Time to get to know the curators from the Escape Velocity Collection! How? By asking them the questions that really matter! Let’s see what our curators have to say…
This week’s question is:
Do you prefer listening to an audiobook, reading a hardcover, a paperback or an e-book?
I love all of them! And I regularly switch between all four, because all of them have their own particular advantages. Probably about half of the books I get though are audiobooks. This medium works really well for me, because it means I can combine reading with other hobbies such as walking or drawing, or with doing house chores. E-books are especially great during holidays because they save a lot of room and weight. They are also easier when reading at night, because my e-reader has its own background light so that I don’t need to bother with a bedside lamp. But in the end I still really love the feel of holding an actual book in my hands and seeing it on my bookshelf. I do appreciate a beautiful hardcover, but I really cannot stand dust jackets so when it comes down to it I usually end up going with the paperback edition. The fact that these are often about half the price of a hardcover also helps.
Robin
Peter
I hate to admit it because I love physical books, but these days I’m more of an audiobook person, purely because listening to a book allows me to ‘read’ while doing chores or painting minis, which means I actually find the time every now and then. I don’t read on paper nearly as often as I used to, but when I do, I’m a paperback person. Lighter, cheaper, smaller, easier to take on the train. Hardbacks are reserved for special editions of favourite books, like my collected works of Poe or Lovecraft. I have an e-reader, but I’ve never been able to get into the habit of actually using it. As Robin said, I really only take it as a backup on holiday. Unreasonable, I know.
I’d say I prefer paperbacks. I used to really love hardcover books, but I feel like nowadays they rarely feel much fancier than a nice paperback. Especially if they have a dust cover that I just end up ruining. I’d love to be an audiobook person, but audiobooks ask a level of commitment that I rarely am willing to give. I guess you could compare it to how much easier it is to watch 5 episodes of a TV show compared to putting on a movie. I know I can just listen for 10 minutes while cooking dinner, but somehow I often can’t convince myself to actually do it. E-books are nice, but (and I know this is a pretty extreme example of a first world problem) my iPad is so big that it doesn’t really read comfortably. Also I’m a very material person, so if I’m gonna spend the money on a book, I want to actually be able to put it on my shelf.
Lotte
Key
My preferences have evolved and I have become softer, I think. I started as a traditionalist: hardcover as the purest form of book, paperbacks as surrogates and e-books as work of the devil to undermine true book-lovers. But I have come around to that sentiment. Although they look great on the shelf, hardcovers are actually pretty cumbersome while reading. A good e-reader makes me want to read more, because every page is just so short I can do another one. And paperbacks, they’re just chill.
Audiobooks are another story. I started listening those during long car rides when I went on holiday with my parents. We chose books that the whole family could enjoy. At every stop we discussed the characters and made predictions as to where the story would go. Nowadays, I listen more than I read. After a long day of studying (before) or writing and editing (now), I love to immerse myself in a story without having to see any more words before my eyes.
I’m an old soul, at least when it comes to these four. Those new technologies have their merits, but they are not for me. I don’t have the focus to get immersed in an audio book and when I read, I’d rather not do this on a screen. So, physical books are the way to my heart!
I have a small preference for hardcovers, mostly because I find them pretty. However, over the years I’ve come to appreciate the practical aspects of paperbacks. And, as Lotte already mentioned, both forms are luckily quite similar in fanciness nowadays.
Jop
Jasmijn
Although I can respect the durability of a hardcover, my heart will always lead me to a paperback. The way in which the covers will form to your hands is much more comfortable to me. I also associate hardcovers with books that have to be carefully touched with white gloves, and I am more an eating-chocolate-whilst-turning-the-page kind of girl (when the book is mine, of course).
Audiobooks, unfortunately, turned out to be not captivating enough for me. I get distracted by something I see or do and suddenly I missed an entire paragraph. I need and enjoy the visual input of words on paper.
As for e-books… They lack a certain coziness and a memory-retaining aspect I immediately associate with books. I want to be able to use my planeticket as a bookmark and find the sands of faraway beaches between the pages. Call me oldschool, haha.
That’s it: another soul-searching question answered!
Still curious? Visit each curator’s page to see what they’ve recently been up to!