Physical Books vs. Kindle Books

Joshua talks about the pros and cons of digital books and physical books. Watch the full episode on Patreon: / theminimalists
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[@ScottRouse]

Just a heads up, you can email a pdf to your Kindle. If you put CONVERT in the subject line, it converts the pdf to Kindle format; font, spacing, whatever you have set up. Love the show. 👍

[@k.iskandar]

Wow. Okay I never knew this. Thanks for the tip.

[@veoquenoesunproblema]

I already know this and still sucks on Kindle, looks horrible because I use PDFs with a lot of color, I really don’t care the color but affects the experience of reading on black and white

[@veoquenoesunproblema]

Dark colors are the worst

[@rociogarcia9852]

I usually buy them on Kindle, and if I loved the book, I buy it physical to share it with family.

[@Omar-r9x8n]

Lol, Same here 😂❤

[@veoquenoesunproblema]

I don’t share books with second level relatives, I got them destroyed, missing pages, greased and more

[@violet4595]

Same here but i don't buy them i just kind of download them from here and there which is not illegal of course. Then if i like it i purchase it

[@xavierrethore3778]

Same for me: if I've loved a book I enjoy seeing the physical copy on my shelves (I'd rather give books than lend them, for different reasons);

[@username0283]

thats such a lovely idea

[@carmelitas]

Wow! I love how you show yourself being so real, you could pretend and say be 0% paper waste, or “I’m 100% green” but you just show the real value of having a family moment which is precious and limited sometimes, and leaving the paper guilt ones away. I enjoyed listening to your experience!!! 🌻

[@eduardobrunlauren]

It's always enjoyable to see someone talking so passionately and with such knowledge about a subject

[@florianfranco8523]

I like my kindle as it's more portable and I have faster and cheaper access to english books (I'm from germany). BUT some books I still want to buy as a printed version to set up a "trap" for my child to find it later in life.

[@jeanieschainost6233]

When I was a kid, I used a flashlight under my blankets to read well into the night. Now I like using my Kindle to read at night because I can do it without a lamp or flashlight.

[@lydiaderhake2532]

I felt this way for a while. Recently, I minimized a lot more of my life. Specifically stopped watching TV and movies almost entirely. In 2 months, I've now read 18 books on Libby and Audible. When you make time to read, and getting the next book in a series is as easy as touching "borrow" to get it from your library, the value of digital hugely outweighs paper copies. To say nothing of the cost of 18 paper books, even used ones at $3-10 apiece.

[@ByronWrightJr]

I don’t like having physical books. I use the books app on Apple products I haven’t look back. But I understand people who still love physical copy of books. Reading in general is underrated.

[@lucindalove7606]

No no no......you have to touch the pages, smell the pages....you have to turn the pages.....MUST have book. (These are the things I tell myself, & are keeping books on my shelves.)

[@reddleman2]

Minimimalism shouldn't be a punishment. It is not Buddhism.

[@VianPrasadana]

I’ve been “all in” to Kindle for couple of years now. It’s just convenient. Sure, I still go to the book store sometimes just to get inspired what to read on my Kindle next. It’s cheaper and better for environment. Also, I didn’t realize that I enjoy Audiobook that much until I gave Audible a try for couple of months. But yeah, that’s just medium, the most important thing is the knowledge itself.

[@CGBalla1014]

You should read Marshal McLuhan. He actually talked about how “medium is the message.”

[@chiaraLT]

If printing, remember to print on both sides!

[@juanisayuso]

I know that ebooks are better for different reasons, but I can't get used to them. I forget I have them. I try to be mindful with every book purchase a make and also try to buy used books, but I don't think I'll ever change my physical books for ebooks.

[@KienNguyen-ku7oo]

I have a kindle but there's something about physical book that ebook can't replace it. I think physical book is till the best

[@shizukuamasawa6643]

The thing is I spend a lot because of my kindle. At night when I'm just browsing, I just end up buying more books unlike before when I have to go to the bookstore before I buy something.

