Books have always been a central part of my life. Growing up, I loved nothing more than wandering through bookstores, browsing shelves, and getting lost in a new story. Back then, I used to read anything and everything. Over time, along my reading genres, I’m also learning that how we read can be just as important as what we read.
Open any bookish corner of the internet and you’ll find the endless debate of ebooks vs. audiobooks vs. physical books. Which is better? Team Physical Book waxes poetry about cracked spines, marginalia, and that vanilla-laced paper smell. Team Ebook raves about instant 2 a.m. purchases (especially for those series starter books that you can’t stop reading all through the night), adjustable fonts, and carrying thousands of titles in your bag. Team Audiobook just smirks from the treadmill: “I finished three books this week while you were turning pages”.
Everyone has a hill to die on. Some swear by one format and call the others betrayal. Me? After years of trial and error, I refuse to choose. Why limit yourself when you can have the best of all the worlds, at different convenient times?
Over the years, my relationship with books has changed, shaped by where I live, how I travel, and what i need from reading at different times and stages of my life. The way I read, whether it’s the feel of a physical book, the glow of an ebook reader, or the sound of an audiobook narrator in my ears, has evolvued just as much as the stories themselves. This journey from hard copies to ebooks to audiobooks isn’t just about convenience. It’s about finding the reading format that fits my life, my habits, and my love for stories.
I didn’t plan on becoming a case study in the ebooks vs. audiobooks vs. pysical books pros and cons. I just wanted to read more without breaking the bank or my shelves. Here’s my real-life story on how I evolved from a hardcopy snob to a balanced hybrid reading setup where every format shines.
In a Galaxy far far away…
I used to be that person who romanticized the smell of old paper, colour coded shelves, declared “nothing beats a real physical book and no one can convince me otherwise.” It was the ultimate reader aesthetic. Buying paperback and hardcover books felt like a love language to myself.
New Releases? Mine!
Gorgeous cover? Add to cart!!
Discounted paperback? Destiny!!!
But there was a catch. I’m not a re-reader. With so many TBRs and so little time, most of those beautiful hard copies were “read once and stored forever.” Finally my brother decided enough is enough (primarily because my books started encroaching on his space) and challenged my “traditionalist” thinking by gifting me a Kindle for my birthday.
That turned out to be a bigger disaster!
Plot Twist! Forbidden Love!
Of course, I started off saying “I’m never going to go to the dark side,” and the Kindle remained untouched for some time. But any form of book has a pull to it, and I couldn’t keep away from my brother’s gift for long. Eventually, I opened the package, connected to my account, and NEVER. CAME. BACK!
Overnight, ebooks became my new obsession. Suddenly, I could carry hundreds of books in one lightweight device. The minimalistic in me rejoiced. No more floor-to-ceiling stacks of books. No more dusting shelves (which made the lazy me happy, too). That means more reading time, with this one sleek device and hundreds of title ready to go.
Then I discovered BookBub ebook deals (for those who don’t know BookBub, it’s an ebook deal service that helps readers find heavily discounted / free Kindle books tailored to their favorite genre). Suddenly, I could hoard guilt-free. My digital library grew faster than my physical one ever did, and that too, at a wallet-friendly rate.
This was my first real experience comparing ebooks vs. physical books, and ebooks won for convenience, portability, and clutter-free living.
Another variable…
I crossed multiple oceans and relocated to a new continent. Any book lover would know, when you go to a new place, the first thing you check out is access to books.
And Toronto offered!
Public libraries entered my life in a big way. My reading life shifted again. I discovered the magic of libraries like I have never discovered anything before.
Shelves and shelves of books I could borrow, binge-read, and then return. With library books, I no longer had to worry about storage, clutter, or whether a book was “worth owning”. I could test drive new authors and genres, read more titles, and enjoy my reading habit without overflowing bookshelves.
