Lol I read all three formats. I have shit ton of physical books in my home and I have a serious buying issue where always buying more books and read them. And thanks to my library I have a Libby account and so far read over 26 books just through my kindle alone. Lastly I listen to audiobooks anytime I behind the wheel commuting to work or just driving. I just love to read and also love to write.
Interesting diatribe that doesn't answer the question at all lol
Clearly you don't read enough books... Like, bro, she's clearly absorbing the contents of the book through diffusion. If you don't know how to do this then you're clearly not in our league.
Obviously they are using osmosis via the ocular membrane... I was confused about why they needed a scarf. Reading that way uses a lot of energy and should generate copious amounts of heat via friction.
I read exclusively through diffusion. Two years on and I'm on page 22 of the first Harry Potter book.
e-reader were a gamechanger for me.
on one side they are super convinient, because of the backlight alone.
on the other side: piracy
libgen is awesome
It makes me proud that my gf used to have (I think it is busted now) a telegram bot to download books from zlibrary, as an iPhone user that was very convenient, but now she doesn't.
My Android app works pretty fine though, so I just sent her the books there.
TIL theres an android app, awesome!
the telegram bot is not available anymore but there's a workaround, if you make an account on zlib website and go to "edit profile" page there's a button at the bottom to get a personal telegram bot
on the other side: piracy
I just want to point out that there are libraries full of physical books that you can also get for a significant amount of time and you don't have to pay for them. And of the library doesn't have the book you want, they can probably get it for you from another library.
(They also often offer ebooks and audiobooks, but that's another issue.)
Unless you want to keep the book with you, one of the nice things about paper books is that you don't have to pirate them and you can get far more obscure titles than you'd probably ever find on a pirate site.
I'm not criticizing you for pirating books, I totally get it, I'm just very pro-library.
on the other side: piracy
I understand and encourage this, but I wonder, is there any "Steam" for books? In the meaning of "oh, this service is so good that actually I don't want to bother to pirate them!"
amazon on kindle is very convienient. But I don't want to support jeff bezozs, which is why I like piracy. Also amazon makes it really easy to pirate. You just send the pirated copy to you kindle email-adress, and amazon uploads the pirated ebook to your kindle. I have done this for about 10 years, and I like to image, that Jeff sheds a single tear each time I do this.
On the other hand there are many public libraries with a steam-like service. e.g. you pay your regular library fee (2€ iirc) and you can download all the books you want to your e-reader. The catch is, that you can only keep a certain number of digital copies at the same time for some reason. The other down side is, that the initial setup takes some time (but I guess that depends on the library? idk it was >5 years ago when I did some research in that direction).
If someone knows more about the public-library-ebook-service, please let us know.
Amazon has about 1.5 million employees.
When you buy something from them, you’re also supporting those people, as well as the stockholders, and the book’s author.
If you’re looking for the human effect of buying something from Amazon, focusing on Jeff Bezos is somewhat arbitrary.
When you buy something from them, you’re also supporting those people
I am sorry, but this take is just insane. You do not support amazon workers when you buy from amazon.
trickle down does not work. Companies like amazon will not use additional revenue to increase the conditions of their worker.
In fact, the opposite is true: the more market power amazon has, the worse it will treat its worker (and also the 3rd party sellers, and even the buyers)
Yes but if everyone stops buying from Amazon, those people lose their jobs.
This isn’t “trickle down”. This is “paychecks”. And yes it does work. That’s why those people work for Amazon.
If everyone stops buying from Amazon, those people could get jobs at any of these companies, where people buy from instead.
Amazon has replaced a lot of jobs. When amazon goes away, it in turn will get replaced by something else.
Amazon artificially deflates the value of books, while also taking a humongous cut. If you want to support authors, Amazon is usually the worst place to buy from.
Audio books. When I have a book in my hand, I try to reach for a screen.
When I have a screen, I waste time with games/Lemmy/Youtube/Netflix etc instead of reading books.
But I can listen to audio books when I am walking/driving/cooking etc.
i'm similar but for me i prefer physical books because if i'm reading a physical book i'm probably not sitting near any of my devices so there's less chance i'll get distracted lol
but audio book is a strong second because ya i can do other stuff while listening to it, the same way i listen to podcasts and stuff
I adore real life books, but I read at night whilst my partner sleeps. The backlit ereader is an absolute delight.
I also disagree with calling audio books "reading".
I'm not saying is is a worse way to experience the content of the book, and I enjoy it myself, but it is a fundamentally different experience based on different senses and different mechanisms.
As someone who had an almost decade-long gap between Wheel of Time books because my ADHD no longer permitted book reading at a certain point, I would respectfully disagree. Audio books have been a God Send in the last few years, discovering I can still enjoy past pleasures in full by exploiting myself in circumstances that are beneficial. Audio books have me back part of my life I had accepted as lost forever.
Yeah, you miaunderstand me.
You can still enjoy the content, but the process isn't reading that's all.
I enjoy them too. Audio books are great. Several members of my family are blind and it is a form we can enjoy.
Interestingly the fact that several people can enjoy an audiobook at once supports my argument that it is not reading... A somewhat solo pursuit unless someone reads aloud.
So, respectfully, I think you've got the wrong end of this stick.
But I do want to say that it gives me genuine pleasure that you've found a way to enjoy those stories.
Would you say that someone reading printed out lyrics is listening to music?
Maybe if they were looking at a musical score? Is that listening to music?
I'd suggest it is a way of experience it. But it certainly isn't listening to it.
