Why is it that we love books so much? Is it the solid feel of them in our hands? The cover art? The new-book smell? The old-book smell? Is it being able to tell how far we’ve read into the book (and how much is left) without even looking? Is it that they can be read anywhere, without batteries or technology of any kind? Is it that our eyes get tired from screen reading in a way that they don’t from reading ink on paper? Is it that we can continue to read our printed book on an airplane during those times when digital devices must be turned off? Is it that we actually own printed books (not just the right to read them), and can put them on a bookshelf when we’ve read them, or lend them or swap them?
For us, it’s all of those things! And we’re clearly not alone: publishers are again reporting a significant fall in ebook sales, while the sales of print books continue to rise, for the second year in a row.
We have nothing against ebooks — we think any kind of reading is great! We know that ebooks have their conveniences (for example, they’re lightweight to pack for travel, and the ability to enlarge the font can be useful for visually impaired readers). But we’re glad they haven’t replaced the real thing. Because we love the real thing so much. Don’t you?
We bet you do! In fact, we’re inviting you to tell us the one main reason why you love print books … if you do, you’ll have a chance to win a free book! The book is a brand-new hardcover of a very heavily wishlisted book — the New York Times Bestseller Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll.
Luckiest Girl Alive
by
Jessica Knoll
ISBN 9781476789637, Hardcover
A young woman is determined to create the perfect life — husband, home, and career—until a violent incident from her past threatens to unravel everything and expose her most shocking secret of all. A riveting debut novel that reads like Prep meets Gone Girl, described by Reese Witherspoon as “one of those reads you just can’t put down!” This book currently has over 400 active wishes in the club.
Make a comment below before noon ET on Friday, May 27, 2016, and that will enter you into the random drawing to receive the book. NB: Contest open to PaperBackSwap members only (join here!).
Here are a few comments from some of our members to get you thinking:
“There are too many awesome bookmarks out there to never use them! I have some really old ones passed down from family members that make me smile every time I see them. You don’t get to use those bookmarks with ebooks!” ~ Jill H.
“It’s very nice to be able to pass a book around the family before I swap it.” ~ Rick M. (RickMatt)
“I really prefer to hold a physical book, and the feel of the pages as I am turning them.” ~ Diane G. (icesk8tr)
“I like the feel of a real book 📚. I find them easier to read and not as hard on my eyes 👀 as an e reader.” ~ Angela H. (Halti4)
Tags: Book Suggestions, Contests, PBS Market
I have always loved books. In grade school I would check out 10 books at a time for summer reading. It can take you away from the humdrum of daily life to anyhere in the world. I also like that it’s about people that seem real, I read a lot of romance fiction but I also love Abraham Lincoln and the Civil war era. I have a book called “Mayflower” which I look forward to reading. Never liked History in school, it seemed all it was was memorizing dates. Books bring it to life and help you understand what people went through in those times. Another favorite of mine was a series about the Oregon Trail, and westerns. I do not want to read an ebook. It wouldn’t be the same. I would love to win this book.
If a book engrossed me, I have to have a book in my hands. I tried an e-reader, but the battery doesn’t last long enough.
I have loved books my entire life – from the hard cover classic collection to our first set of encyclopedias. I have tried to disburse my vast library a couple of times in my life, but I always go back to reestablishing it. I think its the ability to watch yourself move through a hard copy book and having it on your shelf to remind you of the adventure you took while you read it that keeps me collecting them. In college I worked in the library and in real life I work for a Christian publishing company. The power of print on paper cannot be overcome by dots and twiddles on a screen, at least no in my world.
Paper books are tangible. You can hold them in your hands and flip through the pages, and it’s like holding an adventure in your hands. Ebooks are very convenient but files don’t provoke the same visceral excitement or anticipation, at least not for me.
I like to have a (real ) book because I seem to connect better to the story. There is so much technology in our lives now I like to read with no distractions
I have been reading books since before I could read. My grandmother read to me as a child and started my life-long love of books. Books provide a source of bonding, to share an amazing story with someone else. And sharing your feelings about them with another person is magical. I love to lend out my books to people, and it makes me feel good to share such great stories with other people. Just the feeling of handing a book to one of my friends feels good, and I know that when they finish it we can finally talk about it and share the experience. So I think that the physical book is far greater than the digital one, because you can share them. In addition, the concept of a library has been my greatest source of happiness, and running your hands along the bindings as you go down the bookshelf is a feeling you can’t get with an ebook. Libraries are beginning to convert to ebooks as well, and I surely hope that they don’t give up the real thing in the future.
