Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read. –Groucho Marx
What is your preferred form of reading these days? Does it vary? Do you find yourself reading more, or less?
23 thoughts on “Reader Friday: How Do You Read?”
Not sure if you mean the medium or the type of book. But I prefer to read on Kindle wherever possible first because of vision issues and second because generally speaking,books are immediately accessible on an e-reader. That cuts out me having to wait until I have time to go to the library or the bookstore.
When I buy print it is for non-fiction that I purchase for research and reference and need to be able to mark up. In this case, while you can highlight in Kindle, marking up and returning to those pages is still easier in print form.
As to what I read: 99.9% non-fic. Right now I’m in a career rut, trapped in the job from hell, so I’m trying to read everything I can that affects career development, with a focus on things I don’t naturally gravitate toward but which will ultimately help me in my writing career and other business forms–books on small business operation, marketing, originality, internet presence, etc.
That other 0.1% is fiction either suspense or thriller, generally books recommended or promoted here. I just don’t find that much historical fiction that appeals to me.
Meant to add, one of the things I started doing a couple of months ago is keeping track of the books I read in an Excel spreadsheet. Sounds geeky, I know, but it has come in handy. Sometimes I’ll borrow a book on inter-library loan (recently volume 1 of a bio on Andrew Jackson) but because the book has so much good note-taking content, I can’t possibly finish it in the 3 weeks allotted for the borrow. So keeping track of it in the spreadsheet helps tremendously so I can either a) purchase my own copy later or b) borrow it again.
I can’t tell you the time I’ve wasted NOT writing down this stuff before and then when the time comes that I need to purchase or borrow the book, I can’t remember exactly which one it was. The spreadsheet saves me all that hassle.
Kindle all the way. Phone, laptop, or tablet. Only way to go. 🙂
Library for trial authors, or for book club, or for authors whose publishers think $14.99 is a fair price for an ebook. I don’t. Retirement and downsized our housing means less room for print, so any book I’m going to keep in print has to be special.
I have a Nook tablet which includes a Kobo and Kindle app. I’m more interested in the story than the way it’s presented. All have plusses and minuses. I like not having to hold a heavy book, or get wrist strain trying to read the words that flow into the gutters. I like the back light feature so I can read in bed and not bother the Hubster. I don’t like having to remember to charge it, but that’s a ‘me’ thing. I forget a LOT of things. I almost always have 3 books going at once.
I like that if I’ve forgotten I’ve read a book, my Nook will warn me before I purchase it a second time.
Kindle for fiction, physical books for nonfiction and reference. As much as I like the ability to store hundreds of books in a 6″X8″ package, I don’t retain what I read on-screen nearly as well as with physical books.
Is there a connection between lower comprehension/retention in digital media and the abysmal seventh grade reading level of today’s college freshmen? I have to think there is.
I’ve started back on audio books last week. I purchased 3 books for $0. I must have neglected my audiobook account for some time. Not even sure where I got all the credits. lol
Audio books is something I’ll have to try again. I’ve done it on a very, very limited basis—I listened to a book whose author I forget–he’s a very well known historian in Civil War material, and I listened to War & Peace on audio (I don’t think I would’ve successfully completed reading that one!). But other than that, really haven’t gone the audio route.
Who knows, I’m starting to use dictation more for getting my ideas down. Maybe I’ll begin to use audio more in the future as well.
I find myself regressing to the way I was as a young teenager. When I finish a Very Good Book, I generally won’t start another one right away. I like to savor the one I just finished for a while.
Usually reading on my Kindle, but with the hot weather and the beach calling my name, paperback or hardcover. For fun, I use an actual toe tag for my book mark. The double-take glances are hilarious!
I read a lot on my Kindle app, but lacking funds for new ebooks, I also visit the library. This past week I scored a stack of cozy mysteries and the second book of Corey’s The Expanse. I have eclectic tastes.
