Usually read epubs on my phone because it’s with me. Various apps (both Android and iOS) will read these aloud
Quality if voices varies. Some of the subscription apps have excellent voices but I won’t pay.
I’m fine with it.
I habe lots of audible books but hate the app. It overwhelmsvthe phone and gets no responsive. The audible app seems far more like a sales tool than a book player
For playing audiobooks I use Listenbir Smart on Android, or use Bookplayer on iOS.
Love physical books but I don’t have the time and space to manage them
@f00l I’m the same way on physical books. Once I was up to 10 boxes (to be fair they’re smaller boxes to make the weight per box manageable) of books in the storage shed I realized I simply did not have room for more. It doesn’t help that I don’t like to part with them, even if I’ll never reread a book I want to keep it.
Add in osteoarthritis making my hands hurt when holding a physical book open and ebooks make more sense for me all around. The fact I like reading on my phone and can have a small library on it with me at nearly all times makes it work out great for me personally!
@f00l@KevinS10 I feel like if you have say a collection of an author/series of books that will never make it out of the attic/box… Cause you’ve read them/won’t revisit them. It might be worth looking at ebay or some other avenue to rehome them. So someone else can experience them/pass them on.
I’ve got a big box of one author that’s just been sitting in the closet for a decade. I don’t like getting “rid” of things but they are probably never going on a bookshelf. I’d rather someone else read them if they were willing to pay the shipping lol that box is heavy.
Assuming they were into the physical paperback medium. That’s not everyone these days
@f00l@Kyeh@unksol I was planning to sell some of them, because my financial situation is rather desperate, but then the big used book store in Knoxville, TN I was going to sell them to announced it was closing. There are some authors I’ll keep no matter what, like Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov and Larry Niven, but that still leaves a lot I can manage to part with. I’ll probably have to try selling them myself on eBay or Etsy or… I don’t know what’s best nowadays, have to look into it. I have a bunch of collectibles from my mom I need to sell as well, like Barbie dolls, Mary MooMoos, and more stuffed cow plushies than any sane person should have had. (They filled a 50+ gallon plastic tote. )
On the community library thing, my neighborhood also isn’t dense enough for it to work and my books are 90% science fiction, another 8% fantasy, the rest a mishmash of stuff that mom left behind. Not everyone’s into those, so doubt it’d get much use even in a more suitable neighborhood.
@f00l@KevinS10@unksol I think selling books is kind of hard anymore, unfortunately. But yes, the little free libraries are definitely a neighborhood thing. There are 4 that I know of within walking distance from me. In a rural area they’re probably not practical.
I mean. Scifi and fantasy were bread and butter. But age is relative. Tom Swift was kinda sci-fi. I don’t think I’d let those go. I’d want my kids to maybe read them. The box of Jim Webb books I bought when I was 18… Yea maybe I don’t need those… May need to reread Fields of Fire… Was it actually good…
Selling books… Unless they are collectible. Not really. More of a “I have a box of the books from the author you are interested in. I can send you this very heavy box for the price of shipping”
And through a trusted platform so they aren’t being scammed which. Unfortunately. Ebay
Actually I think romance, SF, fantasy, and thrillers are likely the most in demand book genres.
I don’t think used books bring in much. I know the local HPB locations don’t pay well but I like taking books there so that they might get another reader.
@f00l@KevinS10@Kyeh right. I don’t think you make money on them but f they’re in the back of the closet lol. Ya don’t want them going to a dumpster but if someone wants to read them. Yup here’s ALL OF THEM lol
Even the actual library had to rorate things out sometimes so there would be a rack to sell/rehome
@f00l@KevinS10@Kyeh@unksol My wife is the head of a smallish local community library (~13K books in circulation). Every year they have a book sale to clear out de-shelved books and raise a few bucks for the library. They usually go for $0.50 to $2.00. each. And every year at the end there is a pickup load of unsold books that go to recycling. So you probably aren’t going to make a lot of money hawking used books.
@macromeh also has she/the library considered putting up an eBay page for their annual sale?
The ups book rate helps. But who is out there looking for books. Never mind how much time it takes to list them. But if they were in like an Excel sheet and could generate listings… And might be people wanting to finish collections.
@f00l@KevinS10@macromeh@unksol
I just remembered - I don’t know if the program still exists, but someone here used to collect used books for the local jail.
I guess there are also several organizations that collect books to send to the military, like Books a Million & Operation Paperback.
@f00l@KevinS10@Kyeh@macromeh@unksol
My daughter lives in Nashville. She built one of those little neighborhood/community libraries and filled it with puzzles. She’s had a lot of luck with it and it generated a ton of interest while the power was off in her community for almost 2 weeks earlier this year.
(Posted pictures here before)
@KevinS10
Our daughter and her family live in Nashville. If you ever get to Chattanooga or Nashville, McKay’s is a good resource for selling/buying used books, collectibles, old CDs/dvds, game cartridges, etc
You can get cash, or store credit (for a higher amount). We take stuff up there when we go visit them pretty regularly.
