Battling Book Formats

0 Comments

If you’re an avid reader like me,  you probably have an opinion on whether a physical copy, e-book, or audiobook is the supreme book experience. I’m not here to convince you one way or the other — each of these formats have their advantages and disadvantages. As someone who enjoys all three formats, I’m here to share what I, personally, love about each of them!


Physical Copy

There’s nothing like holding a new book and cracking the spine. I don’t think I could ever stop buying physical copies of books (though my overflowing bookshelf may beg to differ). But sometimes, it can be a bit of a hassle to carry about an 800 page book everywhere you go.

What’s to love?
  • Nothing compares to the smell of a book
  • A full bookshelf
  • Beautiful book jackets
  • That sense of accomplishment watching the amount of pages dwindle on the right side
  • Easier on the eyes
  • You can highlight your favorite quote, tab your favorite scenes, and annotate all of it; capturing your reading experience and making the copy uniquely yours

E-Books

While there are specific tablets that are meant to be e-readers, the great thing about e-books is that they can be accessed on any digital device – which means you can take your book with you everywhere you go! If you only have a few minutes in between classes, you can read a page or two of an e-book without having to wrestle it out of your bag or worry about losing your bookmark. 

What’s to love?
  • Convenient! With one of the many e-book apps, you can take your reading anywhere
  • You can mark it up without having to worry about making mistakes
  • Sometimes cheaper than new physical books
  • If you’re reading a series, the next book is readily available
  • All of your titles in one convenient place

Audiobooks

I might be a little behind on the trend, but I’ve recently become obsessed with audiobooks! The unique narrator voices and playback speed make this reading experience enjoyable in a different way than reading either of the other formats. If you aren’t a fast reader or can’t stand to sit still long enough to read, audiobooks are the perfect solution. 

What’s to love? 
  • Convenient! Household chores? Driving to work or school? Listen to that book you’ve been anticipating and multi-task
  • Fantastic narrators and interactive reading experiences 
  • Flexible for any schedule
  • Instant downloads
  • You can bookmark your favorite scenes

This isn’t Twilight — you don’t need to be Team Audiobook or Team Physical Copy. Actually, here at Pine Reads, many of us use ALL of these formats and have multiple books started at the same time across all of these modalities. There isn’t a wrong answer, and each format has its own advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of which format you prefer, as long as you are enjoying a good book, you can’t go wrong!

Do you have a preference between physical copy, e-book, or audiobook? Let us know in the comments below!


PRR Writer and Editor, Taylor Quinn

Categories: