Hello!

This might sound silly, because reading is reading and the format or edition used to consume that story shouldn’t make a massive difference (and it doesn’t), but as someone who has made books their entire personality, I do have an opinion on which ways I prefer to read.

So I’ve decided to take the four formats that I use – hardback, paperback, ebook, audiobook and combinations of them all! – and rank them from my least favourite to my favourite.

This isn’t to say I hate reading any of these – I absolutely don’t, but I absolutely do have preferences. Some books are to be read cover to cover, to break the spines and fold the corners and tab and annotate and pour my heart and soul into, and some books are to be kept pristine on my shelf.

So in last (but not least)…

Hardback books – whilst I have a new-found appreciation for hardback special editions, as an actual vessel for reading they have to come bottom of the list – if I can’t comfortably lie and read them in bed, they’re not going to be my go to! They look beautiful on my shelf and if I’m wanting to romanticise reading and sit in a cafe and give off the vibe of ‘Hot Girl Reading’, they are perfection, but for general comfort and preference I’m afraid they come last!

Hardback book + audiobook – co-reading (reading a physical edition with the audiobook accompanying) has fast become my favourite way of reading. Adding the audiobook makes the hardback reading experience more enjoyable for sure, but because of the aforementioned reasons (i.e. I’m too lazy to hold up a hardback book most of the time) it still falls pretty low on the list I’m afraid.

Ebook + audiobook – I have to be honest, I haven’t tried this one yet so it’s more theoretical, but I think it would be fine? I don’t know why using two devices to read feels weird, but I can’t think of any logical reason to explain why! In theory it should be top of the list because I do rank ebooks quite highly, but I think because I haven’t done it I just can’t justify ranking it any higher! Perhaps one to revisit if I ever do co-read an ebook and an audiobook!

Paperback – basically a hardback but easier to hold – I can read them sat up, I can hold them with one hand when I’m lying down in bed, it’s easier to hold them open because I can bend the spine back properly, easier to carry, easier to transport, easier all round!

Ebook – if we’re going purely off ease-of-reading, out of the physical options my Kindle will always rank top because it’s just so easy. I bought a pop socket for my Kindle last year and it’s completely changed the game – easy to read in any scenario, easy to transport (but granted, doesn’t look as aesthetic if trying to be a coffee-shop-book-girlie) and easy to not have to bring multiple books anywhere because the possibilities are endless (particularly with Kindle Unlimited). In an ideal world, when my tbr is much lower, I’d love to be someone who almost exclusively reads on their Kindle and only buys books that I’ve already read and loved – the money I’d save on buying physical books I could justify on the beautiful special editions Fairyloot and Illumicrate are always releasing! But physical books just suck me in with pretty covers and sprayed edges (and The Works sucks me in with really reasonably priced books). But I can dream of being an ebook girl!

Audiobook – when I was thinking about this list, I don’t think I ever would have predicted that audiobooks would come in at Number 2, but ever since starting my free trial of Audible in 2021, audiobooks have opened up a new world of reading to me and I love it. When I was spending approximately 1 hour 40 minutes a day commuting, it made driving so much more appealing. When I wanted something other than music to listen to at the gym so I didn’t end up inadvertently walking in time with the music I was listening to, audiobooks were a great alternative. And most recently, when I’m too tired to read more than 8 pages with my own eyes, audiobooks have been a fantastic way of helping me still be able to read when I would have been too tired to otherwise. The narrators can be a bit hit or miss, and when you get a narrator you don’t like on a story you do, it can be frustrating, but there are so many options and they’re becoming so much more commercially available – I registered at my local library exclusively to get access to free audiobooks, if you have a Spotify Premium account you get 15 hours of listening time a month and if you are paying for a service like Audible, there’s loads of titles included in the Plus catalogue that are absolutely brilliant. I’m a huge advocate for audiobooks and currently, don’t have the energy to read without them, which leads me to…

Paperback + Audiobook – my favourite way to read books (at the moment!). Like I said, I’m really struggling with my energy levels at the moment and being able to support reading a physical book with, what is essentially, someone reading the story to me has made a huge difference in how much I’m able to read before I fall asleep! I was managing 8 pages on my worst night, where having the audiobook support meant I was able to read about 50 pages. It’s not about the numbers and I’m not forcing myself to stay awake later to read more (well, not all the time) but it means I can spend longer doing something I enjoy rather than feeling quite disjointed in my reading cos I’m too tired to make it through a whole chapter!

I’m currently reading one of the Famous Five books (a gift from my mum as they were some of her favourites when she was a kid!) and the audiobooks are on Spotify and are only about 4 hours long so I can squeeze a couple in before I’m in Spotify Jail (I love how Spotify has only had audiobooks available for a few months and there’s already a phrase for when someone runs out of listening hours!). If I didn’t listen to audiobooks as much as I do, I’d consider cancelling my Audible subscription because Spotify has everything (except unlimited listening hours).

And that’s my ranking! As I said, I love reading in all formats and whilst holding up a hardback book in bed might be a bit uncomfortable, that’s not to say I won’t do it! There are so many options for reading formats and reading over multiple platforms is becoming way more common, at least in the other readers I follow online, and I think it’s great that adapting reading to an individual’s preference is making reading much more accessible!

Now I’ve talked about reading so much, I really want to go finish off my Famous Five book, so thank you so much for reading! If you have any format preferences please do let me know (and always tell me about what books you’re reading!),

Sophie xx