How Should We Read Books? 

if you can get anyone to read any book in any format, it’s a victory. 😉

As a lower middle class Egyptian student, kindle and pdfs are my only options as I cannot afford physical books.

I personally prefer physical books due to the breath of air I get from technology. Most of us ( I assume) look at screens for a large portion in our lives, and to sit down with paper and a pen not only connects me to the past but also makes me feel closer with the author.

I not only prefer physical books, but I like to get the hardcopy whenever possible. And once in a while I will try to find an affordable "vintage" hard copy -- an old book that has been read by many people.

The quality of this video deserves more views i like your videos

Both are good, personally I like physical more but raising the jolly roger and getting books for free is great too

In general I find books to be preferable in every way, but the accessibility of digital cannot be understated. There's a certain sense of commitment in buying a physical book that sometimes keeps me from taking the chance, but digital feels safer, precisely because it's not as personal. I wanted to read War and Peace for a while but I thought I'd never actually read it all, so I got a digital copy and loved it so much that I did read all of it!

"Maybe technology will somehow advance far enough that highlighting is easier digitally ..." - Welcome to the future! :D I've switched to eWriters a while ago, and am absolutely in love with my NoteAir. Boox has some really convenient features for highlighting. Not only can you simply use your pen to paint, write and ... well, highlight ... on a page like with a physical book, you can actually go into split screen mode and take notes on a blank sheet right next to it. Though of course the price tag of eWriters might be an issue. Yet, if I had to choose (which I don't, so I'm still using both :D), by now I'ld go full ebook, personally.

For anyone interested in learning more about the process and benefits of reading, I'd like to recommend: THE PLEASURES OF READING IN AN AGE OF DISTRACTION by Alan Jacobs, along with AN EXPERIMENT IN CRITICISM by C.S. Lewis.

Concerning the highlighting aspect: i mostly have to read papers for uni, and i use adobe reader on a surface. For these uses, there is just so much more utility in digital reading. The note-taking is much easier with a smart pen, and i can quickly type something i can later even decipher. I dont have to print out a 20 page paper thats already in pdf. Plus the aspect that it doesnt get crumpled up in my bag, takes no space in my bookshelf etc., makes digital reading much easier for me without any problems regarding retention. If you want my recommendation for good pdf readers either adobe reader or drawboard pdf. I guess it will all depend on what youre reading for, studying for an exam, entertainment, general interest in a topic...

Digital is better for work because you can copypaste and you can easily cite a source. However I personally enjoy reading more from a physical book because I grew up with them, its more relaxing and it doesn't strain my eyes as much. Fiction and entertainment =physicial Work = digital (For me)

"Physical books are more than the words they contain. They're also tools to stimulate your senses and adjust your thinking." Anyone who knows where that's quote from gets a prize! Except not so much a prize as my respect, which is probably desirable, I haven't really checked... Anyway, I much prefer physical books, but I'm going to have to defend physical film/TV media as well. As useful and routine as streaming services are, I personally think there is a bit of disconnection/alienation with it compared to owning physical media, because although you decide what you watch, the service decides what your sample is, and what's out of your reach. What's more, if it removes something from the platform, then it takes it from you to. Whereas, buying a DVD for a film, or a boxset for a show is a conscious choice on your part, and determined, 'yes, I want to buy this specifically because I want to watch it.' It's a less passive form of consumption, in my view.

I just don’t like reading a digital book. Audiobooks, 100%. But there is something about reading from a screen that feels less satisfying.

- I like reading laying down in my bed. Books are difficult to maintain in a vertical position, Kindle is not - I also like reading in my bath. Kindle is waterproof, book is not - You can access all your highlights in a specific menu in your Kindle. See them all at the same time and even export them. Very practical for writing a thesis - I have fragile wrists. The books I like to read are often too heavy for my hands, and fall on my nose when I'm holding them above my face. Kindle is light enough so I don't have that problem. - I used to travel a lot between places. Thank god I didn't have to carry heavy books instead of my Kindle. - Specific books are more readily available in e-book format than physical. Be it for research or entertainment. Those are especially expensive in printed format since they're not available in my region / limited editions

There's also a concern over ownership when it comes to digital products. I only read books physically, so not sure if this has come to ahead in the book market yet, but it's been a serious topic of debate with video games for quite some time, and it's bubbling to the surface lately-- when you own a video game digitally, it's more akin to a digital license, which can be revoked at any time. Ubisoft recently stated something to the effect that "gamers need to get used to not owning digital games", and we see Warner Bros game division basically wiping their digital games off the market. Owning a game, or a book or movie physically has a very practical value, in that so long as you can physically hold that product, you can know you will own it.

Not needing paper for the book makes a good environmental reason for digital. It also takes less space, and you can access more books via internet. But I also want there to be a smaller collection of special physical books with me.

I normally with have both. I like my kindle because if there is a word I do not know I can look it up. I have many of my research book on kindle that way i can look up certain things and find them.

Well, yeah. Physical is superior. Great video, by the way, as always. However, I have one big argument: for us who live in third world country, buying a physical book from EU or US is expensive af. So, for this, I usually go kindle/digital. Like, I just bought a book for 6 of my curreny on Kindle, which would be like 70 if I had bought a physical copy.

OG making Mondays better

The Chad libgen user pirating all the books for free

Physical books are great and will outlast ebooks, but it's hard to beat unlimited free books in a small form factor

bunkichi and mitsuko

I love physical books, but I have to read digital ones due to cost and space issues. *sad face*