I think reading is the same.
Audio books are not worse, not lesser, but they are different and that's why I'd say they are not reading.
Ereaders definitely. I hate audiobooks because they take so long to read, I prefer listening to music when travelling. And physical books take up so much physical space, besides ebooks' added benefits such as customisable brightness for reading in the dark, remembering the page, highlighting and copying/defining/searching for text, and more.
I love the thought of paper books, but the functionality of my eReader is just too great. I can carry my books with me in one tiny little thing, it's got a light built in and doesn't weigh too much. Also saves so much shelf space.
Audiobooks, I listen while I’m working. I like paper books too, it’s lovely to sink into the pages. I don’t like reading stuff on a screen because I was born too soon.
I used to love physical books, but I just can't do them anymore. It's eBooks all the way - on my phone, namely.
I love to read so much and the ability to have my book on me at all times is irresistible. Going to the bathroom? Waiting at the doctor's office? A few minutes break at work? Snuggling in bed at night and I don't want to turn on a light and disturb my partner?
I've tried a few times to read physical books in the last few years, and having gotten addicted to the pleasure of reading whenever the hell I want, I just can't anymore.
Audiobooks are great for long car drives, but I rarely do those, so they're a very occasional treat for me.
I cannot read on my phone not even a tablet just too many distractions. I am okay with a ebook reader though.
I agree the convenience is a huge game changer. I can vibe with a good audiobook while driving but I mostly just go with a podcast
Ebook these days.
I borrow digital copies from my library. If I really love a book, and I know I'll re-read it, then Ill by a hard copy.
Ereaders. They're light, have adjustable font size, can hold an extensive catalogue of books and have less distractions, in comparison to using a tablet with an ereader app on it.
Moreover, they allow me to escape international shipping fees which have really risen over the years.
On the other hand, nothing compares to the smell of a book and the sensation of holding one in your hand. I wish I could had hardcopies of some my ebooks for times when I want to get away from tech.
I like the first two and use both regularly.
Audiobooks are torture because the human voice doesn't read at even hald the pace of the human eye so it. feels. like. being. drip. fed. Even when you speed it up to x2.
I usually listen to audiobooks when doing something else like riding my bike or waiting, where I don't have the conventration ability for actual reading which works quite well although it takes a bit longer than normal reading
That makes sense. I usually prefer music for those situations, but I can see the appeal of an audiobook. Might try it sometime.
Paper.
Ebooks are a tolerable alternative if there is no paper available.
I'm a fairly fast reader so audiobooks are way too slow paced for me and I don't like when they attempt to put emotions into their readings it always comes off as too inauthentic.
But that's just me, I'm a picky reader.
I also prefer paper but I've been doing audiobooks lately because I can still do chores, garden, or exercise while "reading."
I'm also picky about narrators. There are audiobooks I really want to listen to but just can't enjoy them because the narrator sucks. That said, if you're into sci-fi, I highly recommend The Expanse audiobooks and novellas narrated by Jefferson Mays.
I really appreciate the ability to reference terms and characters with an e-reader.
I feel like if you need that it's either a nonfiction which should have an appendix or a bad fiction.
Or just fiction with a bunch of characters?
I prefer paper books, but I can definitely understand someone reading a good novel, especially a long one... or a novel in a series of novels... wanting the ability to do a quick search to look up some character or event they've forgotten about.
I'm not a Frank Herbert fan, but I know his books are pretty dense and there's a fair number of them, so if you're a Frank Herbert fan, especially one reading the series for the first time, having the ability to do a quick search back to the third book when you're reading the fifth would be pretty helpful.
Another good example would be Tolkien. I assume you don't think Tolkien is bad fiction.
I am non-native English speaker and the ability to lookup words easily was very helpful for me.
e readers! Open Dyslexic font lets me read so fast!
OpenDyslexic is a free typeface/font designed to mitigate some of the common reading errors caused by dyslexia. The typeface was created by Abbie Gonzalez, who released it through an open-source license. The design is based on DejaVu Sans, also an open-source font.
TIL there's a dyslexic friendly font!
I never had any inkling at all that I had dyslexia until I tried reading with that font.
Me reading in the dark without having to hold the crease of a book, reading on my side with my ebook: yeah I think I can pick a favorite
As a dyslexic, audio books are awesome.
Audiobooks. So amazing to be able to “read” while you’re doing other things that are required of you.
For me it's mind numbing shit like cleaning the house where they shine.
Yep.
Cleaning. Home improvement stuff. Driving. Cardio.
A more niche one—we got a puppy this past summer. Those first few months they need so much attention. Having an audio book in my ear made the process of following him around everywhere/training so much less infuriating.
I was a strong e-reader user for a few years around 2012, but have gone back to paper books. I like the feel of them and also like having books as physical objects in my big book shelfs in my living room. It's a bit of the decoration and signaling aspect of it too. Yet from pure practicality the e-reader was way more convenient.
Paper books always. I have a second-gen kindle and I hate it. The reading experience is so inferior and I hate having to charge the stupid thing.
I need an E-reader that smells like a paper book!
I've never listened to an audiobook, but I'm about tied on physical vs E-reader books finished.
E-reader because being able to set the font and brightness so I don't get eye fatigue.
Audiobooks all the way. I'm a crafter so I like to paint, knit, crochet, cross stitch or quilt while listening. Not possible with tangible books. I've listened to the whole Wheel of Time series and all of Brandon Sanderson's cosmere novels.
