do you guys think, how do you go about getting through your novels and other books? Are you firm traditionals, a mix of both or do you prefer your books on a screen?

[ComaChameleon]

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@Cleoriff wrote:
I am an avid reader and can get through 2-4 books a week

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😮 Wow!

I got myself a Kindle Paperwhite when I started working on my watch, I love to read there. Noone disturbs you in your room.... Yea, it was like that back when we only had one truck from our organisation. Now I hardly find time to read.

I love my kindle, but I don't buy books on it, bc it's not cheaper in Germany, just like 1-2€ compared to the physical book. And books themselfs - we have a pre-set price for them, it's in every shop all over Germany the same price, so no buy one get one half price or sale-things. So it's a really expensive hobby to have as a normal paperback is about 10-15€ (the hardcover even more). Books for my work are even worster, they're like 80€ + -.- So I mostly get kindle books from relatives, friends etc, everyone has "this usb-stick" XD

[jonsie]

I get a daily email with free or cheap books. Some relatively unknown authors but some of the books are excellent.

https://www.bookbub.com/ebook-deals/free-kindle-books

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@ComaChameleon wrote:

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@Cleoriff wrote:
I am an avid reader and can get through 2-4 books a week

---

😮 Wow!

I got myself a Kindle Paperwhite when I started working on my watch, I love to read there. Noone disturbs you in your room.... Yea, it was like that back when we only had one truck from our organisation. Now I hardly find time to read.

I love my kindle, but I don't buy books on it, bc it's not cheaper in Germany, just like 1-2€ compared to the physical book. And books themselfs - we have a pre-set price for them, it's in every shop all over Germany the same price, so no buy one get one half price or sale-things. So it's a really expensive hobby to have as a normal paperback is about 10-15€ (the hardcover even more). Books for my work are even worster, they're like 80€ + -.- So I mostly get kindle books from relatives, friends etc, everyone has "this usb-stick" XD

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[Cleoriff]

@ComaChameleon

I didn't realise books were so expensive in Germany

They are also costly in Spain, which is why people were appreciative when I emptied my bookshelf there and left some in the apartment reception or a friends bar.

There was also a second hand bookshop close by and they used to pay you a small sum if you donated books (though for some strange reason, they would never accept hardcover books!)

In the U.S (Florida) books are inexpensive. Whenever I've travelled there, I made sure I took a trip to one of the shopping malls.

Many of my favourite authors are American and I could guarantee I would find their books, released earlier than in the UK (and for half the price I would pay when they eventually did hit the bookshelves here!)

[gmarkj]

I have both physical books and ebooks.
Certain authors I have all of their books (well, apart from ones just released) and have read all of them more than once.
I also have a large number of ebooks on either the Kindle app on my phone or on my Kindle Fire at home.
I am also a fan of the BookBub service as mentioned by @jonsie and have found lots of other authors to read through it - in fact I am now sent copies of some authors books pre-release to proof read/review!

[Cleoriff]

So the fate of some budding authors lies in your hands @gmarkj?

Like you, I have collections of books by my favourite authors and I re-read them again. Stephen King, Lee Child, Karen Slaughter and Nora Roberts (who also uses the pen name JD Robb) I have many more writers whose books I enjoy...

I also have many on the history of F1.

A great new writer Toby Vinctent has released two fiction books all about F1, with the main character being a female racer. Great read.

[gmarkj]

Hey, I am always positive thank you very much @Cleoriff!! And it is not just me - there are a number of people in the group as well...
To be fair, the ones that I get an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) for are ones that I liked either from reading other work for or liked their first one.
In terms of favorite authors I wouldn't know where to start.
I read a number of different genres, and have books by a number of different authors in each:
horror (Stephen King, Clive Barker, James Herbert, Scott Sigler, Ian Rob Wright, Jeremy Bates, Stephen Jenkins, Peter Meredith),
science fiction (Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Michael Crichton, Stephen Donaldson, Jeff Carlson, Joshua James),
general fiction (Dean Koontz, Robert Ludlum, ),
fantasy (Raymond E Feist, David Eddings, Tery Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Terah Edun, Lincoln Cole, Douglas Adams).
That's what I can remember, and the above is a mix of physical and ebook.

