Digital vs Physical Books – I'm joining in the debate

Digital vs Physical Books

We all know that this subject has been done to death, but I didn't know what else to write about and I want to write something (also, I have three ideas for full length novels that I'm putting off starting).

I have no clear opinion, but I will write my viewpoints on the pros and cons of each, and who knows – I may change my mind and come to a final conclusion!

DIGITAL PROS

• You can have so many more books without taking up any more space in your house.

• Books are cheaper – you can get so many more.

• So convenient – going on a trip? Pull our your eReader and get reading. No more finishing one book and not having another to read.

DIGITAL CONS

• No nice book smell.

• Harder to hide behind, as it's generally only half the size of an open book.

• You can't show off a bookcase full of books.

• No excitement when a parcel with books in it arrives.

• Can't read properly if sat in the sun – glare on the screen.

• Charge runs out (and I always forget to put things on charge).

PHYSICAL PROS

• Display of pretty covers.

• Smell (it's a very important contributing factor, okay?!)

• You get to hold a book in your hands.

• Generally easier to know how much is left to read.

• Bookshelves – no need to say more.

• Don't worry about charging – a book can't run out of charge.

PHYSICAL CONS

• Space – can't have tons of books without taking up loads of room.

• Expensive – you can get some cheap second hand, but new books are generally quite pricy. (Don't get me started on hardback prices).

• Easy to damage. If there's a fire, you're losing them all. If there's a flood, good luck drying them out on the radiator.

• They break – pages rip, or fall out. There are people who will fold down the corners (which I don't mind, but I have a friend who would murder me if I did it to one of her books). My Mum's bookshelf has some books that are so old the covers have fallen off.

• Losing your place – an eReader generally saves your place automatically. If you close a book, without checking the page number or marking the page, you have to flick through until you see something you recognise, then try and figure out where exactly you were.

So, as it turns out, there are quite a few cons to both. Personally, if I want to buy a book, I will buy a paperback. Usually, they're about £7.99. I probably could get the digital version for about £2.99, at most.

However, I think the physical version of books is more of a lifestyle thing, and I am definitely lead that type of lifestyle. I have an eReader (which I bought at least six years ago, when it was on offer... I got 50% off!) and it is old, slow and takes forever to load. That might be because I used to download as many free books as possible. I have at least 80 on there that I have never read. However, if I need to go on a really long train journey or something, it would be wonderful, as I would never run out of new books to read before the journey is over.

There is a certain glamour to physical books. Reading by fairy lights is so much more aesthetic than reading from a bright screen (although both are probably bad for your eyes... read in appropriate lighting, kids. Don't strain your eyes.) Pulling a book out of your bag is so much more appealing than pulling out an eReader. Likewise, a book is only a good present if it's a physical copy.

And I'm never going to let someone borrow a digital copy of a book. (Not that I'd happily let them borrow a physical copy... I did once and I didn't get it back for about four months. I practically stole it back, because I was at the house of the friend that had borrowed it and I saw it. It went into my bag and home with me. I knew she had finished reading it because she had told me over text a couple of weeks earlier.)

Okay, I think I came to a conclusion – while I am happy to read from an eReader, and they are so much more convenient, my preference is a physical copy (although, I much prefer paperbacks to hardbacks. I'm not sure why, I think it's because paperbacks are so much easier to hold and read from different angels, such as when laying down.)

So that rounds it off. Are you more of a physical fellow or a digital delight? (I can't come up with alliterative sentences very well).

Also, the formatting for this was a nightmare, I'm not sure if the font is smaller than it usually is, but I can't be bothered to do anything more to try and make it look better.

For now, then...

Bye!