Ebooks vs Paperback vs Hardback
We all know that ebooks, paperbacks and hardbacks all have there positives and occasionally their negatives (but I mean how negative can it be when whatever form it’s in still contains an epic story!). But there is always the argument of which of the three is best. I do believe it is down to personal preference as many people will say ebooks are at the top of the list and some believe hardbacks are top tier. But as long as you are enjoying what you are reading does it matter what form it is in?
Ebooks
The market for E-readers is so expansive now and there is so many different options depending on the type of reader you are, there are the cheaper ones for the occasional reader but there are also some very expensive e-readers for the avid reader. I don’t really think it matters how much you spend on an e-reader personally I have had a very cheap one and now a more expensive one, the main thing I think is vital for an e-reader is for it to be backlit. This brings me to point no.1 of why I think e-readers are superior. If the e-reader is backlit then the possibilities are endless on where you can read your ebook. With the backlight included it means you can read in bed effortlessly without waking your partner with a garishly bright reading light, and it means you won’t be harming your eyes with strong light. Alongside the backlight making reading in bed at night more comfortable, the thinness of the e-reader makes it much more comfortable to read in bed. Also with an e-reader all your books are in one place, so if you like reading multiple books on the go then they are all in one place ready to read at any point. This means if you are going on a trip away or commuting to work or school you will always have your library of books with you without weighing your bag down with all your favourite chunky reads. My last point of why I think e-readers are superior is the price of the ebooks, often they will be a lot cheaper than a paperback or hardback. However, ebooks may be cheaper but they are not physical books and I think as an avid reader it’s so hard to prefer ebooks over physical books, don’t get me wrong I love my e-reader but it will never compare to a physical book.
Paperback
The paperback, the middle man. If you love to read but don’t want to carry around a heavy hardback and also don’t want an ebook then the paperback will alway be your go to choice. With so many retailers now it is easy to find discounted paperbacks as well as second hand from resellers so even though an ebook is still likely to be cheaper there are definitely places to find cheaper paperbacks and with buying second hand you are saving the planet also. I love the community a paperback brings together, like do you tab your paperback ? do you write in your paperback ? do you bend the spine ? do you dog ear the pages ? There are just so many different ways one person reads a paperback. Personally what I prefer about a paperback which you can’t do as effectively in an ebook is tabbing. I love to tab my book so I can go back to different points whenever I want, this is not as easy to do in an ebook. There’s something about having a paperback of a book, the way you can arrange your bookshelves by author or by colour or by series, there is a whole community just for arranging paperbacks. As much as I love the ease of an ebook and the ease of having all your books in one place a paperback is superior when it comes to annotating and just having your favourite books in physical form is so special
Hardbacks
The big one, the heavy one and the slightly more expensive one. Personally I can count on one hand how many hardbacks are sitting on my bookshelf right now. For me they are beautiful they really are but they are just not efficient for reading. I like to read in the bath, in bed and I travel a lot to work so a hardback is so difficult to read in those places. However, a hardback is often so beautiful and there is something special about a hardback. For me I will only buy a hardback if I am so excited for a release of a book or if there is a special edition of a book coming out like ‘The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue’ there is a special edition coming out towards the end of the year and it was so beautiful I couldn’t resist ordering it ! But for me I would rather buy a paperback over a hardback, I get the excitement when a book is released but when I see it is hardback my heart sinks a little only because I find them impractical. However, sometimes it is nice to have a hardback especially if they are special editions or if it is a book you have been waiting for, for a long time like ‘A Court of Silver Flames’ I just had to have it there and then even though I had the rest of the series in paperback I needed to read the next in the series as soon as it was released. Don’t get me wrong I do love a hardback it just isn’t my first choice.
Overall
Whatever form a book comes in and whatever form your prefer it really doesn’t matter as long as you are enjoying what you are reading and you are doing it for you. If you love to read then do it with love and delve into the nearest book and love it, really fall in love with the words because all that matters when you read is that you are enjoying yourself.
