Book formats - 2 reasons why we love paper books so much

[@iggbowmon3171]

There are no used e-book stores with cats.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Love this!

[@monaedoyle3631]

There’s nothing better than the feel of a floppy paperback book. There’s nothing like the feeling of turning the pages of a paperback book. I don’t want to read a book on a screen. There is also the joy of having a paperback book in my purse. I like carrying paperback books in my purse everywhere I go.

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

I do the same. Never catch me anywhere without a paper book!

[@georgewray2005]

I agree completely. There's much more of a connection with the writer/artist. I miss CD's and records too. I love the art work of stuff like that.

[@nicholasjones3207]

3 failed hard drives have taught me the wisdom of having a physical copy

[@krzysamm7095]

It is interesting that studies have shown that children retain more information and learn to read quicker using a physical book verses on a screen. I use physical, ebooks as well as audio so I run the gambit.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Oh that's interesting!

[@diamondslashranch]

For many years I switched completely to Kindle because it’s obviously easier and it makes sense not to fill my house with them. I’ve noticed lately that they’re creeping back into my home and I’m so glad. It’s like my best friend’s have been gone and now come back. I’m glad you’re talking about this.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I love that!

[@tyler2610]

As a kid in the 90’s I had a wonderful used bookstore in our small town and I would ride my bike up there by myself several days a week in the summer. It was down in a basement and I remember spending hours there combing through the musty copies. At one point I owned probably 3-400 old paperback novels from the 70’s and 80’s, most of them purchased because I liked the covers😁 I’ve found that going though old books now at Goodwill or used book shops the covers just don’t have that appeal anymore. Sadly you don’t see too many books from that era anymore, I just loved the intricately painted covers. My favorites were the ones with the multiple scenes set into one painting that was often done in the 70’s.

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

oh! and the covers! We miss out on the stunning covers to display or look at while reading if we don't get the physical copy. The artwork and imagery are important to me, and part of my whole reading experience. What better art, than art that is interactive? ☺

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Excellent video! Very good point about the memories we have of reading physical books. And I just recently realized that one of the things I really miss when reading the Kindle is turning actual pages. For some reason that is important to me!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I know what you mean, there's something relaxing about repetitive gestures like that

[@BookBlather]

I’m also very partial to physical books. I don’t think the effect on our senses can be underestimated-the tactile feel of the pages, the smell (either old or new). Definitely part of the experience for me.

[@eriebeverly]

A friend always opens a book and then sticks his nose in it. A few years ago I got him a bottle of Paperback cologne from Demeter Fragrance. It's a little surreal how much it smells like a used bookstore.

[@BookBlather]

@@eriebeverly I think I know what I’m asking for at Christmas 😊

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

@@eriebeverly oh my goodness I would spray my house with that every day!

[@paulflint6254]

Cool@@eriebeverly

[@PokhrajRoy.]

In principle, there’s nothing like a physical copy of a book.

[@sekispeaks9327]

I love how easy it is to loan physical books! When a bookish friend expresses a wish to read something out of print or hard to find, like The Lady's Not for Burning or Black Wine or Kalpa Imperial, I can just grab it off the shelf and put it in his hands! Loaning books is one of my greatest pleasures and I love how easy it is with my physical copies. (And yes, I do work at a library. 😂)

[@troytradup]

"Pixie dust" is the perfect description of the unique attraction of paper books!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

They are magical

[@tyler2610]

I agree, reading a physical book is an experience and much more interactive than reading it on a Kindle or ebook device or listening to a book on tape. I for one have always loved the experience of reading a physical book and have never read a book any other way. I agree that our love of reading is formed as a child. I had a wonderful 2nd grade teacher and she really instilled the love of reading and even just collecting and appreciating books in their complete form including the cover art work, etc. in me and I will be forever grateful for that!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah there is definitely something about books as objects as well as containers of stories.

[@materiagrix]

I couldn’t agree more. It even extends to having a physical library, as a collectivity of books that speak to each other, to me when I had about 400 books up in my room, it was like having a map of thoughts and memories connected to each other, with a traceable history that I kept developing and remembering. It is much harder for me to remember the content of a book I read if I can’t look at the physical copy in the shelf, the library contextualizes the book in relation to all the other books that I’ve read.

