Reading book on the phone or a kindle doesn't feel the same

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I've been reading a nice, thick hardcover novel recently, with high-quality pages and a colourful dust jacket, and the experience really is immaculate. I like that I could whack someone over the head with this, if I really wanted to. I honestly do think that paperbacks and digital screens are pretty interchangeable, these days, but if I'm reading a big, thick, difficult book that I really want to spend a lot of time with, I think physical hardcovers might just win out.

Hardcover books are so cool looking (and more expensive) but somehow I am not that fan of them nor paperback but I am more comfortable with pocket editions as I can basically carry them anywhere and hold them with one hand.

On the other hand I think hardcovers are the best for dictionaries, encyclopaedia among many informational/technical books since they're made to be used not in order.

You people actually read books?

Yes, today we have ways to make people, even blind and depth, be able to read books.

Either on paper or on the phone (or even in audio although it's not fully the same thing to me).

In a way of speaking, there is no real excuses to not read books in 2025.

I'm not asking people to read War and Peace, Crime and Punishment nor Les Misérables but even a simple novel is better than not reading at all.

 

[Antilocal123]

Staring at paper > Blue Light no shit

Unless it’s for a novel you aren't able to buy due to finances or regional issues, just read the physical copy lol

 

[Gorse]

You people actually read books?

Telling people I do this IRL is like admitting I'm a caveman or something. Literature is important.

 

[fake-kun]

In a way of speaking, there is no real excuses to not read books in 2025.

Not even ADHD and depression so severe you can't even hold down a job?

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Staring at paper > Blue Light no shit

Unless it’s for a novel you aren't able to buy due to finances or regional issues, just read the physical copy lol

Kindles don't emit blue light but I do agree that e-ink isn't the same as actual paper.

Telling people I do this IRL is like admitting I'm a caveman or something. Literature is important.

That tells a lot about a society you're living in if they see you with weird eyes just because you read.

Fahrenheit 451 tells about how people spend most of their times watching the TVs on the walls, talking to their "families" (actually, programs that reacts to the viewers, kinda like video games without being actual games) and listening to the "shells" (like earbuds) when they're in the bed.

In fact, the firemen burning books is a rare occurrence and mostly for show rather than being constantly doing it.

Not even ADHD and depression so severe you can't even hold down a job?

Aren't books one good remedy for depression?

As for ADHD I cannot really tell outside of medicine but a nice thing about books is that you can go at your own pace and take all the time needed to read a page.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I think that a Kindle is still more convenient for massive books and for series I can hardly find.

I mean I got Les Misérables (in five books) and A Series of Unfortunate Events (in 13) so it makes it more convenient to read them back-to-back.

 

[Deleted member 179251]

Same. I read books to get away from digital screens, so reading them on screen just doesn't feel that exciting.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Same. I read books to get away from digital screens, so reading them on screen just doesn't feel that exciting.

I'd argue that e-ink has the advantage to not hurt the eyes like a normal backlight screen but I do agree that looking at actual paper isn't the same.

And as I said:

I mean I got Les Misérables (in five books) and A Series of Unfortunate Events (in 13) so it makes it more convenient to read them back-to-back.

I only download books I couldn't properly find (like Robinson Crusoe) but they're not too hard to find for an affordable price. The only issue is the space, not everyone can have a full dedicated library...

I even got to find a hardcover (yet small sized) two-pack of the first one I mentioned. I also found the novelization of the first Back to the Future movie (I read Part 2).

 

[Sfjeov]

True but getting epubs or pdfs of these books online from certain sources are so convenient and accessible.

 

[Facesforce]

I swapped over to a color eink device last year, although I used to be a paper book only Stan.

It's just a matter of economics to me; They charge way to much for books stateside. When I was in Japan last year, I picked up a new copy of the next Spyxfamily manga to enjoy. After tax and everything, it cost only $3.50. With a color insert and dust cover.

I come back stateside and see the price: $10.99. No color inserts. No dustcover.

So it's kind of made me jaded with the prices here.

So that little device has become my go-to for reading now, like @Sfjeov was saying, there are resources for books that cut down the cost by quite a bit.

 

[Froggy.EXE]

book smell <3

 

[CardcaptorEd2019]

I absolutely prefer physical books over digital. I like the feel of the book, the smell of it, and the texture of the pages whenever I turn the page.

I know this isn't the manga section, but I feel the same way with physical manga or digital manga. I use Mihon, which allows me to read hundreds of manga on my smartphone. Which is incredible and very convenient to be able to read almost every manga and all I have to do is type it in a search box. I'm very grateful for that, but convenience aside whenever I get the chance to read a physical manga it feels way more appealing to me than digital manga.