[@Senorgrav]

I’m a truck driver and the kindle goes everywhere with me. Less clutter. Cheaper idk seems like the obvious choice.

[@michaelmallal9101]

Physical books, though very nice, take up too much real estate. I have no more room in bookshelves and we have no more room in apartment for more bookshelves.

[@kerartadiaz928]

I got a Kindle recently, and there's one more downside I noticed: the edition. For some books, it might not be a problem, since they're published by the same editorial on digital and physical format; but some others (usually the "classics") don't have the equivalent of the physical format by the same editorial, and honestly, some digital editions suck (translation, introduction).

[@smartypants1980]

I'm loosing my vision so I am goig 100% audible

[@mandardhurat3287]

Good

[@crossbowcrosser1687]

Hope best for you.

[@frankm.2850]

I'll always have some print books, but I'm finding myself reading more and more on my Kindle. That said, I live in a family of readers and book lovers, and its a lot easier to loan a paper book than an ebook, especially when I'm the only one who owns an ebook reader.

[@MrSpruce]

I love having physical prints, one big reason being the history that can be attached with them. For instance one book I own has inscriptions from the owner dated 1928, and the book was printed in 1926.

[@nikkicas260]

I don’t buy books physically. I support my library and check it out, I also use OverDrive and Hoopla to read digital books for free! If I love it then I purchase the book and when it’s time for me to move to another residence I don’t have to lug around so many books.

[@erik-sr9bj]

Library is underrated

[@morlamweb]

I've gone to %100 kindle for my new book purchases, if I can't borrow it from the library first. I've slimmed down my collection of book-books down to just the ones that I actually read. Some of them are reference books, so they have a "shelf life" if you will, when the information will be outdated or incomplete in a few years' time, but I still use them several times a year. Others are books that I treasure and read through regularly. It's maybe 12 volumes in total. By comparison, there was a time when my wife and went shopping for bookshelves as we had run out of room for more books! 20 some years ago I had subscriptions to about 3-6 magazines. I dropped those periodicals as my interests changed, and after I "bought into" minimalism (if you pardon the term), I was less inclined to subscribe to anything new. A few years ago I discovered a new magazine, Bicycle Quarterly, which is far more in line with my interests, and yet not available online anywhere. I mulled over whether to subscribe, and ultimately did, because the content added a lot of value to my life, moreso than having a slightly-emptier bookshelf.

[@clinthuff9868]

The way I see it is, you either have a book that your mother read to you as a child and then when you become an adult you have that same book to read to your kids, which has a lot of history. Or you buy the ebook that your mom read to you. It does not have the same history. Also when you buy used books especially a popular book you can read it along with other that have read that same exact book. Or you can read a ebook which will.neber be a book. Their no history. Book have always been physical no matter how it was printed and what it printed on. I rather stay in the realm of physical book because of all the history and also the scientific data that backs up reading a physical book over watching a video or reading a ebook which in my opinion isn't a book

[@GovernorRP]

I just bought a Kindle 7 today. Only $50, and it's all I really needed. The 8 and above felt a bit too big for my taste. I feel like I could replace essentially my entire collection of books (minus the signed ones or ones I REALLY love, like my Bible or the Lord of the Rings books) and sell the others to use as credit towards the e-Book version. My weakness is sentimental things. I've been attached to these books since high school, and I have only finished about half of them!

[@thx1136]

You do know that you can read PDF on kindle yes?

[@Cukito4]

I read books and my physical library is huge. I also read ebooks and all of those that I own need to be mine, NOT in the cloud. Additional digital copies MUST be in my computers and the external hard drive, forever.

[@angelgirldebbiejo]

I switched to kindle and down sized from 3 book cases full too just 3 shelves in total. I try to give away the book when done but some about After life etc I keep. Sometimes I want to hold and smell an actual book.

[@dcmsr5141]

Late to the conversation, immersion reading is really cool, it’s where you listen with the audio (professional voice or the Author themselves) and follow on your e reader. Just another way to actively read

[@ktrudy1]

I have a kindle 10 and looooove it and the kindle app on my phone to read if I'm like waiting at drs or something. Loooovvvee y'all's vids. Sending love from Kentucky.

