I like being able to own books and see them on my bookshelf. They are like an accomplishment to me. However, as I get older I see that it is quite expensive. I do have a library card but I feel rushed to read the books I get and so I don’t go as much. I also read online, and I agree it’s enjoyable and convenient. What are your opinions? What are the downsides and upsides of each?
by Urkiahitzu
11 Comments
I’m reading on my e-reader. Also reading app for smartphone is a cool thingy. No downsides for me. I know some people are listening an audiobooks and loving it.
Shortly, online is better for me.
I like physical copies of books because any digital media you buy can be taken from you without notice and I don’t want to go to the library, I want to BE the library
I normally buy online because there aren’t many bookstores in my area, and I always forget about my library books and end up returning them late. Bookstores are great, but as you said, expensive, and they don’t always have what you’re looking for in stock. It can also be difficult to make time to visit one if you don’t live close by. Libraries normally have good selections, and you can place holds, but keeping track of what you check out can be stressful. Online is convenient and often cheaper, but there’s none of the fun of examining shelves.
I’m always amazed at how common rereading books seems to be for people here. With few exceptions I’m one and done. I don’t need to carry a physical representation of what I read with me for the rest of my life. Free library ebooks for me please.
I almost exclusively use the library. I guess the wait times could be considered a downside but I’m pretty patient and have a long enough list of books to read that I’m rarely just waiting on a book to come in without another one to read in the meantime. I’ve heard people say they feel pressured to rush through library books but I’ve never felt that way.
I usually try to buy hardcovers if I know I’m going to read it again or it’s an author I like, everything else comes cheap, used or free. I have some strong views about intellectual property rights and don’t like putting money towards the dead or those no longer producing superlative works, unless it directly supports keeping lesser known critical works in print. If I’m not buying; library, open seas, whatever has it. Sometimes I scan and share if it’s expensive or out of print and donate to my alma mater, I like to give back to the community what supported me in trying times.
Long story short had to donate my entire book collection years ago when I had to urgently downsize my life and now as a result like to keep things to a minimum so I only buy physicals of my favorites which is still only like 10 nearly a decade later.
But I still like to have a personal library so I buy digitally. Mostly only on sales so it tends to heavily dictate what I end up reading but between that and public domain books I’m pretty happy.
Downside is that through the kindle storefront I imagine I don’t actually *own* the books so I’m sure there’s a scenario where I lose access which would be kind of a bummer but it might motivate me to go back to physical again
Libraries are good because they are free, which is always nice. I like being able to walk around and look through books, and just pick one up without having any commitment to it. I just finished Radiance, which I’d never heard of before but I thought it looked interesting, and it was fantastic. But I’d never have read it if I had to pay first.
Online stores are good because you can get specific books. I recently bought ‘US Naval Gunfire Support in the Pacific War’ online, and I doubt I’d have been able to find that book in any store or library near me.
And personally I don’t go to bookstores, they just seem like a bad mix of a library and online stores. But if you’re in an area with a poor library system, or you just read enough that you can’t find anything new at the library, then I can see the appeal. And I guess having them on your bookshelf is nice, but those fill up pretty quick so I’m usually choosing between stuff I actually like and want to display, and whether or not a random book I have is back in the library or in some corner shelf where it’ll never be seen doesn’t matter much to me.
Main downside of owned physical copy is cost and shelfspace if you read a lot you run out of shelf space very quickly and you can’t take advantage of deep sales that you get from digital copies, so the cost is as a baseline higher. Ownership status is a lot better then digital however and if you read slowly/little it can be a problem to finish the books before the loan is up for library.
The main advantage of library is cost as it is free and the main downside is that you need to deliver it back and access is limited by the number of copies in the library system so you often need to wait for it to come to the correct library. The problems are a lot less acute when you read a lot since if you finish a lot more then 4-5 books a month the wait for something is rarely that long and you won’t be forced to read quicker then normal to finish something before the loan expires.
e-book also doesn’t have shelf space issues and give you the book on demand and generally have deeper discounts then physical the ownership status is somewhat worse then physical however. E-book has a higher upfront cost because you need to buy an e-reader first
In general if you read a lot I would recommend library and e-book just because of the shelfspace issue with physical copies.
library for audiobooks, bookstores for my stuff I want to touch
I only buy books that have a sentimental value bc I rarely reread them. If I do buy books, I always check Thriftbooks first.