Yes, real books are nice. I do read on my Kindle quite a bit because it's light and easy to hold. But as for the book I'm reading on Kindle now, it has maps and photos which are not easy to access on Kindle. I glanced through the hardback at Costco, and when I saw the graphics, I wished I'd gotten it instead of Kindle.

Enjoy your wok book, Lucille!

I may have to get that book. I looked it up and found there were 2100 ratings on Amazon and 91% were 5 stars. That's quite rare.

I'm a Kenji fan anyway (as my many comments about him should suggest). Thanks for the info - enjoy it.

As for books - yeah, they are pricey. Many of my friends who are voracious readers make frequent use of public libraries. I don't know how it is in other areas but library use around here has skyrocketed over the last 10 years. In many communities throughout my state, expanded or brand-spanking new and large libraries have sprung up all over. I don't know if it's state funding or what but they're everywhere.

And, of course for e-resources (Kindle and audiobooks), the selections are nearly limitless. Many people do prefer physical books, often a function proportional to the person's age bracket, but if the choice is a Kindle book or nothing, Kindle books do work.

Good luck.

I love the look and feel of books, but I prefer to read on my iPad via the Kindle app. Hands-free, portable, and it syncs with my iPhone which is *always* with me. Look things up easily. If there are maps or family trees that feature prominently in the story, I usually print them out to have alongside.

Mostly I read library books or get something free from Project Gutenburg or similar. I very rarely re-read books, so the expense of a book that sits on a shelf for its entire life doesn't appeal to me.

I getv what you are saying Bunny. I borrow books via Libby online and often read a book on my Kindle in two or three days. But to me, cookbooks are hands on, and I suspect this new wok book will be used quite often. Not only for the techniques, but for the explanations, for instance an overview if what one should have on hand in the way of spices and sauces- which are essential and which are optional.

suero, this is true. The last two real books I bought were authored by friends and are autographed.

suero, I have two books autographed in person by my favorite author, Michael Connelly. They sit on a shelf and I haven't touched them since I read them. What I remember vividly is each encounter and the private conversations I was able to have with him by arriving very early to the book presentations. The autographed versions really serve no purpose for me.

PS to Lucille - I agree about recipe books. They need to have a physical presence to be used, though I admit to having a Cooks Illustrated subscription that allows use and downloading from its vast recipe collection. When I use them, I print them on paper.

I LOVE cookbooks! The photos are often of very good quality and can inspire me to try a new-to-me recipe.

I am in the pro-printed page camp. I would buy a cookbook new, but for the most part, I buy used paperbacks from Amazon. A lot cheaper, for sure.

I use the library almost exclusively. I reserve cookbooks to try them before buying . I find with most cookbooks there are not too many recipes I know I’d ever try, so I will either photo them or find them online and save them there.

I do like to re-read books, and so I have quite a collection, but I do need to get rid of quite a few at this point, as I know I do not want to re-read them.

I like to read in bed just before going to sleep, as it helps me sleep better and generally helps me avoid nightmares - depending on the book. I only read parts of books at a time (and almost never read fiction), and I will be in the middle of several books at one time.

Many books that I own I consider to be reference books, and that justifies buying them.

I have nightmares about library books that I forget to return, and the fines get astronomical. This is enough to make me reluctant to check out books from libraries - I will read while I am in a library, however. I do miss the university libraries from when I was at universities, and the public libraries cannot compete with them. I used to live about three blocks from the Civic Center in San Francisco (at one time), and the library there is excellent, especially for anthropology books.

Lars, our library quit collecting late fines a few years ago. It's great and people seem to not take advantage of it. I know I still try to get them back on time and when I'm waiting for a book to be returned so I can check it out, it never seems to stay out much past the due date. Our library recently started automatically renewing books for us if no one is waiting for them and the due date arrives. We can renew twice, for a total of 6 weeks.

I read pretty much on my kindle. If the book has pictures, maps, recipes that I want to keep, I buy the hard copy. I love my local library for books that I don't have to have RIGHT NOW or want in my forever library. And, I agree, books are much more expensive now.

I reread books quite a bit (Kristin Lavransdatter every few years since I was a teenager; The Lord of the Rings about 20 times--that kind of thing). I'm a very fast reader, have been all my life, and a voracious reader. I've even bought a book after reading it from the library because I know I'll want to reread it. It's painful when I have to get rid of books because there just is not more shelf space.

Laceyvall - You have given me hope about my copy of Kristin Lavransdatter. lol! I purchased a copy and have been looking for someone to give it to, but as per your practice, I might just keep it to re-read. I do enjoy a nice big fat read and am enjoying A Suitable Boy (about 1500 pages) for about the fourth time. Another favorite re-read is War and Peace. These wonderful books always offer something new on a re-visit.

Don't fear the library, Lars 😀

Our public libraries stopped collecting fines here too, and for years now, I've been able to access my library online to renew books and they send me email reminders with the link to do so when the due date is close. We get 2 renewals, unless there's been a request for the book, or it's a newer one with a shorter checkout period.

One of my favorite things here is that I can go online and request a title that may be at a different site, and have it sent to my preferred branch for pick up.

Our library system uses Libby (formerly Overdrive) and Hoopla for ebooks, music and movies/TV shows. I prefer reading ebooks in bed, since I don't need to have a reading light for them. We also have Hoopla's app on Roku, for watching movies, etc.

Lately, I've been using The Internet Archive for free ebooks. Many can only be checked out for 1 hour at a time, but it's really easy to redo the checkout - it's just a button you click at the top of the page.

I've been seeing the price of books rise for years now - I haven't noticed that rising any more than usual lately. Everything's more expensive, isn't it? I very rarely buy a new book. I mostly buy used books, and they're pennies on the dollar. I have a hard time letting go of them too.

Stacey, I love to reread a favorite book for the reason you mentioned: I discover something new each time. I have several that are quite thumb worn. I very much like my Kindle, too, and without a doubt am reading more because of it.

"But as for the book I'm reading on Kindle now, it has maps and photos which are not easy to access on Kindle. I glanced through the hardback at Costco, and when I saw the graphics, I wished I'd gotten it instead of Kindle."

@ socks - If you have a desktop computer or laptop with a decent-sized screen, download the free Kindle reading app. You'll have access to all of the books in your Kindle library, so you can open anything that has photos or graphics and view those photos/graphics/maps on your computer or laptop screen.

Our public library operates as carolb has outlined. IDK when I last bought a book, but have a long list of those I've gotten from the library -- our city's or any in the wide intercity loan program.

The library is one of four major recipients of our annual giving. The gift is a goodly portion of the thousands of dollars we've saved each year by not buying books that only we can access.