Late last month in a Books on Sale post, Stephanie Burgis mentioned in a comment:
I absolutely adore The Widow of Rose House – it’s one of my very favorite books!
After I read it in ebook, I bought a paperback copy, too, because I needed to have it in multiple formats for all my future re-reads. 🙂
I think this is so cool, and really interesting. I don’t own many physical copies of books, but ebooks and audiobooks I often acquire in tandem because I like having the option to read or listen.
I also had to become Rather Nosy and ask the rest of the folks in SBTB HQ.
Elyse: I own a lot of books both as physical copies and digital copies. My reading habits shift between the two. I read a lot more closely with a physical book, but it’s less convenient.
Amanda: I usually get multiple editions for different covers or special copies.
Sarah: It’s rare for me to actively want a three dimensional piece of matter, especially a print book, when I have the digital copy.
That said, I do make sure that my Kindle is charged for reading because it’s too easy for me to distract myself and browse away from reading on my phone to other digital snacking activities that aren’t as restful and relaxing for my brain the way reading is.
Elyse: Even limited to a Kindle, reading an ebook is less restful for me.
Susan: I have so many books in different formats.
Sarah: Do you collect them or forget you already own them?
Susan: Possible reasons for me:
- I got a digital arc and now I want to buy a copy
- ADHD tax; I collect the series in hardcopy, lost the middle volume SOMEWHERE, and buy a digital copy to gap fill (and then immediately find the copy I lost!)
- Most of the audiobooks I get are rereads because I don’t trust myself not to miss things
- I just REALLY LOVE/REALLY HYPERFOCUSED on a book and then….
Sarah: All understandable reasons!
Shana: Not exactly the same, but I now always check an audiobook and an ebook copy of books out of library at the same time.
There’s usually a point in a book where I get too invested in the story to put up with the slow pace of listening (even at 1.5X speed) and need to know what happened RIGHT NOW. So I often read the first 75% of a book on audio and then read the last quarter as an ebook.
I also love bookstores too much to not buy beautiful paper books, but most of the time I’m buying a book I’ve already read as an ebook or ARC.
Does anyone else buy ebooks they really loved even when you have an ARC? It’s kind of my “thank you for writing this life changing book” tax to the author. I wish you could just tip authors directly, honestly. Just slide a $10 bill across the table with a note saying “thanks for the sex scene on page 184.”
Ellen: Yes, I definitely do this!
Susan: YES. Mainly KJ Charles, Cat Sebastian, and Stephanie Burgis.
… Plus sometimes I just can’t remember which app I have a book in >_>
Shana: KJ Charles’s book Unfit to Print just got me out of a terrible book hangover and I would happily buy her coffee for a week to thank her for rescuing me.
Sneezy: I also like to get books in audio and e-/physical copies if I can, especially for books that has names and words in different languages. My brain bounces between whether audio or visual is more digestible for it. Sometimes I really need both. I often need English subtitles on for English movies.
Shana: This reminded me of our conversation!
Sara: Yes.
What about you? Are there books that you need to own in multiple formats? Which formats, and why?