[@stephennootens916]

When I think back I remember a lot of those books I read in my teens and twenties becauae I remember carrying them around or were I read them. I remember being home at night with stereo in the living room on as walked back and forth across the house reading the last half of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I remember carrying the paperback copy of The Stand everywhere the summer I read it even to a camping trip with my family. I listen to Muddy Waters on tape as I read most the bleak classic On The Beach and remember how I wanted to finish even as I found it harder to read it do to its bleakest. It is strange how those moments are forever burned into my memory.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Those sound like wonderful memories!

[@reputation8383]

Youre right that there are advantages to both. Kindles are great for going onholiday - otherwise I end up taking a whole rucksack of books with me! However, my heart still lies with paper books. I think that the joy of going into a bookshop, looking at the huge shelves and cases full of books, picking ones out to look at and feel, is an experience that simply cannot be replicated with kindles.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah kindles are amazing for holidays!

[@PaperbackJourneys]

Oh I'm here for this!! Even my channel name is dedicated to the love of paperbacks. I love that you recognise that there is a special magic attached to paper books . I have to admit that I often find myself resisting the logic and convenience of consuming books through e-readers. There is something nostalgic in the smell of a book, the sound of a page turning, and a bookshelf stacked up high. I also like the idea of seeing books I've read displayed on my walls as a map of the adventures that I've been on in the past. This is especially true for the extended reading of The Dark Tower Multiverse, which has taken up about a year of my reading life. I'll always be able to look at that shelf of books and remember that particular journey. They're also ornamental. Great video mate.

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

being surrounded by walls of books is a Happy Place ☺

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you! And yeah I love the fact that I'm surrounded by books, a world of possibilities!

[@paulflint6254]

@PaperbackJourneys - subbed

[@sydneyalisonbaker]

I personally love the physical copies. You’re right, it does creat a more substantial memory of the book. But I do also read a lot on kindle (and audiobooks). Both have advantages. It’s cool being able to carry all of my books with me at once. My dad used to be physical copies only. He’s in his late 60s now and only reads digital, because he can change the font size.

[@eriebeverly]

Interesting video. It's also about learning so that a book you loved as a teen before your brain finished cooking really resonates because it helped create your relationship with language.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Ah yes, amazing point!

[@rodgilley-writer]

I like to get ebooks for a 1st read. If I don't like the book, I'm out a few bucks and move on. I've noticed an alarming trend! Authors are way overpricing ebooks recently! Bummer. Now, if I read a ebook, and find that I love the story, I buy a beautiful hard copy, hard cover or paperback, for my bookshelf. I recently got a Royal Collector's Edition of Frankenstein and I LOVE IT!!!! It is beautiful and feels so good in hand while reading. I hope we never lose hard copy books!!!!

[@sherrirabinowitz4618]

I agree with you, I love physical books, I remember the joy I had when I opened a present it was books. I have a great affection for all my books, I read from Kindle but it hard to have affection for a device. You don't get the same feeling of warmth from a Kindle reader or a laptop as you do a physical book. You don't have that same warm feeling. My favorite thing at night is to have my tea, and my book, cuddle in my bed before I go to sleep with my book as read my latest book. I have an affection for paperbacks, because they are what I grew up buying. I do have hardcovers too, and there are some I love because of a memory of it. Funnily enough I have still had my collection of vinal records. In fact, I have my collection and my parents' collection, and I love their records too. I love the old record album covers and the amazing artwork on them, and I think that is why I love the mass media books, the artwork on a lot of them are special. Thanks for a great vlog.

[@tramasrarasoddplots]

In general, I cannot read a physical book. It feels like an impossible task. However, one of my most precious possessions is an old copy of the horror tales of Horacio Quiroga. I saved money to buy it second hand in Mexico. When we immigrated to the USA, I smuggled it among my clothes. It survived the nibbles of a pet rabbit. It survived the internet era of my life. It smells moldy and has yellowed pages. I only realized how much it means to me this year. I cannot read it but it remains with me.

[@binglamb2176]

You really summed up my feelings on physical books and ebooks. For me, it is also the difference between that beautiful backdrop you have of filled bookshelves versus a Kindle laying on a table. TYhere is no comparison!