I grew up with 8 siblings in a very small village near the Canadian border, long very cold winters. The town didn’t have much but it had a library. My father always had a book in his hands, and I followed suit. Always, when there was time, I got away from the hubbub of the household, retreating to my room with a book. I loved Lois Lenski as a kid. Later during my junior and senior years, out librarian became a snowbird to Florida for the winter months, and I got to run that little library for her. Books are an integral part of me, and my worry is I’ll die before I get all mine read.
I am an avid reader and love to read just about everything I can get my hands on. I do have an e-reader, but still love to read a “real” book. I have a library card but have read most everything (in my favorite genre). Books can take you to a whole new world and lets you experience other lives. They allow you to escape, but you can put them down to do other things and unlike TV programs, you won’t miss a thing when you put them down. I just love books!
I have always loved reading; started reading at 4 years old. I was teased and abused as a child and could escape into a story and that made things better for a little while. For Christmas and birthdays I asked for books or gift cards to book stores. I read every genre and just love having an actual book in my hands. It’s something solid, tangible, and comforting. I have an e-reader but it’s just not the same. You have to charge it or there’s an error and that can get frustrating. I read a series that real books were only owned by the extremely rich and not available to the general public. The books were considered antiques and kept locked away. They were not for actual reading. Libraries had been replaced by internet cafes and books were no longer being made because it was too expensive and paper was scarce. All books in this story were on computers or e-readers. It made me so sad to think that with how we are destroying our natural resources that some day this could happen. Books could become a rare item in a musuem. To not have an actual book to see, feel, read, and smell takes away from the experience and would be a tragedy.
I just love holding a book in my hand and I guess I’m just old fashioned but all the electronics give me the heebie-jeebies. I do use a computer (obviously) but some things just don’t need to change in my life. I like to curl up with a book and I usually am reading 2 or 3 at a time. I keep them in different parts of the house and in the vehicles so when I’m caught waiting I have something to read. Also, I save ANYTHING that would make a good bookmark.
I have loved books my entire life. My first trip to a library was so exciting and my first library card was like a rite of passage. Having an e-reader is not as exciting as holding a real book with pages full of wonderful adventures to devour and new worlds to explore.
If I have an actual book in my hand, I will read it. If I try to use my ebook reader, I get distracted from the book by email and other app notifications that pop up.
I accidentally bought a book I did not want on my kindle. I have never bought anything accidentally from a real book.
I really like the feel of a book and how I can easily check to see if I’m near a stopping point such as the next chapter. I think “real” books are also easier on the eyes than ebooks. Plus you never have to worry about the batteries dying!
I have been a book-a-day or more reader since I was a small child. When I read through the children’s books in our small town library, I went home in tears because the librarian would not allow me to check out other books. “They are too old for you, dear, you would not understand them.” My mother, furious, drove me back to the library and signed some forms which allowed me to read anything I wanted to check out. So I read everything I could get my hands on. Some made me want to take a fire hose and wash them out of my brain…(“God’s Little Acre” by Erskine Caldwell) . Fourth grade was a bit young for that one. I learned to self-monitor and to avoid those books that were well over my head, and books that made me want to throw them across the room. I read books that made me furious and sent me off in quest of differing viewpoints, books that pleased me and made me happy. I passed around favorites, gave them as gifts, bought them for my local library. I read everywhere I could grab a few minutes to myself and long into the night. I read to learn, to explore, to escape, to forget the problems of the day, to enjoy the sheer pleasure of getting to know someone in a book. I experienced the lives of people I would never have met and fell in love with certain authors and their characters. And the sheer joy of holding a new book in my hands has never left me. I have a Nook and a Kindle and a fast charger so they don’t die before I finish reading. But nothing evokes the sheer joy of holding a book with pages to turn. I like holding them, love bookmarks, love the smell, feel, and anticipation of a book that I don’t seem to get on the electronic devices. My parents and grandparents were readers, my children and grandchildren are readers. I cannot imagine life without a book! Some say we can create our own experience of Heaven. I assure you, mine has a huge library and authors who can write new books as quickly as I can read them.
Books have a fascination that starts and continues with each page turned.
The excitement when starting to read a new book is almost palpable. In fact, the analogy of going to the movies, and anticipating the upcoming picture is very similar.
At the end of a good book, I always try to rate the story, sequence, flow, and thread, and find myself filing that author away, as a “must read” for his or her other works, or it was ‘just readable”.
I own 3 e-books, but the book beside me at any time, is a hard cover or paper back. When I travel, or fly, e books are fine, but there is nothing like holding a real book in your hands….It is the real thing.
I presently have over 150 books that I “must” read…..and please do not ask when that task will be accomplished. The knowledge of those books waiting to be read is almost comforting.
