Books Audio, electronic or print?

VisionofMilotic

VisionofMilotic

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    What's your favorite way to enjoy a good book? Do you prefer to listen to audiobooks, read e-books on perhaps you prefer to handle a paper or hardback copy?

    I think every format has it's good points. An audiobook can be mighty tempting to me if the narrator gives a dramatic reading of text, and I have an audible membership that I am currently enjoying. I like audio books when I want to be engrossed in a long epic tale, especially at night when I am tired and my eyes are weary at the end of a long day. I can close my eyes and take refuge in hearing part of a good story every night to send me off. A combination I really like is an audiobook with close captions so you hear it aloud, while you are also read it, and really take in every word. I tend to go through audiobooks at a quicker pace, but one of the downside is that when I am hearing something read ocassionally I miss things that wouldn't if i were reading the text, so having that visual aid is useful to getting a really thorough reading experience. I absorb more through reading and visualization.

    While i have a slight preference for audiobooks, the quality of the audio will make or break it for me though. I don't want an audiobook if the narrator is not reading clearly, or they are not reading with enough feeling or the sound of their voice just doesn't fit the character or style of the material, that ruins the book. It has to be done right, or not at all, and if the recording isn't satisfying to me then I would much rather pick up a printed a copy and read it silently or aloud myself, and let the entire adventure play out inside of my head.

    I also like the activity of browsing book stores and the library, pulling up a chair and reading for hours, more than just adding an audiobook or electronic book to the cart online. Before the pandemic I use to love going to Barnes Nobles when I had time, getting a stack of books and reading in the cafe with a snack. So getting the actual book is something I find a little more fun, even though other formats like electronic and audiobooks can be more convenient and sometimes more economical.

    It also depends on what I am reading I prefer to read printed copies of books of poems or novellas and short stories. There's something nice I think about the intimacy of just me and the pages there for a format like that, but plays and novels I often like to hear read in audio form. Any book that contains illustration are nsways a must get in physical copy, and hardback. A lot of non-fiction material like a biography that probably includes photographs or maps and other content to view I would look for in print.

    What's your pleasure?
     
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    Paperback is always my first preference but I find most of the time I will read e-books because they're easier to get access to! I like the feeling of just being able to focus on the physical book in front of me whereas I can get distracted if I'm reading on my phone. I plan to buy much more physical books when I get my own place. I'll take my favourite ones from my house but otherwise I can't imagine having to move an entire shelf of paperbacks when I do leave home. I have never tried audiobooks in all honesty, I feel like I wouldn't be able to keep my focus because I tend to zone out when listening to audio.
     
    I'm gonna be the odd one out and say I'm beginning to prefer reading e-books. I do enjoy physical books at times but books tend to take up too much room and they can deteriorate a bit after a long while. With e-books the biggest advantage is reading them when I'm away from home, like for instance while waiting for a doctor's appointment and such.

    I haven't tried audiobooks that much saved for some reading excerpts, but I feel I might lose focus after a certain point even though I'm used to listening to podcasts.
     
    I am very much a physical book person. I love holding them, flicking the pages, heck even the smell of the paper adds something to me. I'm weird, I know ;)

    With that said though...

    I got rid of most of my physical books. I just didn't have the room anymore. Some of them were also too heavy for me to hold these days. I can store thousands of books on a tiny device and that is truly liberating. I can carry them with me anywhere I want.

    The other major advantages of e-books for me, are search functions and linkable footnotes. I read a lot of non-fiction materials, and find these absolutely invaluable!

    I've never really got on with audiobooks, I really should give them another try, they should be absolutely perfect for me tbh.

    Basically, I love and prefer physical books, but I mainly use digital ones! It's a little like photography. I still prefer film, but I can't remember the last time it wasn't a digital camera in my bag :)
     
    I've often been reading stuff on my phone; it's easily accessible as I basically always have it with me so I can read on the train, when I wait for stuff etc. So I actually think phone is my preferred reading tool haha.

    That being said, I have several shelves filled with physical books at home :3 both hardbacks and pocket versions. It's nice to hold them and look at them and scrolling down a webpage will never quite beat the flipping of a page with your finger. <3 So the traditional way to read has its charm still.

    But audiobooks? I have never been able to get into that. I keep getting bored with the voice droning on in my ear, or I tend to accidentally stop listening for a while and not know what's happened, or I wanted to "read" something again but it's more bothersome to dial back and find the spot in the audio again than it would have been to just flip a page back, scroll up, or even just move my eyes a tiny bit. I'm not an audio-reader, haha. Need dat visual sense, I suppose.
     
    I haven't read a physical book in quite a while, lol.

    E-books are just more convenient for me right now, for a variety of reasons going from price to portability.

    Never got into audiobooks though, I can't stand not being able to set my pace (part of the reading I'm not even that fond of anime compared to manga).
     
    Most of the time, I consume books via audiobook while doing other activities like biking, driving, etc., as I don't really have a ton of time to just sit down and read these days. It's a lot more convenient for me. I do read e-books from time to time...but like, even my most recent e-book read sat unread for like a month before I switched to Audiobook.
     
    Definitely not audiobooks. I can't follow along with them unless I have the words in front of me, which defeats the purpose. I have a slight preference of electronic over physical books because I get bad sweaty hands and I hate ruining the pages of innocent books with the sweat ;-; I remember in middle school I got a brand new book from the school library and I was very confused during the middle part and had to keep rereading it. There were dark spots on the middle pages from me holding them with sweaty hands. This poor book was brand new and nobody had read it before me. I feel bad
     
    I prefer audiobooks, since I can listen as I walk to work or somewhere else. It helps if the narrator does a good job of narrating, such as James Marsters' performance as the narrator of the Dresden Files. He really sold Harry's emotions to me, so that just made it that much better.
     
    Can't lie, e-books are convenient. I don't need a 3rd party light source and there's no worry for clutter. But I've always loved the feel of paperback. Turning a page is so much better than swiping down/pressing on a touch screen.
     
    Mew: it's a cross between print and audio for me, but I'll read electronic books from like archive.org or if an author has pdfs up! audiobooks can be a little hit or miss though, but if I find a good audiobook then I usually love it
     
    I love paper and I'd stick to that if I had an endless supply of shelves to put them in. But I don't, so I have to use ebooks instead. Audiobooks are too distracting to me... and too slow.
     
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