E-Books or Print Books?

No doubt about it, e-books and e-readers are here to stay.  I resisted the transition for a long time.  I worried, and still worry, that traditional print books will soon end up on the Land of Misfit Toys with cassettes and CDs after song downloads hit the record industry like a ton of bricks.  While I own a reader, I prefer and typically buy traditional books.  Nothing beats the smell of fresh print, the feel of paper and the heft of a great read in your hand.  I use my e-reader primarily for short stories that are either free to download or are at a really low price.  For example, I discovered "Evermore" by Alyson Noel for just $2.99 once.  I read through it at a rapid pace and went on to purchase the rest of the series but in physical book form.  When a new book comes out that I'm excited for is released, I rush to the bookstore, not to the PC to download.  So perhaps there is room for both formats to survive and exist peacefully.  Although sometimes the battle over e-books versus traditional books seems more heated than the Ewings' battle for the Southfork.  I polled the BWOBNY crew to see what format(s) they preferred.

Print, because I don't have an e-reader, or a tape/cd player in my car.





Eileen: Definitely print. I like my Kobo but it's mostly used when I'm traveling. Even then I miss the character of "real" books, the smell and weight and the cover art.

Jennifer C: While I love print books and have hundreds of them, I use my kindle equally as much, because there are many authors that I read that only put out e-books.

Jess B:  Print. The smell of the books themselves has given me the feeling of home as far back as I can remember. Just walking into a book store almost brings me to my knees.

Jess P: Print because someone stepped on my kobo...lol






 KC:  I love reading on my Kindle. I didn't want to, but I do. Pretty much all of my book reading is now on my Kindle because I don't have to worry about deciding which to take with me, I just take them all. And all of my graphic novels are on my iPad now. And I was able to get most of my grad school texts in e format so I only have to carry one device instead of a stack of books. I know . . . I fought wanting to like e-reading . . . and then someone gave me a Kindle for my birthday a couple of years ago and it's been a very quick transition to an all e-book library. I never have eyestrain with it and I have Calibre on my computer to make sure I don't lose anything if my devices crap out. *Sigh* I have been assimilated.

Rachel: Print. I've been trying to use e-readers more to be able to sell them in the store. But when the device dies or my eyes hurt from the glare or the page won't turn, I'm reminded why books are far superior.

Rebecca T: I mainly read print books, because that's what I have the most of. But now that I have my Nook I'm doing a lot more ebook reading than I used to. I love both mediums!    






What do you guys think?  Do you prefer e-books? Traditional books? Both?  Share with us !