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Ebooks are my first choice because they enable me to carry hundreds of books around with me wherever I go. It’s easy to bookmark where I stopped reading, and I never have to worry about having an allergic reaction to them.
With that being said, I did begin to learn to enjoy audiobooks last year. It’s nice to listen to a story unfold while you’re doing chores or taking a walk, especially if it’s something I’ve read many times before.
Sometimes I get distracted while using audiobooks, so my preference is to save them for rereads of old favourites. This way it doesn’t matter if I accidentally tune out for 10 minutes. I’ll still know what happened and what will happen next.
Paper books often cause uncomfortable allergic reactions for me if they have any mold, mildew, or dust in them at all. The older a book is, the harder it becomes to completely avoid these things in them. My immune system is pretty sensitive to the slightest whiff of this stuff. If only I could somehow monetize that superpower!
I tend not to read paper books for this reason unless I’m travelling somewhere that doesn’t have reliable internet or electricity. With that being said, they’re an awesome choice if you’re going camping in the middle of nowhere or if the power goes out.
I go back and forth- I read paper and ebooks probably in more or less equal amounts? It just depends on where I am when I find a book I want since I’m such a mood reader!
That makes sense!
I use a US-based site called PaperbackSwap to swap print books and there are so many people who request books from smoke-free or pet-free homes for that reason. Allergies can really mess with you in that regard.
Yes, those are great examples as well. I also need to avoid them. So many people do!
The ability to carry multiple books in one of the real advantages of the kindle. While I like paperbacks, ebooks are the way to go when traveling.
Absolutely!
LOL—my reply to this week’s question is “yes.” Though I do tend to prefer some kinds of books in certain formats. I do a lot of my non-fiction reading on audio, and cozy mysteries just feel “right” in paperback, for example.
Interesting! Have you ever tried to figure out why you feel that way?
It’s very, very situational for me. After my dad had a stroke, I bought him a bunch of audiobooks. (His eyesight is horrible, and getting worse.) And I listen to some of them on long car trips. Mostly I grab eBooks for anything I’m not too concerned with keeping — an electronic book made of hundreds of other books is wonderful! But physical copies for anything that I want to make sure I still have after the end of the world.
I’m so glad your dad has access to audiobooks!
But, yeah, physical copies are best for books you want to keep forever.
Never thought about allergies being an issue with books, but it makes sense. I use to love ebooks but as you get distracted with audio, I do with ebooks, I lose my place a lot.
Goodness! Are physical books better for your attention span?
I had never thought of allergies, but I can see how that works. Paperbacks do pick a lot of things up – I had one from Amazon which reeked of fish and chips for some reason.
I’m chuckling as I try to imagine how a book would pick up those scents. Wow!