Hardcover or Paperback?

I don’t read as much as I should. Or as much as I used to. However, I have been reading a little bit more than usual lately and today I started thinking what type of book I enjoy most. I wasn’t thinking about genre. I was thinking about whether I enjoyed the physical book or the kindle/online/audio, etc. type of book.

Without having read on a kindle, I concluded that I enjoy having the physical book in my hands the most. Now I will say, Lea reads mostly on her kindle, so I have seen it in use. I just don’t think I’d like it personally. There’s just something about having the book in your hands. I like holding it and feeling the weight of the story. I love the smell of the paper. You know the whiff you get when you turn the pages or flip through them? That’s what I’m talking about.

I enjoy seeing the progress being made when I close the book and my bookmark is sticking out. I feel accomplished. Having the actual book in your hands just feels right. It feels classic and/or traditional. I’m not sure what else to say; there’s just something about holding the book in your hands and reading. 

Of course, I do love a good audiobook. So that would be my second way of consuming a great story. After I concluded I enjoyed holding the physical book more, I then went on to think whether I liked hardcover or paperback. If I had asked myself this three or four years ago I would have said hardcover. There’s nothing like a beautiful illustration on a hardcover book. Absolutely nothing like it. However, since I’m asking myself today I am going to say paperback. It’s so much more comfortable to hold when I’m reading. Some paperback covers also have a nice texture to them (at least the one’s I’ve read). 

So these are the questions I asked myself on the train this morning as I commuted into Chicago for work. Yes, the ride is so boring I have to ask myself these mundane questions lol. 

How about you? What do you prefer: physical or digital? Hardcover or paperback? Let me know!

Peter