I envy you that you can listen and do the other things at the same time, tried audiobooks while doing other things and I end up rewinding a lot of times.
My wife is not only exactly the same way- big into crafting and listening to audiobooks while doing it, she also listened to the whole Wheel of Time series while crafting!
Fuck paper books marry audiobooks and kill ebooks
papercuts
My favorite is paper. I love the smell of old books, but also, I download a ton too because it is easier to carry them around this way.
I prefer a paper book but love my e-reader for travel. Packing several books into my carryon bag sucks.
E-Reader. I had a Kindle I never really used, until pandemic. It was great to sometime reading again, to “go to the library” without leaving the house
I just tried an audiobook for the first time and it was not a good experience. Or maybe it’s just YouTube not being a good experience. Too many ads, it doesn’t want to keep track of what you read or where you were in it, nor does there seem to be a way to go back
As someone with hearing issues (I lose speaking tones completely) I prefer books. Nothing better than curling up with a good book and hiding from the world for a while.
I love ereaders. I can pull them out at any time, I can take thousands of books with me at any time, I can read at night without issue, if I drop my reader in the pool it’s not such a big deal. If I drop my book case in the pool it’s all damaged and everyone is giving me weird looks for bringing a book case to the pool.
Man this is small book case energy
Mfers when IKEA Billy:
I can take thousands with me at any time
You know you have multiple books on one e-reader right?
Yes this is literally what I just wrote.
This is literally what you wrote:
I love ereaders. I can pull them out at any time, I can take thousands with me at any time
I’m not sure what it is that you’re trying to communicate and frankly I don’t really care for it.
They're humorously interpreting your statement as you taking thousands of ereaders with you at once (rather than ebooks)
Yeah I can tell
Paper books in the evening, audio books on my commute each day.
E-readers are too convenient, especially with how quickly I go through books.
Ebooks. I love how I can carry my entire book library on my phone with me everywhere I go. And read books on my phone anytime, anywhere. Also do enjoy audiobooks. Though they tend to take up lot of space, compared to ebooks.
Can I be a little bit of a shit and say none?
It's not that I don't like books or am proud of not reading - it's that my ADHD makes books damn near impossible unless I'm fully gripped immediately, and then I will hyperfixate and read the book in it's entirety in one day (ask me about the bender that was the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series). And one would think audiobooks would be the solution, but man they just bore me hahaha.
Radio plays (or podcasts in the same style) and deep dives into history, however? That's the spot.
Yes.
My wife and I both identify with this comment. The best kind of reading.
For me it depends on the circumstance. If I'm on the road, an audiobook is great. And hard copy, or digital for all the other times. Tho' I did come across a study that physical hard copy works better for memory. As in, those words exist in a physical location, so one's brain can more readily find the memory.
Audiobooks. Sounds strange, but I actually haven't got 3 or 4 hours to read a book. Even half an hour a day is a stretch. When I was in my 20s i'd lay down with a bucket of graphic novels and books and didn't stand up, only for snacks and toilet. Can't do that anymore. When I lay down and begin to read I'm sleeping after 10 minutes. Guess I'm a bit busy in my 40s.
I tried audiobooks but I couldn't last more than 30 minutes without my mind wondering somewhere else.
Started with physical books in the 90s now I read ebooks on my phone. Hoping to buy a dedicated ebook reader someday.
You can buy an old Kindle for like $20 from eBay. Id argue the older ones are better. They are more easily hacked/jailbroken to remove advertising.
I will die on this hill: listening is not reading. And I love listening to audio books when I have a long drive or something. ereader is what I use 99% of the time though.
Why not out of curiosity?
Reading:
n 1: the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic
message; "his main reading was detective stories";
"suggestions for further reading"
I don't think one is better than the other. Just listening is different than reading. It uses different parts of the brain.
I think there is a similar effect with speed-reading v slow-reading. Slow reading gives me time to mull over and digest what I'm reading, while speed can be good to skim for information.
Is reading aloud by someone else still not reading?
I would argue that you are still understanding a written message but the delivery medium is different.
(Wired vs wireless analogy but data is the same)
I can at least agree that audio dramas are different than reading.
If someone reads it to you, they are reading. If you're listening to them read it, you're listening.
My preference has changed over time.
Originally I went through stacks of books. Even when ereaders came out I didn't like them. I built two massive floor to ceiling bookcases to hold them all. It's full with most shelves doubled up.
Then I started traveling all over the globe and I couldn't pack enough books for two weeks and 20+ flights. So I got an ereader and eventually transitioned to a tablet. Last I counted I have around 10,000 e-books.
Recently audiobooks have been my go-to. I drive a lot for work now so I listen to them on my trucks speaker system. When I am home I am always doing something else like cooking dishes, yardwork, etc. I have gotten use to listening to a book through my earbuds as I do other things. In the evening I often relax and listen to a book while playing a video game. I will go through 20-30 audiobooks per month.
Paper
I'm a book sniffer. Give me your yellowed pages, your dimpled and pawed over covers, your cracked spines, your taped up paperbacks, your pages coming undone, I'll hold it all together, I don't care. I actually like it
YESSSSS
Audiobooks. The quality varies and has peaked with Stephen Fry's Harry Potter reading, but being able to read a book while working is great. Paper books are just a waste of space and resources.
All of them, but if I had an order.
E-Books for series I like and for day to day reading
Audiobooks for series which I want read to me
And Physical Book for series I adore and want the complete physical set.
me: audiobook.
Wife: E-reader.