[@kaiju_k5042]

Books can be magic, and to hold that in our hands at different times of our lives is very special indeed. Really enjoyed this video especially hearing about your own experiences with this topic, thank you! I'm currently reading my 2nd physical book of the year (Holly) as the others were all digital/audio, I was kinda appalled when I realized that haha. (2 physical and 36 digital)

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Totally agree! Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@M-J]

I said this before on Patreon. Memories happen in both physical and e-reader for me. It’s all subjective to each reader. Great topic. 👍🏻

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks MJ! You're right, of course

[@M-J]

@@CriminOllyBlog My snark detector is going off. 😂

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@M-J lol what I meant is you’re right that it’s different for each individual

[@M-J]

@@CriminOllyBlog snark factor decreased to level 1 😂

[@parazatico9030]

I still have a copy of a compilation of H.P. Lovecraft stories, 'The Shuttered Room', that my girlfriend at the time bought me, I think from around 1978-9. She wrote a message on the inside. The cover picture, a paneled room with otherworldly things emerging from the wainscotting and a leering face on the window blind, is wonderfully eerie.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

That's wonderful!

[@bobcabot]

ja our hopes and dreams were connected to those first books we read like magic landscapes they opened up our minds for life and anything we read after since that day reality hit us is like a train is just the desperate attempt to revive those memories...

[@ObscureBookAdventures]

I think I’m also about the same age as you. I also prefer physical books. I remember more of the story when I read a physical book. I als like to feel how many pages I still have to read.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah that's a wonderful physical gauge of progress

[@lewiscarty5517]

I love paper books as well, I don't like the idea of reading books on a screen, I rather feel the pages and be able to read the book without sliding my finger over the screen or something, but I rather buy a book and read it. I agree with music as well, I love having Vinyl and CDs and I love to download music of certain albums that I can't get or just haven't got the money or space to buy it and I have a great library of music I really like.

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

Some books just "feel good" and I can't explain it. ☺

[@paulflint6254]

Got a house like a library but will always love paperbacks 💙

[@sandeesandwich2180]

Sand in the book that you read on the beach -- this is why there will always be a place for physical books. Not because paperbacks are great ways to transport souvenirs(!), but because e-readers don't take to heat, sand and salt air & water well. (Not that physical books always survive either, but a $10 book is easier to replace than a tablet, cost-wise.) Also, glare is never an issue with paper books, but can be with tablets, even with a white background.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Very good point!

[@wassr1956]

Ramsey Campbell is perhaps the world's most decorated author of horror, terror, suspense, dark fantasy, and supernatural fiction. He has won four World Fantasy Awards, ten British Fantasy Awards, three Bram Stoker Awards, and the Horror Writers' Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, and has been named a Grand Master of Horror.

[@Robbo_C]

And he just released a new novel. I am looking forward to reading it.

[@ArtsReallyCool123]

Great comparison to records and books. -Adrian

[@DarkVioletDreams]

I agree. Paperbacks will forever be a favorite. I enjoy my Kindle because I can snag freebies and arcs that way, but I much prefer to hold a physical copy in my hands.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah, kindle books can be great value, but it's also dangerous because you end up buying things you forget about and never read

[@DarkVioletDreams]

@@CriminOllyBlog absolutely! I rarely spend money on Kindle books. If I’m going to fork over cash, I’d rather own a physical copy. I definitely believe it stems from growing up with physical books and media. The nostalgia and instant gratification… as well as the ability to hug the darn book and display it on my shelf… I love it all! I was just chatting with my eldest (21) about how when he would nap as a baby, I’d grab my CDs, sit close to the stereo, and listen to the music while I read the lyrics in the sleeves. I miss that. Reading lyrics off a phone just doesn’t hit the feels in the same way. 😅

[@bessdavies6440]

I LOVE paper books. I could never get used to my Ebook reader. The idea behind it is great, countless books in one tiny device - but I just couldn't get the same feeling

[@susanjohnson5824]

I'm older but have now gone to the dark side I love the look and nostalgia of physical books but I almost exclusively read ebooks the main reason is my hands cramp up holding books and at night before bed I can just turn off my tablet and don't have to get up and turn off the lights. Another perk is that the font and color is adjustable for us oldsters. I agree that the physical book has more impact but I can read more books on a Tablet for longer periods of time.

[@RaynorReadsStuff]

Physical books will always be my first love … although it would have been useful to have a kindle 50 years ago when my mum told me to turn my bedroom light off and I hid under the covers with a book and a torch 😅

[@lorireed6798]

I like physical books because I can give them to others to read. Sharing is caring.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Great point!