[Cleoriff]

@gmarkjI also read a lot of Dean Koontz books though  to be honest I got rather fed up of reading his preface background to every book he ever wrote.

ie 'Dean Koontz came from an extremely poor background, *Lived in a hovel with 10 brothers and 30 sisters, they grubbed for worms every day to make a meal for the family*

(Needless to say the section between the stars, I made up.. but you get the gist)

He was a prolific writer and I just felt more and more annoyed reading this every time I bought one of his books. Particularly when he went on to be one of the richest authors of his day

[EmilieT]

@jonsie

I can relate to what you said, my books make every house move very painful. And as @Glory1 says it’s not just that they’re hard to move around but they also require a lot of space.

@Cleoriff 2-4 books a week is impressive  All fiction or a mix of everything out there?

@sheepdog All my “knowledge” books (I.e. recipe books, manuals, educational books) are physical, I find it much better to learn that way as well. But when it comes to novels, my Kindle is my best friend!

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@gmarkj wrote:
I read a number of different genres, and have books by a number of different authors in each:
horror (Stephen King, Clive Barker, James Herbert, Scott Sigler, Ian Rob Wright, Jeremy Bates, Stephen Jenkins, Peter Meredith),
science fiction (Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Michael Crichton, Stephen Donaldson, Jeff Carlson, Joshua James),
general fiction (Dean Koontz, Robert Ludlum, ),
fantasy (Raymond E Feist, David Eddings, Tery Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Terah Edun, Lincoln Cole, Douglas Adams).

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This is such a brilliant list @gmarkj, I sometimes struggle to think of what to read next so I'll keep this list in a corner to use later 

[gmarkj]

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@EmilieT wrote:

@jonsie

I can relate to what you said, my books make every house move very painful. And as @Glory1 says it’s not just that they’re hard to move around but they also require a lot of space.

@Cleoriff 2-4 books a week is impressive  All fiction or a mix of everything out there?

@sheepdog All my “knowledge” books (I.e. recipe books, manuals, educational books) are physical, I find it much better to learn that way as well. But when it comes to novels, my Kindle is my best friend!

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@gmarkj wrote:
I read a number of different genres, and have books by a number of different authors in each:
horror (Stephen King, Clive Barker, James Herbert, Scott Sigler, Ian Rob Wright, Jeremy Bates, Stephen Jenkins, Peter Meredith),
science fiction (Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Michael Crichton, Stephen Donaldson, Jeff Carlson, Joshua James),
general fiction (Dean Koontz, Robert Ludlum ),
fantasy (Raymond E Feist, David Eddings, Tery Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Terah Edun, Lincoln Cole, Douglas Adams).

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This is such a brilliant list @gmarkj, I sometimes struggle to think of what to read next so I'll keep this list in a corner to use later 

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To be honest I never really pay attention to those @Cleoriff, but I can imagine it does start to drag!
That is not an exhaustive list @EmilieT by any stretch. There are others that I have not listed as they don't really fall into any category - I have a sci-fi comedy, a horror comedy, and an apocalypse comedy too. The sci-fi was a little weird (trying to be funny but not always achieving) but the other two were good.

A word of warning on the above ones in bold - they contain some adult language and/or a good amount of gore too, so are not suitable for all readers. 

[Cleoriff]

@EmilieT   Usually fiction though I do enjoy the occasional autobiography.

We also have a lot of books regarding the history of certain music groups. The Who, Queen, The Prodigy, The Stones etc etc

I like psychological thrillers at the moment. I go through phases of reading enjoyment. If I feel I have soaked up too much doom and gloom with thrillers, I will move on to something lighter by writers such as Cathy Kelly, Marian Keyes and Carole Mathews.

I do have to say one of the funniest books I have ever read was Puckoon by Spike Milligan