My house is this. My wife LOVES her fan fics and is an addiction level consumer of AoO.
What is AoO? Do you possibly mean AO3?
Fanfics are enjoyed best on e-readers!
Yes, AO3!
I spend a lot of time driving, audiobooks are the way to go
Paper for sure. For a novel, I just find an E-reader too impersonal. A paper book is much more cosy.
Also, if the book's ending sucks, I can throw it across the room. I did that when I read Crichton's Sphere.
I also can't do audiobooks. My attention just drifts too much and I miss important things. I do listen to radio dramatizations though. The BBC does lots of them and many are on the Internet Archive.
I love audiodramas! Do you perchance have a curated list of them?
I do not, sorry, but the Internet Archive has a vast number.
This person put together links to a lot of the BBC drama programming, but not all, and there's Canadian and American programming too (much less so though).
Since the word "read" doesn't actually mean anything these days, I just read the movies on Netflix.
Do you at least read subtitles?
Ereaders, because I can get classic works for free from public archives.
My tech dream. Imagine a blank book. Pages look, smell, and feel like paper. Insert a disc into the cover, and text appears on the pages. You can change the text as many times as you want.
Niche item, I know, but I can dream.
Ebooks. I like to listen to music while reading and Morgan Freeman doesn't narrate enough of my preferred texts.
Whichever one lets you read the most, which for me can change
Ever since moving abroad, it's been e-readers for me. Couldn't haul my book collection around, and didn't feel like buying it all again.
I usually read an epub file on my phone while listening to the audiobook at the same time.
Synchronized or no??
It would be pretty hard to be 2 pages behind the audio book. I wouldn't be able to concentrate. 🤣
My preference is Hardback > Paperback > Ebook as a last resort.
I can't read book on my phone or tablet so I need paper books but I like audio books when I can't read and just want to listen
Audio books let me capitalize on the strengths of my ADHD.
This plus it allows me to double up my exercise time as book time
I rarely listen to the radio in the car anymore.
I keep tuning out and can’t find the timestamp I need to return to.
Audible lets you place "bookmarks" with their clip feature. This is useful for when I know I'm likely to wander off.
Though a 5 min rewind in addition to the 30 second one would be nice.
E-books and e-readers all the way! All my teenage years I was reading on a e-reader.
I broke mine couple of months ago and I will probably buy an replacement with my next paycheck.
I read ebooks because they're more portable, I can read them on my phone instead of doing the old social media counterpoint all day. I have signed up for several digital library cards with fake addresses so I can access more books, lol, and I also buy ebooks with survey money, so all the free books! I read about 10 books a week.
i like all three. do i have to pick?
Love paper books, but audiobooks have converted me. I love being able to do chores and listen to a story
Audiobooks allow me to stoll through the park while drinking coffee and listening to the story. Or for fantastic visualization, driving across the country with an audiobook offers little visual distraction. Basically they let me do mundane but necessary things while "reading".
Paper, outdoors.
I want the physical book for the shelf but I read the ebook on my smartphone. Way more convenient for me.
Osmosis
I apologize if I haven't seen it in another comment, but there is a category missing (sort of, let me quickly explain).
I like reading books from my phone with a dark theme (inverted colors). It's not exactly an e-reader, though it is electronic.
I don't claim it's the best way, it's just very convenient because of (former Reddit)/(now Lemmy) addiction to using my phone to read about cool stuff.
It's particularly handy before sleeping or when commuting
Edit: added last sentence
I prefer paper but I’m happy to have my kobo while traveling!
I prefer paper books but listen to more audiobooks because commute time is down time already.
Paper, but I love the convenience of e-books on my phone; I'm never without a book.
Edit: And since my phone is waterproof, I can read in the bath, or while washing dishes!
ebooks first. i'll text-to-speech it most of the times but the text being there helps so i can attach my annotations. if the book is brilliant, i'll buy a physical copy and install it in my growing library. this year though, i got a little risky and bought my first quarter of the year TBR all paper books. EXPENSIVE!
What do you use for TTS? I'm interested in both a service that'll turn a PDF into an audiobook and that reads a document line-by-line. I use Librera for the latter but the FOSS voices available on F-Droid leave a lot to be desired.
Audiobooks are my go to. I work with my hands all day and having an audiobook is great for non-stop listening.
When I get super into a series I'll end up reading ahead on my phone from royal road or patreon.
If I have the time, I'll do an e-reader or a book. They're about even.
I do this as well. I ended up reading the rest of Azarinth Healer and am now working on the wandering inn. If I could buy physical copies of these books I would just to support the authors.
I fuckin hate reading. Audio books all the way.
ebook on my phone from random website
Never had an e-reader, usually I read physical books or on a regular screen, so I guess, paper books?
I have an executive function disorder, so while reading my mind likes to work on things that are not related to what I'm reading.
So books/eReaders don't really work for me, it's just far too difficult to actually get through something. So I stick to audio books.
I'd prefer paper, but having moved so many times I just can't bring myself to own hardcopies unless I know someone who would like the book. So it's E-reader unless driving, then audiobook.
Audiobooks
Paper (with nightlight)
Ebook
Paper. I don't fuck with pdfs and audio books are a crime against nature
One of those three isn't "reading" by any definition of the word.
It's like asking, "How do you prefer to watch movies, in a theatre or in podcast form?"
It doesn't say "pick one form of reading". You came up with the idea that it should be about reading
It literally says "what is your favorite way to READ books" in the thread title.
