As technology advances, more ways for reading become available. First physical books, then e-books, then audiobooks. When e-books first came out, people thought they would drive out the usage of physical books, blah blah blah.

Each type has their usage, which any book lover would know. Here, I’ll be stating pros and cons of each, and stating my opinion. Feel free to comment your own!

Physical Books

Pros:

• nice aesthetic for pictures
• you know what you have and can highlight, tab, write, to your hearts content and STILL get that cool look
• people could see the cover and ask about it and you could introduce them to a REALLY cool book in the process
• easy on the eyes because screens can hurt your eyesight
• cheaper than audiobooks

Cons:

• they can be pretty bulky at times
• also very heavy
• if you have a lot of them they take up a lot of room
• if you forget your book you are DOOMED
• can also be expensive depending on the book

E-Books

Pros:

• you can have hundreds of books within your phone or e-reader
• they’re less costly then physical books AND audiobooks
• you can adjust the type and size to suit you
• you can also adjust the background color

Cons:

• the screens can also hurt your eyes
• you don’t get the pretty aesthetic of physical books
• this may just be me, but I use my books as a fidget tool, like paging through or just holding it. I don’t get the same comfort from an e-book.
• if you get an e-reader, they can be pretty expensive

Audiobooks:

Pros:

• you can still “read” while doing activities like exercising, driving, or other hands-on activities
• as long as you have head phones and something to play the disc/recording, then you’re all good

Cons:

• if you’re like me, audiobooks are very frustrating. I can’t follow them with just the audio, and I need to follow along in a book or I have no idea whats going on
• they are MUCH more costly than e-books and physical books combined, if you get the disc version

(I don’t know much about audiobooks, mainly because of my first con point.)

My opinions: 

I would never be able to decide which I liked more between e-books and physical books. Phsycial books give me the physical comfort needed, as well as provides a fidget object for me to focus on. E-books, on the other hand, let me customize my reading experience to better conform to me; I read with a green or sepia background, and the type going from extra large to extra small depending on my mood. I also find myself being able to read in more places with my phone and an e-book, rather than lugging around a thick, hardcover novel. While physical books provide a needed comfort, e-books provide an ability to customize novels in able for them to be read easier.

On the other hand, I get really anxious in situations, and if I didn’t have a book, I’d end up scratching my arm raw. I would flip the pages against my hand, or tap it. If I only had my phone, it wouldn’t end well.

My opinion on audiobooks greatly differs from my e-book and physical book opinion. I have problems following along with just audio, so while having an audio narrator along with the actual book really enhances the experience, audio alone would leave me with a headache and no idea where in the book I was.

What about you? What personal preferences do you have that affect the way you read?