I’ve been reading more lately! Even while de-cluttering and sending tons of books to the Friends of the Library for their annual sale, I’m picking up more good reads from the library, getting the books I kept read (finally) and beginning to work my way through the books I have tucked away on my Kindle. I still like a hardcover the best. Paperback print is too small and the ebooks just don’t have the same feel…plus you have to “turn” the pages too often.
I also have some advance review copies to read and review, and a manuscript to beta read, so I’m getting a wide range of genres this summer.
I am doing a lot more reading on my phone these days. It was always my practice to “never be without a book” when going places like the bank or the doctor’s office. But I’d forget sometimes and be stuck with noting to read (except maybe a year old Sports Illustrated or Modern Parent). I download a lot of samples now, too, and if I’m gripped I’ll buy the whole thing…so in practice, I’m reading a lot more.
What I am lacking is time. Time to read everything I want. So that has led me to change my reading habits. Most fiction and memoirs, I get at the public library (best bargain in town.) Research, references and cook books, I buy in hard copy. Sorry, Kindle just does not do it for me for cookbooks.
Similar to a previous comment, I always have my Kindle on my iPad, so I am never without something to read.
So much to read, so little time.
All pleasure reading is now done on my iPad via the Kindle and Nook apps. I haven’t read as many books so far this year as in the past, but that’s more a time issue than anything else. The biggest change in my reading habits over the past year or so is that I had to obtain a library card for a project. It turns out my library is big on the ebook thing, and I’ve become enamored of how easy it is to check out ebooks and read them on the Kindle app (other formats are supported, but the Kindle app is the easiest). I’m buying a lot few books than I used to as a result. The only non ebooks I’m interested in are cookbooks and things that are not available as ebooks.
Oh, yeah, part of the reason I’ve read less this year is I had hip surgery in January. While you would think this would free up time for reading, the drugs ruined my ability to concentrate for several weeks.
I can really sympathize with you, catfriend! I had back surgery awhile back and I clearly remember spending a lot of time in bed reading. I even remember enjoying it very much. By the time the pain meds were gone and I was back on my feet, I had an impressive pile of read books on my dressing table.
Now, if only I could remember what was in them . . .
😉
I’ve been reading more this year but in more ‘binge reads’ rather than a consistent diet:) I read on my kindle as well as hard copy form and feel comfortable shifting between the two mediums. As I’m getting back to my middle grade project I’ve been inhaling lots of middle grade and YA books – which is fun! My boys now give me recommendations and reviews of the books they have read so I can skip straight to the good stuff!
I read almost exclusively on my Kindle, due to the convenience when I go out of the house, but mainly for the font. I have trouble with the small print of physical books. I do prefer writing craft books in print. Someone earlier mentioned that it was easier to retain. It is that way for me too. If I have them in e-book form, then I take physical notes. Writing important points down with pen and paper makes it easier for me to retain it. I am reading much more craft than fiction right now, but sometimes I have to delve into another world. I love all the options we now have. It’s very liberating.
I read either paperbacks or hardcovers, usually 4 or 5 novels a week. Prefer mysteries, thrillers and cozies.
Like Debbie, I retain books much better if I read them on paper as opposed to on my iPad (Kindle or iBooks). But they have even more impact if I listen to them. Don’t know what the e-disconnect is. I think it’s a spatial/location thing that doesn’t kick in for an electronic document. That said, I always have my iPad with me, and so am never short of reading material–particularly free or near-free classics.
I still have not made the total jump over to an e-reader. I do read some on my iPad, but I’m still a paper back or hard cover reader.
I prefer reading paper back and hard cover, especially literary fiction and craft books, which I highlight and fill with notes. Like others, I retain better if I read paper. But I live in Italy where the mail service isn’t reliable and it can be frustrating trying to get books from Amazon or other dealers. So I’m happy to have a kindle and enjoy reading magazines and news articles on the iPad. I used to subscribe to those in print but half of them never arrived.
I read on my Nook, hard copy books. My reading time has suffered this summer because my garden beckons and needs tending. BUT, I always make some time to read and write. I don’t believe I would enjoy reading from an I-phone. I already spend too much time online. I’m a hard copy book reader first. I retain them in my library as old friends. I also haunt library sales and find inexpensive great reads that way.
Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read. –Groucho Marx
Not sure if you mean the medium or the type of book. But I prefer to read on Kindle wherever possible first because of vision issues and second because generally speaking,books are immediately accessible on an e-reader. That cuts out me having to wait until I have time to go to the library or the bookstore.
When I buy print it is for non-fiction that I purchase for research and reference and need to be able to mark up. In this case, while you can highlight in Kindle, marking up and returning to those pages is still easier in print form.
As to what I read: 99.9% non-fic. Right now I’m in a career rut, trapped in the job from hell, so I’m trying to read everything I can that affects career development, with a focus on things I don’t naturally gravitate toward but which will ultimately help me in my writing career and other business forms–books on small business operation, marketing, originality, internet presence, etc.
That other 0.1% is fiction either suspense or thriller, generally books recommended or promoted here. I just don’t find that much historical fiction that appeals to me.
Meant to add, one of the things I started doing a couple of months ago is keeping track of the books I read in an Excel spreadsheet. Sounds geeky, I know, but it has come in handy. Sometimes I’ll borrow a book on inter-library loan (recently volume 1 of a bio on Andrew Jackson) but because the book has so much good note-taking content, I can’t possibly finish it in the 3 weeks allotted for the borrow. So keeping track of it in the spreadsheet helps tremendously so I can either a) purchase my own copy later or b) borrow it again.
I can’t tell you the time I’ve wasted NOT writing down this stuff before and then when the time comes that I need to purchase or borrow the book, I can’t remember exactly which one it was. The spreadsheet saves me all that hassle.
Kindle all the way. Phone, laptop, or tablet. Only way to go. 🙂
Library for trial authors, or for book club, or for authors whose publishers think $14.99 is a fair price for an ebook. I don’t. Retirement and downsized our housing means less room for print, so any book I’m going to keep in print has to be special.
I have a Nook tablet which includes a Kobo and Kindle app. I’m more interested in the story than the way it’s presented. All have plusses and minuses. I like not having to hold a heavy book, or get wrist strain trying to read the words that flow into the gutters. I like the back light feature so I can read in bed and not bother the Hubster. I don’t like having to remember to charge it, but that’s a ‘me’ thing. I forget a LOT of things. I almost always have 3 books going at once.
I like that if I’ve forgotten I’ve read a book, my Nook will warn me before I purchase it a second time.
Kindle for fiction, physical books for nonfiction and reference. As much as I like the ability to store hundreds of books in a 6″X8″ package, I don’t retain what I read on-screen nearly as well as with physical books.
Is there a connection between lower comprehension/retention in digital media and the abysmal seventh grade reading level of today’s college freshmen? I have to think there is.
I’ve started back on audio books last week. I purchased 3 books for $0. I must have neglected my audiobook account for some time. Not even sure where I got all the credits. lol
Audio books is something I’ll have to try again. I’ve done it on a very, very limited basis—I listened to a book whose author I forget–he’s a very well known historian in Civil War material, and I listened to War & Peace on audio (I don’t think I would’ve successfully completed reading that one!). But other than that, really haven’t gone the audio route.
Who knows, I’m starting to use dictation more for getting my ideas down. Maybe I’ll begin to use audio more in the future as well.
I find myself regressing to the way I was as a young teenager. When I finish a Very Good Book, I generally won’t start another one right away. I like to savor the one I just finished for a while.
Usually reading on my Kindle, but with the hot weather and the beach calling my name, paperback or hardcover. For fun, I use an actual toe tag for my book mark. The double-take glances are hilarious!
I read a lot on my Kindle app, but lacking funds for new ebooks, I also visit the library. This past week I scored a stack of cozy mysteries and the second book of Corey’s The Expanse. I have eclectic tastes.
I’ve been reading more lately! Even while de-cluttering and sending tons of books to the Friends of the Library for their annual sale, I’m picking up more good reads from the library, getting the books I kept read (finally) and beginning to work my way through the books I have tucked away on my Kindle. I still like a hardcover the best. Paperback print is too small and the ebooks just don’t have the same feel…plus you have to “turn” the pages too often.