Is that how you are supposed to read paper books?
Lol I read all three formats. I have shit ton of physical books in my home and I have a serious buying issue where always buying more books and read them. And thanks to my library I have a Libby account and so far read over 26 books just through my kindle alone. Lastly I listen to audiobooks anytime I behind the wheel commuting to work or just driving. I just love to read and also love to write.
Interesting diatribe that doesn't answer the question at all lol
Clearly you don't read enough books... Like, bro, she's clearly absorbing the contents of the book through diffusion. If you don't know how to do this then you're clearly not in our league.
Obviously they are using osmosis via the ocular membrane... I was confused about why they needed a scarf. Reading that way uses a lot of energy and should generate copious amounts of heat via friction.
I read exclusively through diffusion. Two years on and I'm on page 22 of the first Harry Potter book.
e-reader were a gamechanger for me.
on one side they are super convinient, because of the backlight alone.
on the other side: piracy
libgen is awesome
It makes me proud that my gf used to have (I think it is busted now) a telegram bot to download books from zlibrary, as an iPhone user that was very convenient, but now she doesn't.
My Android app works pretty fine though, so I just sent her the books there.
TIL theres an android app, awesome!
the telegram bot is not available anymore but there's a workaround, if you make an account on zlib website and go to "edit profile" page there's a button at the bottom to get a personal telegram bot
I just want to point out that there are libraries full of physical books that you can also get for a significant amount of time and you don't have to pay for them. And of the library doesn't have the book you want, they can probably get it for you from another library.
(They also often offer ebooks and audiobooks, but that's another issue.)
Unless you want to keep the book with you, one of the nice things about paper books is that you don't have to pirate them and you can get far more obscure titles than you'd probably ever find on a pirate site.
I'm not criticizing you for pirating books, I totally get it, I'm just very pro-library.
I understand and encourage this, but I wonder, is there any "Steam" for books? In the meaning of "oh, this service is so good that actually I don't want to bother to pirate them!"
amazon on kindle is very convienient. But I don't want to support jeff bezozs, which is why I like piracy. Also amazon makes it really easy to pirate. You just send the pirated copy to you kindle email-adress, and amazon uploads the pirated ebook to your kindle. I have done this for about 10 years, and I like to image, that Jeff sheds a single tear each time I do this.
On the other hand there are many public libraries with a steam-like service. e.g. you pay your regular library fee (2€ iirc) and you can download all the books you want to your e-reader. The catch is, that you can only keep a certain number of digital copies at the same time for some reason. The other down side is, that the initial setup takes some time (but I guess that depends on the library? idk it was >5 years ago when I did some research in that direction).
If someone knows more about the public-library-ebook-service, please let us know.
Amazon has about 1.5 million employees.
When you buy something from them, you’re also supporting those people, as well as the stockholders, and the book’s author.
If you’re looking for the human effect of buying something from Amazon, focusing on Jeff Bezos is somewhat arbitrary.
I am sorry, but this take is just insane. You do not support amazon workers when you buy from amazon.
trickle down does not work. Companies like amazon will not use additional revenue to increase the conditions of their worker.
In fact, the opposite is true: the more market power amazon has, the worse it will treat its worker (and also the 3rd party sellers, and even the buyers)
Yes but if everyone stops buying from Amazon, those people lose their jobs.
This isn’t “trickle down”. This is “paychecks”. And yes it does work. That’s why those people work for Amazon.
If everyone stops buying from Amazon, those people could get jobs at any of these companies, where people buy from instead.
Amazon has replaced a lot of jobs. When amazon goes away, it in turn will get replaced by something else.
Amazon artificially deflates the value of books, while also taking a humongous cut. If you want to support authors, Amazon is usually the worst place to buy from.
some publishers don't use DRM so there's that, otherwise I guess there's overdrive which is... not that good, and requires library card but it's free
Audio books. When I have a book in my hand, I try to reach for a screen.
When I have a screen, I waste time with games/Lemmy/Youtube/Netflix etc instead of reading books.
But I can listen to audio books when I am walking/driving/cooking etc.
i'm similar but for me i prefer physical books because if i'm reading a physical book i'm probably not sitting near any of my devices so there's less chance i'll get distracted lol
but audio book is a strong second because ya i can do other stuff while listening to it, the same way i listen to podcasts and stuff
I adore real life books, but I read at night whilst my partner sleeps. The backlit ereader is an absolute delight.
I also disagree with calling audio books "reading".
I'm not saying is is a worse way to experience the content of the book, and I enjoy it myself, but it is a fundamentally different experience based on different senses and different mechanisms.
As someone who had an almost decade-long gap between Wheel of Time books because my ADHD no longer permitted book reading at a certain point, I would respectfully disagree. Audio books have been a God Send in the last few years, discovering I can still enjoy past pleasures in full by exploiting myself in circumstances that are beneficial. Audio books have me back part of my life I had accepted as lost forever.
Yeah, you miaunderstand me.
You can still enjoy the content, but the process isn't reading that's all.
I enjoy them too. Audio books are great. Several members of my family are blind and it is a form we can enjoy.
Interestingly the fact that several people can enjoy an audiobook at once supports my argument that it is not reading... A somewhat solo pursuit unless someone reads aloud.
So, respectfully, I think you've got the wrong end of this stick.
But I do want to say that it gives me genuine pleasure that you've found a way to enjoy those stories.
Would you say that someone reading printed out lyrics is listening to music?
Maybe if they were looking at a musical score? Is that listening to music?
