Tuesday, January 26, 2010

binding strength

Dear QotD?ers,

Today was another day of work, commuting and evening domesticity. I was able to finish the 12th book of a super long fantasy series today (Wheel of Time's The Gathering Storm). But now that leaves me without a new book to read! I need to get to the library soon.

Today's Question of the Day? is:
When reading books for entertainment, do you prefer hardbacks or paperbacks?

Love,
The Asker

13 comments:

The Minears said...

I prefer a hardback if I'm going to keep the book but will pick up a paperback if I'm at the store just looking for something to read.

Mother of Three, Anne said...

Hardbacks.

I don't understand what Minears meant by "if I am going to keep the book." I thought a book was like a child and you are obligated to keep it, nuture it, and show it off when company comes.

"Show your funny plot line to the nice lady, dear!"

And If the implication is that I can get rid of books, does that mean I could get rid of musical instruments as well??

No, it is all too much. Books, drums, guitars, dogs and children are all the same...family. End of story.

Jackie said...

I'm going with hardback as well. It's much easier to read and it looks neater on a bookshelf. Of course, a good deal of the books I own are paperback and I'm trying to decide if I should I convert them or not...

groovysabrina said...

the only hardbacks I have are textbooks. paperbacks all the way! they are much lighter and fit into a purse. I rarely keep my books.

Tami Parker said...

For READING, I actually prefer a paperback. I feel less concerned about hurting it, and I grew up with Half Price books, so they're familiar to me.

I do not keep every book, but I have a rather large and alarming collection that I try to keep in check. I recently went through and donated several boxes of books to the local battered women's shelter (including a large selection of children's books.

Anything I'm going to read again, I keep. Anything I lend to friends I have multiple copies of. =]

@Anne
I wonder if, perhaps, you might not enjoy Spider Robinson's Callahan series as much as I do?

Mother of Three, Anne said...

@ GroovySabrina!

I am reeling! I am shocked! I may never get over this!!

@ TamiJean,

One year, one of the kids had to estimate the number of books in their house. Dr. Fandango put 3000 and feared that the teacher would doubt his ability to estimate. And that estimate was just for the children's books in his room. It would have been useless to estimate the number for the entire house.

I will duly look for these books. Might I be able to share them with Fandango and SHSSF?

By the way, The Lighting Thief comes out on the 12th, and we are quite excited. Christopher Columbus directs it. I recommend th series for any who have not read it.

Kristen said...

Angel-A, Do you still participate in the book-swap-through-mail program?

Anne, you can just avoid getting attached to so many books by using the library almost exclusively, like I do! But that plan is ruined if you get reaaaly attached to books.

Jackie, I would love to see your bookshelf. I should visit it next time I come up.

Sabrina, i love your answer. my own will be very similar.

TamiJean, some books are just meant to be manhandled or face the rigors of every day life! hardbacks get so upset when they are bumped and bruised.

Anne, I don't know if the Callahan series would be appropriate for Mr. SHHSF, maybe Dr. Fandango. The one or two I read had some more adult themes. Alternative mad-cab absurdity fantasty novels can be found in Discworld books by Terry Pratchett. Can you confirm that, TamiJean?

I read the first Lightening Thief and look forward to seeing the movie, even though I am not a super fan of ancient mythology

Jessim said...

Paperbacks unless the book is super thick. Harry Potter -for example- I got in hardback.

I keep all my books. Occasionally I will cull the herd, but I feel bad about it.

Tami Parker said...

@Anne

All parents have different levels of okay-ness. They aren't Harry Potter, but neither are they Pride and Prejudice.

I would recommend reading them yourself first so that you could make the judgment call.

I don't consider them to be terribly dangerous, but I've never had to train myself that kids swearing in public is anything other than hilarious.

Sweetie Pie said...

Well I perfer hardbacks.
Love,
Sweetie Pie

The Minears said...

@Asker, I am no longer part of paperbackswap.com, but it was a great site and I loved trading books through it. That is how I built up my collection of hardbacks. They ship to APO addresses, but I finally caught up with all of the series that I wanted and I buy the new books as they come out because I'm impatient and need to read an author's newest as soon as it arrives on shelves.

@Jackie, you might try paperbackswap.com if you want to trade your paperbacks for hardbacks. The front page of the site explains it all and I loved being a member.

@Anne, I have multiple series of books in harback that will live with me forever and ever. I buy crappy romance novels in paperback as well as random books when there is downtime between the release of my favorites. Those books are bought in paperback and then passed on to others. I recently cleaned out my bookshelves and made a huge donation to one of the elementary schools on base, they're having a book sale to raise money for the PTA. I actually got rid of some of the series that I worked so hard to collect because the authors ruined things by changing main characters or shifting the focus of the series. Plus I was worried that I was reaching book hoarder status and needed a place to put some of the cool souvenirs we've been buying here in Japan.

Mother of Three, Anne said...

@ Asker,

Phhhtttt! A library! So when I want to re read a book or share it with another family member or reference it in a heated discussion, how is a stupid library going to help me there?? Libraries are only good for the sales that they put on! YIPPEEE!!!

@ Minears,

I think I would not do well in Japan, a land very limited in space. One does get used to the wide open spaces of semi-rural Texas.

I also think my books would prevent me from being a nomad.

groovysabrina said...

ha! exactly, Anne, my lack of books allows me to have a semi-nomadic lifestyle.