[@lesliepowell-mccarty7067]

I love everything about reading physical books hard cover or paperback. Audiobooks are excellent for travel and when I walk but my heart belongs to the physical. I believe Stephen King said, " Books are a uniquely portable magic." I agree!!

[@johnnythepillpopper1974]

Not just books…books, Dvds, CDs, etc. ..if you don’t have a physical copy, you don’t really own it. Same goes with pictures, people don’t develop pictures anymore. You go to peoples homes and there’s no new pictures…that’s sad. If something happens to your phone or iPad…it’s gone

[@mediumjohnsilver]

I remember back in the day, drug stores would display the paperback books in a spinner rack. Did you ever toy with the idea of buying a spinner rack to display your mass market paperbacks?

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I have! and I should, although my space is sadly limited which might be a problem

[@MetalSamantha]

I seem to read more on Kindle, but tbh I think a *big* part of the reason for that is that there are no decent local used bookstores. None at all. If there were, if I could go to a good used bookshop and browse, I'm certain I'd both own and read more. Buying them on eBay isn't the same, and paying for postage and packing is a pain in the neck. Seeing people's hauls from used bookshops normally makes me feel a certain degree of envy if I am going to be honest

[@MetalSamantha]

I'm also fed up with the prices on eBay, which often border on a pisstake tbh, esp when you add P&P on top as well

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It's similar for me - a few charity shops in the town I live in but slim pickings there. I find the best way with eBay is to set up saved searches and wait for things to turn up at a reasonable price, it usually happens eventually

[@sherreads1081]

If you consider physical books as friends on the shelf, somehow e-books just aren't in the same category.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Very true!

[@lukethomas216]

I love my kindle, it comes to work with me every day…but when I get home I caress only the paper! Kindle is the mistress, not the wife! 😁

[@CriminOllyBlog]

ha ha well said!

[@davidnovakreadspoetry]

Interesting video. I hadn’t thought about the physicality of a book enhancing the reading experience but it does. Unfortunately it’s not always the best option for me - as someone who faces some of the same issues Troy does but to a less degree.

[@rocsimmons8535]

Thank you 👍🏽👍🏽

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

Paper books don't need to be charged, and the books aren't also reading you like the Kindle does... I will always prefer physical books over any other format. I never read e-books, and I rarely listen to audio since I like to think about the books while I'm reading them, and audio is just not conducive to those mental tangents. Nothing like the look, feel, and smell of a paper book anyway. 😍

[@glockensig]

Preach sister!!!!!!!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah the physical presence of paper books is wonderful - look, feel, smell, even sound (the whisper of pages turning)

[@BookishTexan]

I always enjoy the kindle reading experience, but if the book I read on my Kindle was really good I always then wish I had a physical copy.

[@thekeywitness]

I live in South Korea where English-language bookstores are few and far between and the selection is fairly limited. Also, ordering online from Amazon or Abebooks, etc., is too expensive due to shipping. So, ebooks are a bit of a necessity. That being said, I prefer the physical format because it's more tactile and memorable. Also, a physical book will "remind me" to continue reading it, whereas an ebook is easier to forget about.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I hadn't even thought about the difficult of getting particular books in some places.

[@Adeodatus100]

I love physical books, but I read more on Kindle these days simply because of print size.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah it is a lot easier

[@JasonFuhrman]

I love the idea of paper books, just can't stand reading them after using a Kindle for years. I still buy them from time to time and go to bookstores often, but reading them is a nightmare now haha. No control over font size, line spacing, you need a light, can't really read them with one hand. The list goes on.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Kindles are certainly the easier way to consumer books.

[@markwestwriter]

I read a *lot* of books and love having a fully stocked study/library and I have never taken to a Kindle.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I’m such a gadget nerd I found the concept irresistible as soon as I heard about it

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I was an E-Book Hater before getting a Kindle. Also, finding ways of storing physical books safely can be a task.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah kindles are a bit of a game changer

[@inanimatecarbongod]

I don't know how much I agree with what you say about our memories of physical books, there's plenty of physical books I remember bugger all about. Mind you, that's probably cos my own memory is generally a bit crap rather than because your theory is wrong as such...

[@AllenFreemanMediaGuru]

Every-time someone tells me to just get the digital books. Kindle etc, (everyone that hears I have a lot of physical books) I’m not going to say or text a word back. I’ll just send them this video.