I'd suggest it is a way of experience it. But it certainly isn't listening to it.
I think reading is the same.
Audio books are not worse, not lesser, but they are different and that's why I'd say they are not reading.
Ereaders definitely. I hate audiobooks because they take so long to read, I prefer listening to music when travelling. And physical books take up so much physical space, besides ebooks' added benefits such as customisable brightness for reading in the dark, remembering the page, highlighting and copying/defining/searching for text, and more.
I love the thought of paper books, but the functionality of my eReader is just too great. I can carry my books with me in one tiny little thing, it's got a light built in and doesn't weigh too much. Also saves so much shelf space.
Audiobooks, I listen while I’m working. I like paper books too, it’s lovely to sink into the pages. I don’t like reading stuff on a screen because I was born too soon.
I used to love physical books, but I just can't do them anymore. It's eBooks all the way - on my phone, namely.
I love to read so much and the ability to have my book on me at all times is irresistible. Going to the bathroom? Waiting at the doctor's office? A few minutes break at work? Snuggling in bed at night and I don't want to turn on a light and disturb my partner?
I've tried a few times to read physical books in the last few years, and having gotten addicted to the pleasure of reading whenever the hell I want, I just can't anymore.
Audiobooks are great for long car drives, but I rarely do those, so they're a very occasional treat for me.
I cannot read on my phone not even a tablet just too many distractions. I am okay with a ebook reader though.
I agree the convenience is a huge game changer. I can vibe with a good audiobook while driving but I mostly just go with a podcast
Ebook these days.
I borrow digital copies from my library. If I really love a book, and I know I'll re-read it, then Ill by a hard copy.
Ereaders. They're light, have adjustable font size, can hold an extensive catalogue of books and have less distractions, in comparison to using a tablet with an ereader app on it.
Moreover, they allow me to escape international shipping fees which have really risen over the years.
On the other hand, nothing compares to the smell of a book and the sensation of holding one in your hand. I wish I could had hardcopies of some my ebooks for times when I want to get away from tech.
I like the first two and use both regularly.
Audiobooks are torture because the human voice doesn't read at even hald the pace of the human eye so it. feels. like. being. drip. fed. Even when you speed it up to x2.
I usually listen to audiobooks when doing something else like riding my bike or waiting, where I don't have the conventration ability for actual reading which works quite well although it takes a bit longer than normal reading
That makes sense. I usually prefer music for those situations, but I can see the appeal of an audiobook. Might try it sometime.
Paper.
Ebooks are a tolerable alternative if there is no paper available.
I'm a fairly fast reader so audiobooks are way too slow paced for me and I don't like when they attempt to put emotions into their readings it always comes off as too inauthentic.
But that's just me, I'm a picky reader.
I also prefer paper but I've been doing audiobooks lately because I can still do chores, garden, or exercise while "reading."
I'm also picky about narrators. There are audiobooks I really want to listen to but just can't enjoy them because the narrator sucks. That said, if you're into sci-fi, I highly recommend The Expanse audiobooks and novellas narrated by Jefferson Mays.
I really appreciate the ability to reference terms and characters with an e-reader.
I feel like if you need that it's either a nonfiction which should have an appendix or a bad fiction.
Or just fiction with a bunch of characters?
I prefer paper books, but I can definitely understand someone reading a good novel, especially a long one... or a novel in a series of novels... wanting the ability to do a quick search to look up some character or event they've forgotten about.
I'm not a Frank Herbert fan, but I know his books are pretty dense and there's a fair number of them, so if you're a Frank Herbert fan, especially one reading the series for the first time, having the ability to do a quick search back to the third book when you're reading the fifth would be pretty helpful.
Another good example would be Tolkien. I assume you don't think Tolkien is bad fiction.
I am non-native English speaker and the ability to lookup words easily was very helpful for me.
e readers! Open Dyslexic font lets me read so fast!
TIL there's a dyslexic friendly font!
I never had any inkling at all that I had dyslexia until I tried reading with that font.
Me reading in the dark without having to hold the crease of a book, reading on my side with my ebook: yeah I think I can pick a favorite
As a dyslexic, audio books are awesome.
Audiobooks. So amazing to be able to “read” while you’re doing other things that are required of you.
For me it's mind numbing shit like cleaning the house where they shine.
Yep.
Cleaning. Home improvement stuff. Driving. Cardio.
A more niche one—we got a puppy this past summer. Those first few months they need so much attention. Having an audio book in my ear made the process of following him around everywhere/training so much less infuriating.
I was a strong e-reader user for a few years around 2012, but have gone back to paper books. I like the feel of them and also like having books as physical objects in my big book shelfs in my living room. It's a bit of the decoration and signaling aspect of it too. Yet from pure practicality the e-reader was way more convenient.
Paper books always. I have a second-gen kindle and I hate it. The reading experience is so inferior and I hate having to charge the stupid thing.
I need an E-reader that smells like a paper book!
I've never listened to an audiobook, but I'm about tied on physical vs E-reader books finished.
E-reader because being able to set the font and brightness so I don't get eye fatigue.
Audiobooks all the way. I'm a crafter so I like to paint, knit, crochet, cross stitch or quilt while listening. Not possible with tangible books. I've listened to the whole Wheel of Time series and all of Brandon Sanderson's cosmere novels.
I envy you that you can listen and do the other things at the same time, tried audiobooks while doing other things and I end up rewinding a lot of times.
