The wife bought me one a few years back, and i’ve never really used it, much prefer reading a book than looking at a screen.

Just me being a weirdo or anyone else?

Not tried a kindle but have tried reading on my phone and on my tablet. Not for me. Love a good book.

Nothing beats the smell of a new book. My family are trying to persuade me to have a Kindle for my birthday and they’ve borrowed a neighbour’s for me to try but I find the screen too small and the Kindle too heavy, although I do admit that it would suit me on my long, boring overseas trips.

Do you have to take Kindles out for airport security?

Books can’t be beat.

I have a library in my house of a good few thousand volumes, and another electronic library on an external hard drive in addition to my Kindle.

The Kindle is handy for camping holidays, when I want to read in the tent without disturbing anyone, but it by large sits uncharged on my dresser top.

I am an avid reader and resisted getting a Kindle for a long time, as I love the whole experience of reading a real paper book.
Got bought one for Christmas a few years ago and after a short period of getting used to it I find it absolutely great now.
It also solves the problem of having mountains of books everywhere, as I hate getting rid of them.
The experience of browsing for a new book isn’t quite the same, although the recommendations based on previous purchases are handy.

I like the Kindle for fiction. I was reluctant to try them at first, but within 15 minutes I’d forgotten that I wasn’t reading a book.

Anything of a technical or picture heavy nature and I would still by the book.

I do buy the odd novel, especially when they’re newly out as they’re often not much dearer than the Kindle version. It’s nice to have something real for your money and not a download.

Wouldn’t be without a Kindle though. Great for storing lots of novels that would fill the house.

I read much faster on a kindle and love the highlight function. With work stuff, however, I also feel the urge/need for the hard copy too 😯

Just finished a complex econ book and its awesome to have a downloadable set of highlights immediately available

Mix and match as the mood takes me!

Mrs got one for Christmas, she’s not overwhelmed, much prefers books.

Also, Readers absorb less on Kindles than on paper, study finds

Definitely prefer books in some ways, it’s just a nicer format… but I’ve got 2 walls covered in double-stacked books… And in my bag I’ve got the equivalent of another bookcase, all in the kindle. I ended up doing something I said I wouldn’t, and re-bought a bunch of books on the kindle, purely because I wanted to read them again but didn’t want to carry around massive hardbacks.

Something I like is that it’s broadened my reading a bit- at least partly because of the amazon 99p sales, I’ve picked up a lot of nonfiction, and fiction outside of my normal genres, basically the sort of thing I used to buy occasionally in charity book sales etc- the “pique your interest” rather than the “what I buy”.

Also like the kindle app, sync’d- never be without a book. Reading on a phone isn’t great but it’s better than no book.

globalti – Member

I find the screen too small and the Kindle too heavy

Not being funny but the text area is pretty much the same as an a-format paperback, and the kindle’s about half as heavy as a typical paperback.

I prefer books to Kindles,

and printed magazines to apps.

I resisted getting a Kindle for ages, but a straining bookcase in the spare room & no real desire to get another bookcase & fill that up as well meant that I bought a Kindle a few years ago.

I love it. I read so much more than I used to.

Plus points for me:
– size; no more shelves & shelves of books
– size; great for taking on holiday
– battery lasts so long that having to charge it is a non-issue
– reading in the dark without having to put a light on
– recommended books/cheap books in the deals & sales on The Kindle Store

Bad points for me:
– could never replace text books/learning books etc. I bought a book on woodworking & it would have been completely impossible to follow on the Kindle
– looking for new books isn’t the same as browsing in a bookshop.
– I find it quite hard to navigate the Kindle store & find/think of what I might like to read next.
– the library/organisational side of the Kindle seems a bit crap, but perhaps I haven’t got to grips with it/learnt it properly.

I love books and bookshops.
Mrs H gave me her old Kindle when she upgraded,but the only thing I have on it is…

Book always for me.

I can see the advantage of a Kindle if you travel a lot though.

I love having shelves and shelves of books. Makes me look well-read – until they look at the titles.

Definitely books, however being honest I read about 2 or 3 a year. I have a print subscription for STW

Nothing can ever replace books. Till you get a kindle and realise how much better it is. Reading on a phone or tablet is rubbish and doesn’t compare at all.

Always books. The physical presence is important. How could I browse shelves of books in a list? Apart from a few modern biographies I haven’t seen any books of interest on Amazon etc. Fiction is best dealt with via charity shop paper backs so cheaper than electronic versions. Like music I suppose. Records are nicer than CD and I can’t get my head round an mp3 player.

I’d need to build an extension if it wasn’t for the kindle.

So, no.

yeah i was a reluctant convert to the kindle when i got one at christmas.. always thought there was nowt wrong with books and you can get used copies for peanuts off amazon, but must say im pretty pleased with the Kindle (paperwhite one) its loads better than trying to frazzle your eyes out reading on an ipad!

I’ve gone back to books cos I only read non-fiction with pretty pictures or graphs. There’s something very soothing about the touch of paper making the book feel so special. Kindle never gets used.

Bought a Kindle a couple of years ago to read at work as its easier than taking books in. I like how I’ve read things I wouldn’t normally consider due to them being cheaper to buy on the Kindle.

Much prefer reading books though and I like having a full bookshelf so I buy a mix.

Older Kindle user here – I find it more convenient than books for reading whilst out and about. As mine is an older one, there’s no backlight so the comments made by others about reading with the lights off don’t apply. That said, I find the lack of backlight makes it much easier on the eyes than reading on a backlit display (e.g. phone, computer screen).