[@VanJR.]

I love physical books but if I really want a book I’ll buy it. In my neighborhood we have those take-a-book-leave-a-book houses. So I pretty much get my physical books from that. And I use Libby with my kindle oasis

[@Bonzman]

Although I use Kindle when traveling nothing beats a good book read next to a cosy fire with a glass of a single malt or an uncle Jack D or cousin Jim B.

[@S_GS]

I love both. I have library membership so whenever I feel the need to reread the book, I buy ebook.

[@MrHaydnSir]

whether it’s reading for pleasure, or research whilst studying - i need a tangible, physical, printed book flipping through pages and tabbing where i need - it helps me organise my thoughts visually, in front of me my first year assignments wrote in the library with 2, 3 dozen books were exponentially better than my second year assignments; wrote at home with just ebooks and the internet

[@tommypickles8432]

Same here, I found that I do somewhat better when a physical book and/or textbook is in front of me...while e-books and online textbooks are convenient for access, I oddly have trouble concentrating, but that’s just me

[@zhanweii]

Library books are the best 😊

[@madsbritbo8005]

I was just about to write that 👍🏻

[@fernandaserrano2120]

I am in the group of people who work in biochemistry and health sciences, and I always got used to reading books in pdf, my mind got used to reading electronically for accessibility, I love kindle because I can have a library in that little place

[@erik-sr9bj]

Nasty

[@ethanjsc]

man this is tough... I like the kindle because its portable and its easier to read at night and on the go. But I do feel like highlighting and note taking is easier on the paper book because the kindle takes so long to load notes and highlights. I think for fiction or leisure reading, I prefer the kindle because I won't be taking many notes or reading it over and over again.. but for let help or books I learn a lot from, I like physical better. edit: The kindle versions are actually cheaper most of the time so I guess thats another upside

[@erik-sr9bj]

Do you lean with note taking and books you learn from books you're using in uni or school? Or do you also take notes on 'normal' non-fiction books

[@ethanjsc]

@@erik-sr9bj For school books I usually buy physical unless the kindle version is significantly cheaper. I dont take too many notes or highlights in school books anyways because I have to return them. For non-fiction books I usually like to highlight and write in margins

[@botanicalspotlight]

I read everything on my Kindle unless it's an older book that I buy on eBay or used bookstore.

[@matthewcoates756]

I love eBooks. I own more eBooks than print books. However, some books I refuse to get rid of. Either I can't get an eBook of it or the book is important to me so I have it in print.

[@havefunbesafe]

I prefer my Ipad mini as a reader. At 56 years old, the eyesight is waning and the ability to change fonts and size is great. Also with digital media I can find pretty much anything I want for free. I do buy it's physical counterpart if I really like the book.

[@bastiatintheandes4958]

I am 62. It is just a matter of time. Physical books will stay here forever, but, they are redundant. All books nowadays are originally written on digital media (computers). Do you really need to go analog, destroy trees, create pollution (chemicals, transport, storing) just for the "pleasure" of keeping a copy that nobody else will read? I keep my oversized personal library and now I am dealing with silverfish. I donated hundreds of my books to a school library. They are very seldom borrowed. Last time they did not even accepted another donation since many of my books are outdated or irrelevant. I love my iPad and my new collection of up-to-date non-fiction books and some fiction ones. If I don´t read one or many of them there is the peace of mind since I have spared Mother Earth of unnecessary waste and damage

[@anarchisttutor7423]

Which is better for reading before sleep, considering light levels?

[@xavierrethore3778]

I have two Kindles and I love using them but I still read physical books and I think print books will not be going anywhere anytime soon.

[@andrewalonsi]

Once I got a kindle, I started reading Alot more!