My wife is not only exactly the same way- big into crafting and listening to audiobooks while doing it, she also listened to the whole Wheel of Time series while crafting!
Fuck paper books marry audiobooks and kill ebooks
papercuts
My favorite is paper. I love the smell of old books, but also, I download a ton too because it is easier to carry them around this way.
I prefer a paper book but love my e-reader for travel. Packing several books into my carryon bag sucks.
E-Reader. I had a Kindle I never really used, until pandemic. It was great to sometime reading again, to “go to the library” without leaving the house
I just tried an audiobook for the first time and it was not a good experience. Or maybe it’s just YouTube not being a good experience. Too many ads, it doesn’t want to keep track of what you read or where you were in it, nor does there seem to be a way to go back
As someone with hearing issues (I lose speaking tones completely) I prefer books. Nothing better than curling up with a good book and hiding from the world for a while.
I love ereaders. I can pull them out at any time, I can take thousands of books with me at any time, I can read at night without issue, if I drop my reader in the pool it’s not such a big deal. If I drop my book case in the pool it’s all damaged and everyone is giving me weird looks for bringing a book case to the pool.
Man this is small book case energy
Mfers when IKEA Billy:
You know you have multiple books on one e-reader right?
Yes this is literally what I just wrote.
This is literally what you wrote:
I’m not sure what it is that you’re trying to communicate and frankly I don’t really care for it.
They're humorously interpreting your statement as you taking thousands of ereaders with you at once (rather than ebooks)
Yeah I can tell
Paper books in the evening, audio books on my commute each day.
E-readers are too convenient, especially with how quickly I go through books.
Ebooks. I love how I can carry my entire book library on my phone with me everywhere I go. And read books on my phone anytime, anywhere. Also do enjoy audiobooks. Though they tend to take up lot of space, compared to ebooks.
Can I be a little bit of a shit and say none?
It's not that I don't like books or am proud of not reading - it's that my ADHD makes books damn near impossible unless I'm fully gripped immediately, and then I will hyperfixate and read the book in it's entirety in one day (ask me about the bender that was the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series). And one would think audiobooks would be the solution, but man they just bore me hahaha.
Radio plays (or podcasts in the same style) and deep dives into history, however? That's the spot.
Yes.
My wife and I both identify with this comment. The best kind of reading.
For me it depends on the circumstance. If I'm on the road, an audiobook is great. And hard copy, or digital for all the other times. Tho' I did come across a study that physical hard copy works better for memory. As in, those words exist in a physical location, so one's brain can more readily find the memory.
Also Eric Bibb, has a song, Turning Pages on his album Booker's Guitar, which you might enjoy. (https://invidious.fdn.fr/watch?v=SKvq-mIOooo)
Audiobooks. Sounds strange, but I actually haven't got 3 or 4 hours to read a book. Even half an hour a day is a stretch. When I was in my 20s i'd lay down with a bucket of graphic novels and books and didn't stand up, only for snacks and toilet. Can't do that anymore. When I lay down and begin to read I'm sleeping after 10 minutes. Guess I'm a bit busy in my 40s.
I tried audiobooks but I couldn't last more than 30 minutes without my mind wondering somewhere else.
Started with physical books in the 90s now I read ebooks on my phone. Hoping to buy a dedicated ebook reader someday.
You can buy an old Kindle for like $20 from eBay. Id argue the older ones are better. They are more easily hacked/jailbroken to remove advertising.
I will die on this hill: listening is not reading. And I love listening to audio books when I have a long drive or something. ereader is what I use 99% of the time though.
Why not out of curiosity?
Reading:
I don't think one is better than the other. Just listening is different than reading. It uses different parts of the brain.
I think there is a similar effect with speed-reading v slow-reading. Slow reading gives me time to mull over and digest what I'm reading, while speed can be good to skim for information.
Is reading aloud by someone else still not reading?
I would argue that you are still understanding a written message but the delivery medium is different.
(Wired vs wireless analogy but data is the same)
I can at least agree that audio dramas are different than reading.
If someone reads it to you, they are reading. If you're listening to them read it, you're listening.
My preference has changed over time.
Originally I went through stacks of books. Even when ereaders came out I didn't like them. I built two massive floor to ceiling bookcases to hold them all. It's full with most shelves doubled up.
Then I started traveling all over the globe and I couldn't pack enough books for two weeks and 20+ flights. So I got an ereader and eventually transitioned to a tablet. Last I counted I have around 10,000 e-books.
Recently audiobooks have been my go-to. I drive a lot for work now so I listen to them on my trucks speaker system. When I am home I am always doing something else like cooking dishes, yardwork, etc. I have gotten use to listening to a book through my earbuds as I do other things. In the evening I often relax and listen to a book while playing a video game. I will go through 20-30 audiobooks per month.
Paper
I'm a book sniffer. Give me your yellowed pages, your dimpled and pawed over covers, your cracked spines, your taped up paperbacks, your pages coming undone, I'll hold it all together, I don't care. I actually like it
YESSSSS
Audiobooks. The quality varies and has peaked with Stephen Fry's Harry Potter reading, but being able to read a book while working is great. Paper books are just a waste of space and resources.
All of them, but if I had an order.
E-Books for series I like and for day to day reading
Audiobooks for series which I want read to me
And Physical Book for series I adore and want the complete physical set.
me: audiobook.
Wife: E-reader.
My house is this. My wife LOVES her fan fics and is an addiction level consumer of AoO.
What is AoO? Do you possibly mean AO3?
Fanfics are enjoyed best on e-readers!
