The Reader Medium Tag
I found this tag yesterday, so here you go. The title refers to the medium/format a person reads with.
- What constitutes "reading" to you? - I think this is referring to the idea that audiobooks don't count as reading. That's a load of horse hockey. The same parts of your brain are activated while listening to an audiobook as while reading with your eyes. Reading with Braille is reading, so why wouldn't audiobooks be reading. Recorded books began because people with vision issues couldn't read print books. Does it only count as reading if you are forced to read that way because of a handicap? No! I have feelings about this.
- What are the pros and cons of audiobooks for you? - Pros: I can read more books if I can listen to them while my hands are busy. I particularly like them in the car. When I had a 45 minute commute to and from work, I could work in an extra book a week by listening. Now, I am not in my car that long. Maybe an hour a week, tops. Cons: Many people advocate listening to an audiobook while cooking or cleaning or exercising. I cannot do that. I live with 3 other people and 2 noisy dogs. I get very frustrated when I'm trying to listen to a book and someone keeps talking to me or a dog barks. So audiobooks are not working for me right now. I am listening to one, but I've been listening for over a week and I'm only 25% through it.
- What are the pros and cons of ebooks for you? - Pros: My Kindle always weighs the same amount. It never hurts my hand to hold it for long periods. I never lose my place in the book because my bookmark gets pulled out. Cons: The Kindle doesn't smell like the pages of a book. I love the sound of the pages turning as I read through. It doesn't tell you what page you're on, it only gives you a percentage of how far you are. It's hard to brag about having read 4% today.
4. What are the pros and cons of physical books for you? - Pros: The smell. I have been conditioned to appreciate the feel and weight of a book in my hand. It makes me feel secure and relaxed. Cons: Physical books tend to weigh more than the Kindle and when I am having a high pain day from one of my autoimmune issues, they can be difficult to manage. Also, they can get heavy in a bag, if you're reading a hardcover. Luckily, I don't go anywhere that requires a bag, anymore.
5. Provided that you read physical books, do you prefer hardcovers or paperbacks? - Gosh. I prefer to read paperbacks, but I love the way hardcovers look on the shelf. Although, I don't like those hard paperbacks where the spine doesn't bend and you have to bend up the pages. No bueno.
6. Provided you use ebooks, what device do you use? - I typically use a Kindle paperwhite, although mine has trouble charging. The charging port is wonky and I have to position the cable just so to get it to charge. I have read on my phone in a moment of duress.
7. How do you think digital books affect the publishing industry and the readers? - I could rant long and hard about this. Ebooks are great for publishers. The cost to produce them is almost nil, but they charge the consumer as much as a paperback book to purchase them. There is no storage cost. No overhead for a warehouse. No shipping costs. Ebook pricing is ridiculous. Audiobooks are a different story. They have to pay a voice actor and a sound crew to record the book. If it is going onto CDs, which is how some people prefer their audiobooks, they have to pay for the materials, storage, and shipping of those items. The CDs are really expensive to purchase, as compared to the cost of a book. A digital audiobook is much cheaper to create than the CDs and that is reflected in the cost of memberships to platforms where you can listen to audiobooks.
8. If you could only choose two mediums to read books for the rest of your life, which two would you choose?( audio, ebook, hardcover, or paperback) - Mine would definitely be the physical copies, hardcover or paperback. That's how I read 90% of the books I read now.
Do you have any comments on these questions? Let me know in the comments!