How do you prefer your book?

There are purists who read only physical copies. There are those who read only e-books. I even met people who stick to audiobooks only (although, those are usually parents with babies and they don’t have much choice).

I’m omnivorous when it comes to the medium. I consume books from paper, e-books or audiobooks. My Kindle library is spread throughout several gadgets, including the actual Kindle.

Out of a wrong habit I try to minimize physical copies, so I buy them only when there’s no e-book available. My main reason for doing so will sound funny to some, and, probably, should sound funny to all. I’m sad for the trees. The reason is wrong because, apparently, books are not made from some free wild forests. They are made from the trees grown specifically for this purpose. Thus, it’s better for our air. The more books we buy the more trees they plant, the more oxygen is produced while the trees are growing. As for plastic Kindle and other gadgets… Well, you know where I’m going with this.

Another advantage of a physical copy is that it’s yours. No publisher will knock on your door and take the book back because there was some mix-up with license. That does happen to electronic versions. You also won’t be prosecuted for passing your copy to a friend, or simply leaving it on a bench in the park. But what is it called when you leave your book online for others to read? Right, it’s a crime. As a cherry on top, with a physical copy nobody is spying on you. What you browse, like, dislike or underline in the book stays only with you, unless you decide otherwise.

Still, my library is dominated by electronic copies. I wave off my privacy, my freedom to handle a book the way I see fit, in exchange for emptier shelves and lighter suitcases. And, well, for a life of a tree 🙂

4 thoughts on “How do you prefer your book?

    1. An audiobook can be tricky at first if you have never tried it because it’s easy to get distracted. But if you are doing something monotonous, like housework, it’s perfect! 🙂

  1. I got a tablet last year and now at least half of the books I read are electronic (borrowed from the library which has a really good selection of the latest ones). I don’t actually prefer one format to the other, each has disadvantages. If it’s a book I want to keep, I want it in paper. I don’t listen to audiobooks because I don’t have the attention span for listening! Hello, by the way – I think we maybe started out blogs around the same time. Really struggling for time at the moment so just one or two posts a week from me.

    1. Hello! Thanks for you lovely and interesting comment! I’m sorry it took me some time to reply to it. I seem to have been struggling for time too, recently. I liked how you said that each format has it’s “disadvantages”. That’s an usual way to talk about it, a new angle. Usually, people talk about advantages, but you are right, there are disadvantages to each. I don’t think I can use libraries on the Moon that I happen to be. Most of things blocked for this place, even when electronically. I’m lucky I have access to Kindle books. Anyway, I’m happy to meet you and I’m excited we started at about the same time! I’ll be looking forward to your posts!

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