It's kinda cool to see how technology has affected the format of books. A few years ago, I only ever read physical books. I couldn't imagine reading a book in any other way. Now though, I'm at the point where I'd rather read an eBook than a physical book. I've recently got into audiobooks to try to maximize my down time a bit more too. If I had to rank my book format preferences from best to worst, I'd say it'd go eBooks, physical books, and then audiobooks.
I'd like to talk about audiobooks first, since I'm still pretty new to them. I like the idea behind them, but I have very particular standards when it comes to who is narrating them. Some of the people are incredibly boring, sound like robots, etc. I figured out that I really like audiobooks narrated by celebrities. I gravitate towards actors that I've enjoyed in TV shows or movies. Memoirs are great to listen to, because it's like this celebrity is telling you about their life as if they're your friend. I recently finished A Life In Parts by Bryan Cranston and really enjoyed hearing Bryan narrate it. I loved his acting in Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad and hearing him talk about some of that was awesome. I definitely recommend that book by the way. He's had such an interesting life. I also recently finished Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari. Hearing him narrate it was awesome as well. Aziz is in Parks and Recreation, which is one of my favorite shows of all time. I've completely skipped over why I've started listening to more audiobooks. Basically, I listen to a lot of music when I'm on campus. I'll listen to stuff on the bus to campus, before/between my classes, driving 3.5 hours home, etc. I didn't realize how much time I was spending on this, but every bit adds up. I'd rather listen to a few minutes of a book then a song I've heard a billion times. It's easier for me to listen to a book off my phone than lug around the book and have to put it away all the time. Honestly, listening to audiobooks is allowing me to get reading in where I wouldn't have been able to before. Once I find the right ones, I think I'll be set. I wouldn't switch over all my reading to audiobooks, because at times I zone out and completely miss everything that was read to me. It's then kinda hard to go back and find what you missed.
I still do love physical books as well. There's obviously just something special about physically flipping the pages of a book. I enjoy being able to physically see how much of a book I've read. This is the way I've read books for my entire life, so it's what I'm the most accustomed to. At times, books are better suited to a physical form if they've got pictures or lots of footnotes. My biggest issues with physical books are the size. Most are too inconvenient for me to carry around now. My school bag is already heavy enough as it is, so I'm not too inclined to add another somewhat heavy thing to it. Some books also get really heavy to hold after reading for a while, especially hardcovers and really long books. Lugging around a book can be annoying with having to constantly take it out/put it away.
Lastly, something I've gotten back into more recently is eBooks. I got a Kindle a few years ago, was really into it, and then didn't read as much for a few years in high school. I really liked the concept and experience of them, but for some reason, I moved away from it. Since I got back into reading tons of books this summer, I brought he Kindle back out. I've loved every second of it. One plus is the fact that I can have a huge number of books on a device that is the size of a single book. It's not heavy after hours of reading. The screen doesn't strain my eyes like a physical book will sometimes do. I didn't think I'd enjoying reading off a screen, since I already have to spend so much time staring at screens for school. Honestly though, the screen is a matte finish and looks very natural. It's so nice to be able to have access to tons of books when I'm out and about. I also love the accessibility of it. It's so easy for me to quickly read a chapter or so. Kindle can figure out your reading speed and then tell you how long you've got left in the chapter and book as a whole. I always like to read a chapter at a time at least, so it's nice I don't have to estimate how long it'll take. The biggest plus I have with eBooks is the fact that I can check out/return all my books from the comfort of my own home. I no longer have to go to the library to check out books, which is awesome. Sometimes it's nice to go to the library to browse the shelves, but most of the time, I already know what I'm looking for. I can just search the book on the eLibrary and have it on my Kindle within minutes. There's never a risk of me paying overdue fines either, as the books automatically return after the end of the loan period. I seem to read more with my Kindle, since it's so easy for me to do. I definitely recommend you try an eReader out if you're really into reading.
I believe I got to everything I wanted to stay. I didn't expect to enjoy eBooks or audiobooks at all, yet they've really changed the way I read books. Sorry this got so long winded. I love reading, and it's cool to try out new ways to enjoy it. Thanks for looking! Stay tuned for my September reading recap in a few days!
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