Print does still have a place in my heart – particularly if the subject matter requires a bit of flicking back and forth, or if accompanied by images or diagrams. That said, I usually read the articles in Singletrack on my Kindle whilst on the train, and then only open the mag to look at the pics at a later date… 😳

I still prefer books, but I’ve grown to really like reading on a Kindle despite never wanting one, and not using it for ages when I got bought one as a present. Lots of reasons as mentioned above – much easier to carry around, it does bookmarks, allows you to look things up, cheap books in the deals. I wish I had a paperwhite so I could read in the dark!

Though one thing I don’t think anybody has mentioned, I’ve read quite a lot of library books from the local library on mine (ie for free) – from their e-book catalogue, which you can download online without having to visit a library. The catalogue is fairly limited, but that’s just resulted in me reading and enjoying books I might not have read otherwise. You need Calibre to convert them (you have to remove DRM, which has the bonus that you can immediately return the book without removing it from your Kindle!), but I’ve found it quite easy to do that.

Kindle for fiction

Real books for non-fiction

I suspect that a kindle wouldn’t have fared as well my copy of Anathem after I spilled a half litre of hot coffee all over the kitchen table the other month.

Plus, I don’t particularly like the amazon business model.

So, books for me.

50/50 here. Love the feel and browsability of books, but as above, if me’n’her had all our Kindle content on paper, we wouldn’t have any wall or floorspace left (we’ve little enough left as it is). I travel a fair bit, and it’s a great toy to take on the plane or train.

I still tend to buy stuff I want to own long term, or from authors I particularly admire in hardback, though

I love bookshops, the smell of books, and physical presence of books that you can browse through. But I picked up Wheelmen for £1.50 in the charity shop recently, and after years of reading kindle, I’m finding it quite cumbersome. Having to hold pages open, what’s that all about? Kindle every time for practicality and convenience.

Unfortunately, it’s like Tesco. No one really wants it, but everyone still shops there. We’re entering a strange age of man.

I work on the principle that my Kindle use isn’t actually making Amazon money (and I bought the kids Kindle Fires for £35 each when supposedly they’re losing money on them at £50 – I have zero intention of spending another penny with Amazon on those).

It’s a mix for me. I like my iPad over the Kindle for tech based books as you can use Google and follow links to back up your learning.

I’d prefer a real book to sit by the fire with or read before bed.

metalheart – Member

I suspect that a kindle wouldn’t have fared as well my copy of Anathem after I spilled a half litre of hot coffee all over the kitchen table the other month.

Well if you’ve got to choose an author to soak up a lot of coffee, he’s going to be high on the list…

Much prefer physical books, magazines and newspapers. Not sure if it’s habit, comfort or my Luddite tendencies

Books !

Kindles are useful for holidays etc, but just much prefer books

I also love 2nd hand book shops.

And even tho magazines are messy and get tatty, I prefer them to apps on tablets

Well if you’ve got to choose an author to soak up a lot of coffee, he’s going to be high on the list…

How do you find Stephenson books? Oh, very absorbent…

@aracer: it was more how they treat authors, i.e. badly.

Not tried a kindle but have tried reading on my phone and on my tablet. Not for me.

If you’ve only used a tablet or Kindle Fire, then you probably wouldn’t like it. E-readers with the e-ink are not the same, they are far easier on the eye than tablet screens. Even the backlit paperwhite Kindle is better with the backlight off imo.

Re the paper, smell, feel etc – you only like those things because you’ve gtown up associating them with books which you love. I love my Kindle for the same reason.

If I was an author and I thought people valued my work differently depending on the medium it was printed on; or if I thought people were even aware of what it was printed on whilst reading it, I’d consider myself a complete failure!

Books are actually crap, because you have to either use your fingers to hold them open or both hands. Paperbacks can’t be rested on a pillow particularly easily, and thick hardbacks can only at the end of the book if you are lying on your left side, or the beginning if you are lying on your right.

I love my Kindle (well, Kobo equivalent) and wouldn’t be without it. Doesn’t mean I don’t buy and enjoy paper books though.

Interestingly I now get frustrated if reading in low light as I can’t turn the backlight on, and to my irritation dropped a brand new paper book in the bath the other day.

Flaperon – Member

Interestingly I now get frustrated if reading in low light as I can’t turn the backlight on

I knew I was ****ed when I tapped to turn the page, on a paperback I bought 20 years ago

Books, because I can get them free from the library!

See http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/anyone-prefer-books-to-kindles#post-7535735

martinhutch – Member
I love having shelves and shelves of books. Makes me look well-read – until they look at the titles.

Say here although it could be said about having shelves full of records/cds/dvds. Thankfully my music isn’t on display. It saves a lot of embarrassment 😉

molgrips – Member
Books are actually crap, because you have to either use your fingers to hold them open or both hands. Paperbacks can’t be rested on a pillow particularly easily, and thick hardbacks can only at the end of the book if you are lying on your left side, or the beginning if you are lying on your right I haven’t learnt to operate them properly.

Books are superior. They don’t need recharging, they can be dropped onto the floor and still work immediately afterwards. I can lend someone a book and it doesn’t stop me reading another book. In a Hundred years time, my books can still be read, the batteries won’t have died and the charging socket standard design won’t have been consigned to history, and on, and on, etc, etc.

It’s books all the way!
🙂