I shall close by saying,……… that there is nothing that would replace my love for “real ” books, starting when I was 3 years old, and loved sounding out words. The fascination began then, and continues to this day.Books are the “real thing”…
Every night I curl up with a book before I fall asleep. I get on my pajamas, get under the covers, and read! I can’t imagine curling up with an e-book. Plus, I like the ability to carry a book around with me, to the doctors, to pick up my kids, anytime, anywhere. Ruth
Books help me to forget my existence in a real world, not necessarily getting caught up in the reality of the story characters but putting aside your cares for a moment. There is pleasure in reading a book! There is information to be gleaned from reading a book! I’ve discovered that persons who read are well rounded and informed individuals.
I can live so many vicarious lives through books. Turning pages and holding a solid hardcover (the bigger the book, the better) lets me be there, inside the book. I can snuggle with a book. I can turn pages back and forth and reread melodious passages. My husband may have cancer; my kids may be teenagers, but while I’m in that book my life is decreed by its pages.
I really like the feel of the book in my hands, I can’t tell you why, but I prefer a printed book over an ebook any day. I just like holding the real thing. I have trouble with my hands so most books I have to cut into Parts, and read each part at a time, hate to ruin the books but I figure everyone I do that to, another one gets sold. There is just something about holding the ral thing that I really love. Plus to me it is easier to go back to a page or 2 before to re -read something rather then clicking back to it etc….
It is so nice to take a break from all our screens when reading a book.
I love the communal aspect of books: they are easily lent and borrowed, they are easily viewed when you visit a friend’s house; their physicality is a potent reminder to read.
I have loved books all my life and each one ties me to others that have shaped who I am!
There is something humbling about reading a good book. I love a good story that takes you away from your current realm of life and places you in another world. Books of all kind are always in my presence and I feel empty if I’m not carrying at least one book. I’ve been known to carry around at least 3 books. When I was in elementary school that was one of my hobbies…to read! I would enter summer contests and see how many books I can read. I especially love having paperback swap around. I have a lot of books on my wish list but yet many more that I haven’t read at home in my reading nook. By the time I get to those my wish list books have been granted. I just recently went to The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles and can’t wait to go back. They have so many books and it’s a really a fun place to sit and read. It reminds me of something out of a Harry Potter movie.
Getting straight to the point, I am cheap. Used books are widely available and inexpensive to acquire at charity shops and through this site. The advantage of PBS is the ability to get the exact titles I am seeking. I also prefer print to an electronic screen. It’s a tactile thing.
There’s nothing quite like reading a physical book. My absolute favorite books to read are hardbacks with the paper covers on them, no bookmark necessary! I’m such an avid reader, I generally have at least three books “going” at a time. One in the bathroom, where else? One on my iPad and one on my phone, although with the Kindle app on the phone and iPad, this is more likely to be the same story so I can read it faster. I am NEVER without a good book to read where ever I am!
When i pass by my library and see the shelves filled with all the volumes i’ve read and all those i have’nt yet but look forward to reading, i feel like a very rich person. When a book is left out on a desk, a table, the bed, it still speaks to me, and the lives lived in those pages can be recalled and reexamined, allowing me to continue to ponder their revelations. A book seems to possess a soul…or at least it can speak to mine, in a way that an ephemeral (e) book cannot.
The heft and feel of a real book. You can feel the excitement and the character inside waiting for you to discover them. It becomes a real companion.
There is absolutely nothing like a book! While e-books are convenient for travel and lighter, there is no better way to read while on the beach. How can one keep sand from getting into their expensive devices? It’s also such a great perk to be able to go back and re-read a particular passage and I never have to worry about a battery charge!! Interesting question, if there weren’t real books, how would e-books even exist??
I like the anticipation of a new book coming in the mail. Of who sent it and how many people before me read it and enjoyed it. With an e book you just push a button and it’s just there with no history or love behind it.
A book to hold in my hands is a luxury I can well afford. It is an indulgence. A type of hedonistic pleasure. It is travel for the mind and soul.
What would I put on my bookshelves if I didn’t own printed copies of books? I could display my e reader and say things like ” No really, there’s like 50 books on that one shelf”.
My books lined up on my bookshelves – I love them! I can look at them and remember where I was when I was reading the pages. I love holding them in my hand and turning the pages, or eve dog-earring them so I can return to a certain place. There’s something tangible that a book offers that an e-reader just can’t offer.
It is my relax time before I go to sleep. I collect books. I have an entire room that is a library. I adore titles. You can never have too many cats or books.
