Blogger: Rachel Kent
I saw this poll on Facebook today and thought it would be fun to host one here.
How do you read books?
Ebook
Print book
Audio book
or a mix of them?
Feel free to use percentages to help us understand your reading habits!
I’d guess I am a 95% print book and 5% ebook reader. I like to have a physical copy in my hand!
Hope you all have a great day and a wonderful weekend!
80 percent ebooks (A habit picked up while traveling)
20 percent print
no audio
My millennial son: 100% print
My millennial daughter >85% print
Me: depends on the topical area.
History for my website: I try to get print, but some are only available or affordable as ebooks. So 85-90% print, 15-10% ebook
Novels: 50/50
Bibles: mostly print except when trapped somewhere waiting. Then ebook
Theology: about 50/50. Lots of classics available for free or cheap at Amazon.
Writing craft: 75% ebook, 25% print.
Audiobooks: only when we travel, but then we listen to a lot of them. My husband keeps telling me I need to read my two completed ones into MP3 before the next long trip, but that will take more than 10 hours each. Of course, I could use it as a give-away for followers’ emails. I own all rights. Hmmm.. Maybe it’s time to get recording.
You can’t really tell with millenials, can you? My two (who are probably more i-gen than millenial) insist on paper. My son has a sensory integration issue, so that may be part of his preference. He hates reading anything on a computer screen because of the flickering that no one else can see.
Off topic. Andrew’s not here because he’s having another horrible day. Prayers would be much appreciated!
He’s on my mind constantly.
I read all my books in print 100%
I sample books I’m interested in (but haven’t committed to purchasing in print) on ebook (via Google Play Books). If it’s yay, I buy print. If it’s nay, I delete the sample.
About 65% print, 35% ebook
100% print.
Because I stare at a computer screen all day, i like to give my eyes a break.
I do software development so I stare at a screen all day as well. I thought about that for a moment and almost agreed. But then I thought about my phone usage in the evenings and decided I would be lying. 😉
It varies, just depending. But here lately I’ve been reading 85% ebook, on my tablet. I don’t do it intentionally, but someone will offer a book for free or a really good price, and I can’t pass it up. Click. Download. And as my eyes are aging, I sure love the light the tablet provides during the evening hours (when everyone else is watching a movie in the dark, and I’m reading by kindlelight). It’s even funny to see myself writing this, because I was irritated when my husband bought that tablet for me. What a waste of money! Now, I think he’s a little irritated at himself for buying it. Let’s just say, money wasn’t wasted. And I have a fairly small house … I don’t have room to store many more books, and we aren’t known for giving any away. 🙂
As eyes go downhill, it’s even better to be able to increase the font size. As my father-in-law’s macular problems got worse, he could still read on the Kindle Fire we got him.
Aww, that’s sweet.
Shelli, I know what you mean about storing books. I’ve had books in shelves in every room of my house including the bathroom and basement, the kitchen, and even stored in boxes in my car. I often read more than one book per week and the library in our neck of the woods doesn’t carry much Christian Fiction, so getting lots of books online is the only route I have. I read my text white letters on black so it doesn’t strain my eyes, and I love that I don’t need glasses to see the print–I just grow the font!
I have never read an eBook. My wife does, but I just cannot bring myself to do so. So my breakdown looks like this:
100% Print.
Used to be 90% Print, and 10% Audio, but I have been indulging in podcasts lately on my commute to and from work, so the Audio Books have “taken a back seat!” HA!! Get it???
Damon, check out the free (because pre-1926) books by Andrew Murray, Tozer, RA Torrey, and Sadhu Sundar Singh (John Stott quotes him). Worth having a Kindle just for these!
Thank you Carol! I will do that.
Hmmm … I’d say as far as reading goes I’m probably about evenly divided between print books from the library and ebooks that I purchase. I will listen to audio books in the car with my kids, but not usually on my own for myself. As far as purchasing books, I will buy print books for my children but purchase almost 100% of the books for me for my Nook
My percentages, hope it helps……JASON
75% of the 4 books I own are hardcovers, 25% are soft covers. I’ve read 6-7% of 33 1/3% from the 75% that makes up my hard cover collection and 17% of the 100% that makes up my soft cover collection. I’ve read 100% the words breathed out by God in .08% increments 1000’s of times. I have never listened to a book, but back in the day when I was courting my wife, I did curl up the couch one evening and read a good movie. I think it was French, but I couldn’t pay attention to what was happening because I was trying to keep up with the subtitles. I think it was a drama because I noticed Kristie, my future wife at the time crying. Whenever I see her crying while watching a movie, I pull a few nose hairs out when she isn’t looking. Those fake tears have gotten me a ton of affection over the years. Anyways, hope this helps…….Jason
70% e books
28% “tree” books
2% audio books
I’d say 98% real books. I mainly take the Kindle when I’m traveling. Which isn’t very often. But I much prefer holding a book, looking back, looking ahead, marking with highlighters, and most joy of all…Bending the corner when I want to keep a page for future reference! Breaking of an absolute rule my librarian boss drilled into my skull years ago.
I’d say 99% print and 1% audio.
Since I prefer print books and don’t need both versions, I never buy the audio, although I will listen to them if they’re gifted to me. For long car trips, audio is nice, but as long as someone else drives, I’m happy to be the voice of our “audio” book. It’s less expensive and more fun. 😉
Glad you asked! My stats are similar to Jennifer’s, but rapidly trending up on audio and print. Currently:
70% eBook
20% print
10% audio
I’d love to revisit this a year from now and see how it plays out.
About 90% print and 10% ebooks. I have just started listening to audiobooks (not enough to factor in the percentage yet).
I have a hard time processing things through listening, so I’ve always avoided them. With novels, I get frustrated because I read so much faster than I can listen. And with nonfiction, I need to take notes and highlight a lot. But I’ve found that I like listening to memoirs, especially if they’re read in the author’s voice. Even those, I still prefer reading, but the audiobooks are nice for long drives.
100% print book for me!
I might read an ebook if I were traveling, but I definitely prefer print and never read/listen to audio books.
I’m about 50-50 between print and e-books. I’ve never listened to an audio book, but maybe that’s because I struggle to keep up with all my podcasts.
Interestingly, when I’m reading a print book, I wish I could search for a name or access the dictionary. When I’m reading an e-book, I wish I could easily go back two chapters without the risk of losing my place. I guess I want the best of both worlds.
100% print.
99% print book. Once in a while when I’m away from home I’ll read something on my Kindle, but I have lots of books there I’ve never read. I’m on the computer for hours every day with writing and social networking and don’t want to spend my free time there. And e-books just aren’t the same as “real” books.
Fiction–almost 100% ebook unless someone gives me a paper copy of something.
Non-fiction 75% paperback so I can flip back and forth, dog-ear and write in notes.
Fiction:
95% ebooks – I love my Kindle and I’ve probably got to the point that if it isn’t available as an ebook, I won’t read it.
5% audiobooks – great for when I’m making cheese or preserving
Non-Fiction:
95% print books
5% ebooks
It’s been a long and winding road, but here’s where I am at. Originally, it was all print book. You can read the in the bathtub or poolside, after all! Then, as I got older, my allergies to the mold that gets on paper got worse. Now a book that is even a couple of years old sets them off. (Someone told me it might actually be the ink. Or it could be that I’m reading in the bathtub too much and the paper’s getting wet, and later, moldy.) Now, it’s all ebooks. (I have a waterproof case so need fear of electrocution.) The nice thing about ebooks is that you can take them with you without feeling like you’re getting a work out. Plus, when my favorite authors don’t choose their cover art wisely, I never feel like I need to slip my book inside a fake cover.