Library due dates became friendly nudges to finish my current reads instead of endless jumping between shiny new books. Being a fast reader, the challenge to finish a book before the due date (especially those which had a 7-day quick read due date) ensured I was overachieving my Goodreads Reading Challenge by a massive margin.
enter the villain
I got employed!
No, wait! My job was not the villain. The issue was travel. Again, travel is not the villain. I love to travel. To go to my new job in my dream company (yes, I’m that lucky!), I had to travel by train and bus. Traveling in Canada was not at all like in India. I loved this travel.
The catch? (And here’s the villain finally!) I couldn’t read in moving vehicles without motion sickness. For a reader who thought longer commute time meant extra reading time, not being able to fulfill that thought was painful.
Necessity is the mother of experimentation. (Yes, I modified the proverb. I’m the author here. I can do what I want!) I finally decided to give audiobooks a shot. Initially it was difficult to understand the narrative as I’m not someone who’s on audio all the time. I don’t listen to music much and rarely have time for podcasts (remember the milions of books in the library calling my name?).
But slowly and steadily, I caught on. Hello, life upgrade!
Cooking? Book.
Walking? Book!
Chores? Book!!
Travel? Hello!! Books!!!
Bonus? Headphones = instant “do not disturb” = no more unnecessary chitchat with fellow travelers. The introvert in me blessed the audio-book creator. I became productively antisocial. Peak win.
Audiobooks quickly became my favorite format. Now, after about 8 years of listening to audiobooks, I can comfortably multitask with even 3x listening speed. For anyone debating ebooks vs. audiobooks, audiobooks are unbeatable for multitasking.
Not every love story has a happy ending!
Reality hit hard when I realized that not every title has an audiobook versions in the library. Library borrows were sometimes ebook only, or physical book only. My Kindle didn’t integrate with Libby/Overdrive, so I was stuck reading on my phone. Reading ebooks on my phone was a problem because of my ADD brain. For me, phones are distraction machines. Reading at night from physical library books helped, but also destroyed my sleep schedule. Not sustainable.
No, wait! If it’s not a happy ending, the story isn’t over yet!
Come my birthday, my husband gifted me the puzzle piece that was missing in my life: Kobo Libra Color. This was a turning point. Kobo supports library ebooks through OverDrive. This meant I could borrow library ebooks and send them straight to my Kobo instead of my phone. Now, I had a distraction-free reading experience with all the benefits of library books.
Around the same time, I discovered ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) through platforms like NetGalley and BookSirens. As a book blogger and reviewer, discovering ARCs felt like unlocking a secret level in the reading game. Not only do you get advance copies of some of the books you are so passionate about, you could also create an early buzz for your favorite works and support authors ahead of their book release.
Sometimes, you also get to connect with some authors on a personal level because, as early reviewers, authors keep an eager eye out for what you have to say. If you really love their work and rave about them, you just might get a personal note from that author, and you just might find your author bestie (shout out to Carmela Dutra – author of the famous Food Truck Mystery series, my author-bestie, and one of the bestest, kindest, most authentic people I know, who I met through NetGalley reviews!)
Most ARCs are provided in Kindle format, which meant I could easily segregate my ebooks between both the devices. My brand new Kobo is now exclusively for library ebooks, and my Kindle, which was on the verge of becoming obsolete because of Kobo, now became my ARC reader. In this Kindle vs. Kobo debate, I didn’t have to choose which one to keep. Both have their own purpose. No book gadgets goes to waste here.
Oh, and my audiobook obsession is still going on, with an upgrade. Now I have four headphone types (Yes! I’m that kind of obsessive).
- Big over-the-ear headphones for home = maximum immersion, husband knows I’m listening to audiobook so I won’t listen to him
- Wireless open-ear loops for work = visible “busy” signal without bulk
- Tiny earbuds for travel = no snagging wire, ear piece safely snug in my ear
- A spare pair because, life!
So, where does that leave the physical books?
Yes, at a point in life, I did decide I no longer need physical books anymore. I’m more than covered with all the other formats.
But plot twist again (which is just how life is)!