I also have some advance review copies to read and review, and a manuscript to beta read, so I’m getting a wide range of genres this summer.
I am doing a lot more reading on my phone these days. It was always my practice to “never be without a book” when going places like the bank or the doctor’s office. But I’d forget sometimes and be stuck with noting to read (except maybe a year old Sports Illustrated or Modern Parent). I download a lot of samples now, too, and if I’m gripped I’ll buy the whole thing…so in practice, I’m reading a lot more.
What I am lacking is time. Time to read everything I want. So that has led me to change my reading habits. Most fiction and memoirs, I get at the public library (best bargain in town.) Research, references and cook books, I buy in hard copy. Sorry, Kindle just does not do it for me for cookbooks.
Similar to a previous comment, I always have my Kindle on my iPad, so I am never without something to read.
So much to read, so little time.
All pleasure reading is now done on my iPad via the Kindle and Nook apps. I haven’t read as many books so far this year as in the past, but that’s more a time issue than anything else. The biggest change in my reading habits over the past year or so is that I had to obtain a library card for a project. It turns out my library is big on the ebook thing, and I’ve become enamored of how easy it is to check out ebooks and read them on the Kindle app (other formats are supported, but the Kindle app is the easiest). I’m buying a lot few books than I used to as a result. The only non ebooks I’m interested in are cookbooks and things that are not available as ebooks.
Oh, yeah, part of the reason I’ve read less this year is I had hip surgery in January. While you would think this would free up time for reading, the drugs ruined my ability to concentrate for several weeks.
I can really sympathize with you, catfriend! I had back surgery awhile back and I clearly remember spending a lot of time in bed reading. I even remember enjoying it very much. By the time the pain meds were gone and I was back on my feet, I had an impressive pile of read books on my dressing table.
Now, if only I could remember what was in them . . .
😉
I’ve been reading more this year but in more ‘binge reads’ rather than a consistent diet:) I read on my kindle as well as hard copy form and feel comfortable shifting between the two mediums. As I’m getting back to my middle grade project I’ve been inhaling lots of middle grade and YA books – which is fun! My boys now give me recommendations and reviews of the books they have read so I can skip straight to the good stuff!
I read almost exclusively on my Kindle, due to the convenience when I go out of the house, but mainly for the font. I have trouble with the small print of physical books. I do prefer writing craft books in print. Someone earlier mentioned that it was easier to retain. It is that way for me too. If I have them in e-book form, then I take physical notes. Writing important points down with pen and paper makes it easier for me to retain it. I am reading much more craft than fiction right now, but sometimes I have to delve into another world. I love all the options we now have. It’s very liberating.
I read either paperbacks or hardcovers, usually 4 or 5 novels a week. Prefer mysteries, thrillers and cozies.
Like Debbie, I retain books much better if I read them on paper as opposed to on my iPad (Kindle or iBooks). But they have even more impact if I listen to them. Don’t know what the e-disconnect is. I think it’s a spatial/location thing that doesn’t kick in for an electronic document. That said, I always have my iPad with me, and so am never short of reading material–particularly free or near-free classics.
I still have not made the total jump over to an e-reader. I do read some on my iPad, but I’m still a paper back or hard cover reader.
I prefer reading paper back and hard cover, especially literary fiction and craft books, which I highlight and fill with notes. Like others, I retain better if I read paper. But I live in Italy where the mail service isn’t reliable and it can be frustrating trying to get books from Amazon or other dealers. So I’m happy to have a kindle and enjoy reading magazines and news articles on the iPad. I used to subscribe to those in print but half of them never arrived.
I read on my Nook, hard copy books. My reading time has suffered this summer because my garden beckons and needs tending. BUT, I always make some time to read and write. I don’t believe I would enjoy reading from an I-phone. I already spend too much time online. I’m a hard copy book reader first. I retain them in my library as old friends. I also haunt library sales and find inexpensive great reads that way.