Ebooks vs Print

Non Harry Potter Book Discussion

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Matilde Rayne
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Ebooks vs Print

Postby Matilde Rayne » Sun Sep 20, 2015 3:49 am

I'm sure this is a bit of a tired argument by now, comparing the merits of digital and traditional print, but I'm curious about how other HOLers prefer to read - ebooks or paper books? Or are there some cases where you prefer one over the other, but things are switched in a different situation? Why?

I'm still really fond of traditional books for casual/personal/whatever reading, though I can't really put my finger on why entirely. At least a small part is just in the book having weight to it. If I'm holding the thing in my hand, I know how long it is, how dense, and for personal books, I can clearly see my "marks" on it; that is, it's clear from creases in bindings or dog ears or tabs where I've added notes which books are my favorites, whereas with an ebook, sure I can make annotations, but it's not the same. I can't look at an ebook the same way I see a physical book, seeing the history of the book with a glance.

On the other hand, it's impossible to ignore how convenient ebooks are. It's probably easier to purchase ebooks (though I still would much rather go to a bookstore and browse) and they're definitely a lot more portable. I was sort of forced into using ebooks for textbooks this semester, and while I wasn't keen on the idea at first (and I do miss the actual sticky notes/tabs and stuff I usually add to my textbooks), I'm really starting to appreciate the convenience of being able to pull up my biochem text on my laptop, tablet, etc. whenever I need it, without having to always lug that textbook around just in case I need it.

So, in short, I'm torn - but overall, I think the two types are fairly complementary, and making use of both sort of gives the best of both worlds?
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Kathren Johnsun
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Re: Ebooks vs Print

Postby Kathren Johnsun » Sun Sep 20, 2015 4:34 am

I have to agree, etextbooks are the best thing ever. The only problem is that sometimes they decide to only rent it to you for a semester. I know that from experience. Organic chemistry is not fun when you don't have a book.

If I'm reading a novel, I would much rather have a physical copy, but since the closest bookstore is half an hour away, sometimes ebooks are easier.

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Prof. Limine Snidget
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Re: Ebooks vs Print

Postby Prof. Limine Snidget » Sun Sep 20, 2015 1:24 pm

I want physical copies of all my books. Nothing beats organizing and reorganizing my bookshelves. I love being able to hold the book, flip the pages, smell the book, etc etc etc. E-books will never give me the same happiness.

HOWEVER, I do sometimes wish I had an e-reader because I think it would be extremely convenient for trips. Every year my family goes to Florida once or twice for a couple of weeks. Having to pack ~4 books in my suitcase isn't ideal because that's less room I have to bring back Wizarding World of Harry Potter/Disney souvenirs! If I had an e-reader to read my books, it would save a lot of room!
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Hanna Inari
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Re: Ebooks vs Print

Postby Hanna Inari » Thu Oct 01, 2015 2:22 pm

I usually buy books in paper when I want to thank the author. I don't make a collection of them and I usually just give them to friends when I'm done reading them. I've got a number of favorite authors and always buy their books in paper.
Other than that, I usually read e-books. It's more convenient.

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Teagan Falak
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Re: Ebooks vs Print

Postby Teagan Falak » Sat Oct 31, 2015 3:52 am

I love ebooks, they're so easy to access and jump around in. Also I feel better about not participating in the destruction of forests so much anymore. I've gone almost all the way to having everything I read in pdf, kindle, epub, nookbook, etc...


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