[@sarahcountryman1776]

I have read one or two books on an e-reader and hated it. I like to see my progress in a book and like the overall feel of a paperback. I work in IT and stare at a screen all day. I don't want to do that in my free time too.

[@Kikilang60]

Thanks.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

You're welcome

[@hollybailey9477]

Always preferred physical books especially the smell of them *sniiiiifffff*

[@CriminOllyBlog]

As long as they're not musty

[@LauraBCReyna]

I prefer paper books as well, but not the small mass market PBs. They're good for traveling but always seemed too small in my hands. Hardbacks are too big & heavy. I might be in the minority, but I prefer the new medium sized, taller paperbacks. They're just the right size for me. I read ebooks once in a while but it's not my favorite format. I don't know how to put it into words... I feel more removed, farther away from the story (or the information) when I read on a device. Paper books are "warmer, more inviting. Ebooks are "cooler", less inviting, if that makes any sense.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It does make sense, there is something about the tactile nature of turning actual pages that connects you a bit more

[@bigaldoesbooktube1097]

Physical for the win 💪

[@disshelvedwithadamwhite8731]

Of course you realize we’ll have to see that picture of you in the Barbie box.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It’s on my community tab 😊

[@lukeharrison2711]

I like reading paperbacks so the kids see I am reading a book and will ask about it not just staring at another screen

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Great point!

[@DDB168]

I am pro physical books, the kindle gives me no joy, and I deserve joy, I couldn't concentrate on the last 4 minutes, after you mentioned you in the Barbie box getting your photo taken, it's all I could picture. 🤣

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I think I posted it on my community tab. You should look at it, because you deserve joy

[@DDB168]

@@CriminOllyBlogJust looked. Looking very trim !

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@DDB168 I've lost a few more pounds since then

[@nicholasjones3207]

I went with kindle for a while. Not as enjoyable or tactile, plus I seem to remember a book more than something read on a screen.

[@television4994]

1972 GenX. I had to speak up, not because I want to yuck your yum (you do you, booboo), but because I seem to be an outlier in this conversation every time it comes up. Just offering some insight from someone who DOESN'T love paper books. I have always been a fast and ferocious reader, consuming tens - if not 100+ - books every year. However, I do not like physical books, and never have. Physical books are clumsy. They reek. I get the crawlies just thinking about touching grimy, used, germy, nasty book paper. Soon after ereaders and ebooks reached the market, I asked for and received a kindle for my birthday. That was... 2010... 2011. Never looked back. I own a couple thousand books. NONE are paper. I literally haven't read a physical book in over 10 years.

[@dylhemsley9458]

Physical books become parts of ourselves.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

True!

[@christine7956]

The smell. I love the smell.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah me too 😊

[@ryanamin5185]

Big Brother can't change physical books.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

True - although he can burn them

[@ryanamin5185]

Fahrenheit 451. I've not read it yet. But I will.@@CriminOllyBlog

[@ryanamin5185]

How goes it with Jerusalem by Alan Moore?

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@ryanamin5185 Not at all at the moment - on my list for 2024 though!

[@nunyabidness4220]

In my world, ebooks don't even exist. If it's not on paper, it's not published. And if it's not published by an actual publisher, it's not *really* published. My house is hoarder-hell with books and I'm extremely happy with that. I don't mind stepping around piles of them because they're all either things I've read and have memories of, or they represent the anticipation of one day getting to read them. I like to collect series of books and I get my money's worth out of just looking at them and remembering collecting 'em, even if I don't get around to reading 'em. Although I certainly intend to read 'em... it's just, even if I don't, I love looking at them reading the back covers and front pages, looking at the cover art, etc. None of that can be done very well with ebooks. I feel no affinity with "files," and your mind doesn't read ebooks the same way. As far as I'm concerned, ebooks are only good for nonfiction information. If you're reading fiction on a kindle, you're cheating yourself. Computers and devices are far more prone to distraction. When they started making e-readers that you could use to surf the web, that was the death knell of the idea to me... books are to get AWAY from the damnable internet. Also, I'm trepidatious about ebooks because it's far easier to erase things. You can change the file and information that people don't want you to have is gone. But if they want to surpress something in physical media, they have to track down all the copies... and they can't. If you want to do something crazy, like deny the Holocaust ever happened, step one is get people used to reading ebooks. Then you can do it... but with physical books, you can't.