I prefer physical books over e-books for a number of reasons. First, I use my iPad as my book reader and, when in its protective Otterbox case (virtually all the time), the iPad is far more heavy and awkward to hold than a paperback, trade or even a hardback. This makes reading in bed while reading an e-book almost impossible to do comfortably. Second, I sometimes like to soak in a warm bath and read a book. Wouldn’t dream of trying that with an e-book stored on any electronic device. Third, I have had spinal surgery in my neck and using an e-reader for more than 20-30 minutes causes debilitating neck pain; regular books don’t cause such pain, no matter how long I read. Fourth, I sometimes like to go back and re-read or refer back to key portions of books as I read (particularly with non-fiction, reference materials and fiction involving convoluted storylines). That is much easier to do with physical copies of books, particularly when there are so many e-books that don’t have indexes and chapter breaks that are common in physical copies. Fifth, my children like to have the ability to annotate novels they are assigned in school and, indeed, many teachers require them to do that. That is impossible to do with most e-books outside of the assistive technology arena.
I consider e-books as sort of pretend. If you have an e-book and the reading device is dropped, or the battery dies, or your electricity is off for a while due to a bad storm, you no longer have a book. When I have a paper book and the power stays out, or something heavy drops on it, or I drop it from a great height, I still have a book.
I love the printed book because it is liking talking face to face with a friend vs. email. The connection is much more real and substantial to me!
Beverlee
E-books are okay, if there are no physical books available. But I spend a lot of time on the computer everyday, so I don’t want to spend my relaxation time staring at another backlit screen. Plus, print on paper is easier on my eyes. Being able to share and swap books is like receiving and giving gifts.
To hold a book in my hands is to be grateful for the times I live in, because back in the 1400s before Gutenberg got busy with his invention, a common woman of the masses had no chance to escape into the printed word; either for education or entertainment. I can ruffle the pages and smell the ink and know I am privileged to own a book. That’s why I prefer real books.
One of the main reasons i prefer a book to an ebook is the ease with with i can refer back to previous pages. I never realized how often i flip back & forth (checking on names of characters, what color the car was, etc) until i read my first kindle book & realized how difficult it was to scroll back & forth…really find that limiting when i am reading an ebook.
I love a real book in my hands. For one thing it doesn’t have batteries that die or a bright screen that hurts your eyes. Don’t know why but it is a comforting thing to hold and read a real book.
I love printed books for many reasons. First, I can take the book anywhere I want; the gym, the beach, my work, and be able to read a book anytime I want. Next, I feel a part of the book as I flip the pages. As I flip to the next chapter, I can get a feel of what the main character is going through. Finally, printed books are the way people read hundreds of years ago. They sat by the fire or a lamp and engrossed themselves into a book.
I have love printed books as far back as I can remember. I love to search for used books at garage sales, library book sales and online. I enjoy rereading my favorite books and sharing them with others! Ebooks will never be able to match the real thing! Go Books!!!
I like to reread my favorite books. I like finding the part I want to read because it usually opens to that particular page. It’s hard to do that in an ereader. It’s easier to look back a few pages in a book if I want to check something out, like who a character is. I just plain love books!
I can’t imagine not holding a book in my hand while reading it. I love looking at the books that line my bookshelves – it’s a lot like visiting old friends. Ebooks are just not for me.
With a book you step into a world and get carried into an adventure that rides like a rollercoaster and as you see the end coming you mournfully rejoice for the next book of surprises. As we age, old stories on the bookshelves bring back new memories of awesome adventures. That’s why I love books.
Why do I love books? I love all books but I love the feel of a book in my hand, using a bookmark whatever that bookmark may be. I love passing along my books rather to a friend or to our school library and when appropriate which depends on the book I love to highlight and write notes in my books. Books, I just love books.
I love holding a real book in my hands. The print is easier on my eyes. I also read to my kids and sharing a print book is much easier.
I’ve been an avid reader my whole life. Over the years I’ve found ways to save on my book habit. I love going to a garage sale and finding a book I haven’t read yet for a $1. I also find them at rummage sales cheap. Their is a fundraiser sale every year where on the lastl day of the sale it’s $3 for all the books you can fit in a box. How can you go wrong. I like having the physical book because if it’s really good I can share it with friends and family, which you can’t really do with an ebook. I can get any kind of book from the library for free, but my preference is a paperback. The only downside is that I can’t read a physical book while I’m driving (like I can with an audiobook) or read it in the dark without a light like I can with an ebook on my Paperwhite.
I love how a book feels in my hand and being able to leaf back to find information I want to recheck…and you can always tell how far you are by that cute little book mark sticking out of it. I also love how they look on my shelves…all those amazing colors and font styles.