Recently, I developed a new sentimental weakness: book festivals. If you’re a voracious reader and haven’t yet attended a book festival because you don’t like people (like me), I would strongly suggest you try one. People attending book festivals are mostly like you and me, meaning they don’t like people too. You will be in a place filled with people who loves books, but won’t talk to you. It’s HEAVEN!!! I attend TIFA festivals. Hope to see (and not talk to) some of you there, some time.
Listening to some authors talk (sometimes your favorite ones, sometimes new ones) is an experience that is so surreal it cannot be expressed. And after these talks, when the authors announce they’ll be signing books, it’s a no-brainer to purchase their books and get them personalized by your favorite authors to your name. I cannot tell you how precious these signed copies have become to me.
So I made myself a new rule: I only buy physical hard copies if I can get them signed. Unsigned books? I’ll read them as ebooks or audiobooks instead.
That way, every physical book on my shelf tells, not just the story inside the pages, but also my own story of where I was and who I met when I got it signed. My shelves are now a display of memories, not just TBR guilt.
Final scorecard
After years of experimenting with reading formats pros and cons, here’s where I’m today:
- Physical books → Signed treasures only
- Kindle → ARCs + purchased ebooks
- Kobo Libra Colour → Library ebooks + pretty visuals
- Audiobooks → Every spare moment (with headphone rotation)
I stopped the format wars and let each do what it does best.
Result?
I read more than ever, enjoy it deeper, and have zero clutter.
In the “hard copy vs ebook vs audiobook” debate, there’s no one right answer. The best reading format is the one that fits your lifestyle, your budget, your space, and your attention span.
For me, using all three formats (print, digital, and audio) lets me read more, support more authors, and still keep my shelves (mostly) under control. And if there’s one thing my journey proves, it’s this: in a book lover’s home, no reading device ever truly goes to waste.
Where do you stand?
So, what’s your take on ebooks vs audiobooks vs physical books? Still team one-format-only, or have you built your own hybrid setup? Share your ereader tips, favorite apps like Libby or NetGalley, or why you love (or hate) audiobooks in the comments. I read them all!
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I will read the books I want in whatever format is available to me, but if I had to place an preference order, it would go as follows:
1. Ebooks, especially as my vision is no longer all that great.
2. Physical books through the library. I buy very rarely. I, like you, don’t often re-read.
3. Audiobooks. I’ve learned I don’t absorb as much information by listening as I do by reading, but if this is the only way I can get my hands on what I’m wanting to read, I will use it.
Nicely put. For actual reading, I too find ebooks to be the best way because of adjustable lighting and font size. Larger fonts helps a lot. I like larger fonts too 😊
“Necessity is the mother of experimentation. (Yes, I modified the proverb. I’m the author here. I can do what I want!)” 🙂
“Audiobooks quickly became my favorite format.”
Have you noticed any difference in retention? That is the barometer, in the debate, it seems. Which format do you retain the most information in. The nice part about physical and ebooks is that you can take a pic/screenshot of an important passage. A single sentence might be lifechanging in its impact.
“Come my birthday, my husband gifted me the puzzle piece that was missing in my life: Kobo Libra Color. This was a turning point.”
Do you notice a difference in eyestrain between the kindle and the kobo? Tried the kobo libra for one day and the eyestrain was immediate, sadly. Blurry vision for almost an entire day. Smartphone/iPad has a similar issue, but not as bad.
Hello, I’ll answer your questions one by one
1. Audiobook retention vs physical copy retention – i tend to speed read on physical copy. Also, I tend to move from book to book quickly. My retention of a book is usually only till i write the review of it. Then I move on to the next book and my brain resets.
Life-changing sentences still do come through and I tend to tag the place on the book where the line was and write them down later.
2. I have Kobo Libra Colour and I like the warmth setting and the dark mode in it. I usually read on dark mode on both Kindle and Kobo. I like Kindle because it’s lighter than Kobo. I like Kobo because it’s grip is better than Kindle. The light was never a problem for me