Do you like soft covers or hard covers?

[EarlJam]

Books. When you read, do you prefer a soft cover or a hard cover? Or does it even matter?

-EJ

[sue71, esq]

Why are you still awake?

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

If its soft, its usually cheap, and usually gets around more.

The hard ones are the ones I like to keep on the shelf.

[EarlJam]

Why are you still awake?

I tried going to bed but couldn't. My mind races 24/7, and a good war movie is on.

-EJ

[sue71, esq]

In any event, I'm torn on this one. Soft paperbacks are cheaper but hardcovers last longer.

I usually don't buy hardcovers but from a very few authors. Like 2. Tres expensive.

I'm trying to cut back on buying books in general (NOT cheap if you buy a lot/often) but I need to get a library card. I used to have one but haven't gotten one in LA yet. I did start trading books with friends, though.

[2535Miles]

I'll take soft covers, but I really love hardbacks. I'm working on building up a library and I think the hardbacks look better. Hardbacks are usually printed on better paper stock, which makes a difference to me. :) I also trash the dust covers when I purchase a hardback.

[DevilAlumna]

I prefer reading a hardback book - the pages are usually bigger, they sit nicely in your lap, you don't have to struggle to keep it from closing on you.

Disadvantage - they're big and heavy. I found I read more paperbacks, just because I could carry them around easily - on the metro, always kept a book in my backpack, etc.

But now, I just listen to most of my books. (Yay Audible + Zune!)

[sue71, esq]

Good point- I won't take hardcovers with me when I travel anymore. Too dang heavy.

And I can't bring myself to listen to my books. I like lying in bed or curling up in my chair and reading.

[dukemomLA]

Addicted to Hard Covers. (...can anyone say, "use your local library?") I pick up books at the bookstores (B&N, Borders, Costco, etc.) at a discount price when appropriate, but don't even mind travelling with Hard Covers since I love them so.

I share new Hard Covers with friends -- I buy one, they buy one or two, and we all swap.... and then all get donated to our local libraries.

Nothing, nothing fills me up like a great new Hard Cover book. Ah....

[YmoBeThere]

Makes no difference but I feel less guilty if something goes wrong with a paperback...

[ohioguy2]

I frequent my local library often, thus read a lot of hard cover books. Three or four per week. When I travel or if I see something while walking through a book store I purchase a paperback or two. The library is free. The paperbacks travel better.

[colchar]

If its soft, its usually cheap, and usually gets around more.

The hard ones are the ones I like to keep on the shelf.

Same here.

[colchar]

and a good war movie is on.

-EJ

Which one?

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

just to clear this up - the original title of the thread was "do you like it hard or soft?" right?

[sue71, esq]

just to clear this up - the original title of the thread was "do you like it hard or soft?" right?

Yes, you are correct. I said the same thing this morning. :rolleyes:

[pamtar]

My wife is a librarian so which ever one she brings me is fine. I usually get hardcover, sometimes an audiobook. I have listened to every Harry Potter. This was fine for the first five, but I'm kinda mad at myself for not reading the last two.

I hope EJ doesn't use our opinions via his polls to influence his life decisions.

[Deslok]

I'd rather have it soft than hard. First I also read a lot, and buying hardcovers is ridiculously expensive. Library isn't really an option here in Korea, but the next best thing is a couple of used bookstores I know(you get a much better selection there than at the few shops that have an English language section, you just can't rely on them having any particular book/author). But especially because I do carry a book(or books) around with me wherever I go, on the subway, on the bus, in the car, waiting around for a meeting, etc and hardcovers are too cumbersome to deal with.

And I absolutely hate to ever throw even a paperback away, I'd hate to think how attached I'd get if I regularly bought hardcovers.

[duke74]

Books. When you read, do you prefer a soft cover or a hard cover? Or does it even matter?

-EJ

Not trying to hijack the thread, but does anyone have the Kindle? Thinking about getting one.

[DukeFencer]

I like being able to hold books in one hand comfortably, so paperbacks. I always seem to end up laying on my back with my arms straight up in the air, or sitting at a table looking straight down, neither of which is favorable for long periods of reading.

[YmoBeThere]

If its soft, its usually cheap, and usually gets around more.

The hard ones are the ones I like to keep on the shelf.


Paperbacks, the "sluts" of the literary world?

[BluDevilGal]

For the most part, it doesn't matter to me. I check out a lot of books from the library and don't really stop to think about paperback vs. hardcover.

When buying books, it depends. For something like Harry Potter, the last 4 books are so long that you really need hardcovers or they'll fall apart, plus since it's a set, I want it to look nice. But for most things it's nice to go with the cheaper paperback.

[merry]

Looking at this thread...did I miss the announcement that our avatars have to be animals? I think I need to change mine to the cat.

I like to have hardbacks but generally actually read paperbacks. I have the opposite problem with things like the Harry Potter book - those books are so big that if I fall asleep reading and drop it on my face it's quite a painful wake-up call. Paperbacks are less hazardous. Also as others have noted they are easier for carrying around. I do a lot of reading on trips and I used to read on public transit when I used to ride public transit so a paperback is just easier.

At least twice I have bought a hardback when a much anticipated book came out but then failed to actually read it until the paperback came out.