[@thaneknight]

I've been curating a personal library so I've chosen physical books because some of the original books are being changed. I don't trust that certain books won't completely disappear or no longer exist in their original format.E-books are easier to manipulate and disappear. I am very choosy about what books I do have and make sure they are books I will read and re read.I choose the books that have changed the way I see the world; I want a physical copy. Like true friends there are only a few. Ultimately it's a personal preference.i don't want the updated Charlie and the Chocolate factory, because the word "fat "offends someone.Lots of stuff was created in a time different than ours. i want to read the original works not somebody's political interpretation of them.

[@JungleOfMeat]

Cheaper? I get my books from the car boot for 20p. Brand new they are £8-12 each.

[@erik-sr9bj]

Haha, jokes on you, I pirate my e-books for free!!!

[@faa923]

my physical books run out of battery all the time. I guess it all depends on how you use them

[@louisehesseldahl-clausen3578]

I hope you all can answer this question. I wanna be smarter in the world of makeup, and my mom gave me a kindle. An makeup book have pictures, so can you find that type of book in a kindle? :D

[@zwheels654]

I have to print scripts to read them. I just can't do it as a PDF or on an ereader.

[@TheVCRTimeMachine]

eBooks are terrible. They might be great for limiting the amount of physical books in your home and make it easier to carry 100 books with you and you can download them immediately, blah, blah, blah. But the reading experience is completely different and not as rewarding. It takes away the experience of browsing library stacks and bookstores. You don't have to charge physical book, you don't have to deal with glowing screens. I also find it difficult to remember what I read in an ebook. I bought a Kindle in 2010 and just sold it back to Amazon after not having used it for the last four years and having only purchased about 15 books.

[@princessleai]

Uhm bought 2 books this week... hardcover 👉🏽👈🏽

[@Thinkabout1]

could you put the language subtitle in portuguese, spanish, russian, arabic, german and other languages ​​too? will help a lot for those who want to consume your videos and learn English too.

[@JamesDean-vl3uf]

Why would I ever want to get a Kindle when I can go to a thrift store and find an amazing array of books for a $1.25 each. And if you go to the Goodwill outlet they're $25 cents $0.50 for hardcover

[@shivendrasharma2288]

One disadvantage of Kindle is that you cannot read reference books (manuals, books for developers and stuff) because it does not print everything on a single screen. For books that do not contain tables, code snippets, etc. Kindle can be a great choice.

[@GabrielMirandaLima-hv7oe]

It's easier to get a paper book ripped than to get a corrupted file

[@reddleman2]

I would never trust my availability to books with Amazon. They have shown before they can and will delete (censor) purchased books from their Kindle. Minimimalism should not make you more dependent on big corp.

[@heri4313]

Is there any reason that makes amazon will delete purchased kindle books?

[@reddleman2]

@@heri4313 "Amazon effectively acknowledged that the deletions were a bad idea." www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html And yes, you could argue "1984" had some legality issues, but that's not my point. My argument is that Amazon can and will remove books from your personal library, like a thief in the night taking books from your shelves. Their promise not do it again is a joke as they broke their TOS on a whim several times. I will not trust my source for knowledge to big corp. Cloud solutions might sound like the best solution for minimalists, but it also makes you dependent on them.

[@taz4635]

I have OCD. So I don’t like to buy physical books.

[@megsup167]

Original Gamer ?

[@Umesh-p6f]

I read in my android phone with low light and eye protection.

[@ricardocastro3201]

Physical books can't be censored after you buy them

[@vivianp5962]

Im buying books for about 25 ¢. Recipe books, diy, etc. If you buy an online book like (Kindle) it wont work if the internet goes down or even electric sometimes-wipped away forever. Physical books are best, multi purpose uses. Can use the book for entertainment, diy, depending on type of book, toilet paper, fire starter, learning in general, write notes on the pages, books are better. Just my 2 cents.

[@lizaruiz8824]

fyi all 345 of my kindle books are accessible at all times even when im places i dont have internet access

[@erik-sr9bj]

You can pirate ebooks off the internet for free

[@ianoliver3879]

Basically one shot. What?

[@P4nDA_pls]

weeks long battery, complains that the battery runs out

[@bart-v]

Are you really sure e-readers are better for the environment?