Yes, AO3!
I spend a lot of time driving, audiobooks are the way to go
Paper for sure. For a novel, I just find an E-reader too impersonal. A paper book is much more cosy.
Also, if the book's ending sucks, I can throw it across the room. I did that when I read Crichton's Sphere.
I also can't do audiobooks. My attention just drifts too much and I miss important things. I do listen to radio dramatizations though. The BBC does lots of them and many are on the Internet Archive.
I love audiodramas! Do you perchance have a curated list of them?
I do not, sorry, but the Internet Archive has a vast number.
This person put together links to a lot of the BBC drama programming, but not all, and there's Canadian and American programming too (much less so though).
Edit: forgot the link- https://archive.org/details/folksoundomy_bbcradio
Since the word "read" doesn't actually mean anything these days, I just read the movies on Netflix.
Do you at least read subtitles?
Ereaders, because I can get classic works for free from public archives.
My tech dream. Imagine a blank book. Pages look, smell, and feel like paper. Insert a disc into the cover, and text appears on the pages. You can change the text as many times as you want.
Niche item, I know, but I can dream.
Ebooks. I like to listen to music while reading and Morgan Freeman doesn't narrate enough of my preferred texts.
Whichever one lets you read the most, which for me can change
Ever since moving abroad, it's been e-readers for me. Couldn't haul my book collection around, and didn't feel like buying it all again.
I usually read an epub file on my phone while listening to the audiobook at the same time.
Synchronized or no??
It would be pretty hard to be 2 pages behind the audio book. I wouldn't be able to concentrate. 🤣
My preference is Hardback > Paperback > Ebook as a last resort.
I can't read book on my phone or tablet so I need paper books but I like audio books when I can't read and just want to listen
Audio books let me capitalize on the strengths of my ADHD.
This plus it allows me to double up my exercise time as book time
I rarely listen to the radio in the car anymore.
I keep tuning out and can’t find the timestamp I need to return to.
Audible lets you place "bookmarks" with their clip feature. This is useful for when I know I'm likely to wander off.
Though a 5 min rewind in addition to the 30 second one would be nice.
E-books and e-readers all the way! All my teenage years I was reading on a e-reader.
I broke mine couple of months ago and I will probably buy an replacement with my next paycheck.
I read ebooks because they're more portable, I can read them on my phone instead of doing the old social media counterpoint all day. I have signed up for several digital library cards with fake addresses so I can access more books, lol, and I also buy ebooks with survey money, so all the free books! I read about 10 books a week.
i like all three. do i have to pick?
Love paper books, but audiobooks have converted me. I love being able to do chores and listen to a story
Audiobooks allow me to stoll through the park while drinking coffee and listening to the story. Or for fantastic visualization, driving across the country with an audiobook offers little visual distraction. Basically they let me do mundane but necessary things while "reading".
Paper, outdoors.
I want the physical book for the shelf but I read the ebook on my smartphone. Way more convenient for me.
Osmosis
I apologize if I haven't seen it in another comment, but there is a category missing (sort of, let me quickly explain).
I like reading books from my phone with a dark theme (inverted colors). It's not exactly an e-reader, though it is electronic.
I don't claim it's the best way, it's just very convenient because of (former Reddit)/(now Lemmy) addiction to using my phone to read about cool stuff.
It's particularly handy before sleeping or when commuting
Edit: added last sentence
I prefer paper but I’m happy to have my kobo while traveling!
I prefer paper books but listen to more audiobooks because commute time is down time already.
Paper, but I love the convenience of e-books on my phone; I'm never without a book.
Edit: And since my phone is waterproof, I can read in the bath, or while washing dishes!
ebooks first. i'll text-to-speech it most of the times but the text being there helps so i can attach my annotations. if the book is brilliant, i'll buy a physical copy and install it in my growing library. this year though, i got a little risky and bought my first quarter of the year TBR all paper books. EXPENSIVE!
What do you use for TTS? I'm interested in both a service that'll turn a PDF into an audiobook and that reads a document line-by-line. I use Librera for the latter but the FOSS voices available on F-Droid leave a lot to be desired.
Audiobooks are my go to. I work with my hands all day and having an audiobook is great for non-stop listening.
When I get super into a series I'll end up reading ahead on my phone from royal road or patreon.
If I have the time, I'll do an e-reader or a book. They're about even.
I do this as well. I ended up reading the rest of Azarinth Healer and am now working on the wandering inn. If I could buy physical copies of these books I would just to support the authors.
I fuckin hate reading. Audio books all the way.
ebook on my phone from random website
Never had an e-reader, usually I read physical books or on a regular screen, so I guess, paper books?
I have an executive function disorder, so while reading my mind likes to work on things that are not related to what I'm reading.
So books/eReaders don't really work for me, it's just far too difficult to actually get through something. So I stick to audio books.
Though, audio books tend to put me to sleep.
Disclaimer: I stole the image to make this post.
There is another way!
In liquid form
I'd prefer paper, but having moved so many times I just can't bring myself to own hardcopies unless I know someone who would like the book. So it's E-reader unless driving, then audiobook.
Paper. I don't fuck with pdfs and audio books are a crime against nature
One of those three isn't "reading" by any definition of the word.
It's like asking, "How do you prefer to watch movies, in a theatre or in podcast form?"
It doesn't say "pick one form of reading". You came up with the idea that it should be about reading
It literally says "what is your favorite way to READ books" in the thread title.
Ya but your analogy was terrible tbh