@macromeh I know one she or I could dig up at the main library was “Tom Swift and his diving Seacopter”
But that like the second series from the 50s. Pretty sure I chased them all. I know the space series showed up. Once I locked on something lol. I just kept going till it ran out. Finding the space ones was a whole thing from the main county library. Just lots of nostalgia with some of those. Plus tearing RC/tech apart in the 90s/i bet I this could work… Lol
I have a purpose bought android tablet that I do most of my reading on. Black background, white words.
I recently discovered the Google books app will automatically switch to amber words on a black background when it’s after sunset, I’m reasonably certain that is my new preferred experience.
@unksol I have a Lenovo Tab One. It’s not too heavy, and it has an 8" screen. It’s lighter than a paperback, and I can make the print as big as a need to.
I picked this tablet because I could download kindle, libby, kobo and Google books without having to screw around with any settings or jailbreaks or whatever else you need to do to get everything on a fire tablet.
@mediocrebot@mycya4me@unksol Yeah everyone knows cats won’t read. They can read, but they won’t.
HOWEVER, the book in the image is a picture book. No words.
@unksol Hee hee hee, I’m sorry. I pull many legs during the day. I should have put in a wink emoji.
No AI is a fine ethical stance to take.
For me, I can’t help exploit the Dada nonsense images I can create. I will be fine if they legislate it out of existence, but I also know it’s probably far too late.
/showme Schrödinger’s cat jumping out of a quantum box and attacking Schrödinger with a hot dog.
Audio books from the local library (they’re free). Listen while walking the dog. I really like audio books spoken with a native accent of the location of the book, ie French in Quebec, and Irish in Ireland.
While I rarely take the time to read, much less listen to, books, I did go by our local library yesterday morning for a book signing with a local author and to pick up a copy of his book.
He’s an EMT I knew back when he worked on the ambulance. I didn’t realize he was an aspiring writer until this book dropped. I have a hard enough time keeping up with things I do around the house without dedicating even more time to sitting around.
This book will probably sit collecting dust on my bedside until the next time we go on a cruise where I don’t have Wi-Fi. I figured it was a small investment in support of the craft of writing books.
And YES… books make great insulation!
@unksol You’re still missing the point of my reply to @Glenocarp, so I guess it needs to be mansplained.
There’s that word ALL in his comment. Audiobooks are ALL he listens to in his car, he said. Implies he does not listen to anything or anyone else. In my world, and presumably his, that would include his wife, if he had such. And IME, wives don’t take kindly to being ignored, especially when in close proximity.
Capisce?
Don’t overthink it.
@unksol Reading it literally is “dumb”?
I had figured someone in IT, a field noted for slavish adherence to syntax and semantics, would have learned how to pay attention to pesky details.
And “pedantic”, as in nitpicking? You’re the one who jumped in on my reply to add your debased two cents.
@phendrick obviously yes if you walk through your life reading things that way instead of the way you know people meant them just to be insufferable. But you do you
@unksol So you “know” how people mean things to be, even when they say otherwise. And you know that I just do things to be insufferable. Clairvoyance must be a nice gift.
@phendrick yup it’s super nice. I’ll send you some.
Seriously. I don’t know what set you off. You seem to have a problem with the word all used in common language. I’m done with all of it. Have a good day though
E-book is my current first choice, mass-market paperback is second, “trade paperback” is in ninth place, and hardcover is tenth. There are no contenders for third through eighth. Audiobooks aren’t books for me.
@werehatrack I have never made the audio book or ebook jump.
What are you reading ebooks on? Keep meaning to get something to try on other than my phone…
Hardbacks are kinda the shelve type. Paperbacks. Ya know get worn and replaced. I was never rough on the libraries copies. But they are meant to be consumed. Having 10K people thumb the page vs one.
Ebooks, on an Android tablet not on Kindle app because I wouldn’t be caught dead on it. Although if my only two options left in the world where Kendall and an iPad I would probably pick the kindle. Because I wouldn’t even be caught dead using an apple product. But I don’t want to argue with those of you who got sucked in
I love traditional books so much. I was anti ereader for ages but I was recently converted. If I have the option, I will still choose a physical publication but I am not hating the e-reader for multiple reasons.
@sillyheathen
That’s how I was with the daily newspaper. MUCH prefer physical broadsheet but the lack of consistent delivery made it totally impractical. Ended up getting a tablet to read it on though TBH I do use the enewspaper version which looks like the print pages but on the tablet. Next best thing.
@chienfou I’m with you. I miss broadsheets and magazines. There’s something so much more gratifying about completing a crossword on a newspaper than a tablet or screen.
If it’s not a ‘classic book’, is it a book at all??
Lately I like audio books
On my iPad Mini.
Old and cheap
@tweezak You talking about me?
Codex Sinaiticus.
Classic books because I count bookcases as wall insulation.
@cfg83 Hmmm …
/showme room where every wall is full of shelves of books from floor to ceiling.
@cfg83 Here’s the image you requested for “room where every wall is full of shelves of books from floor to ceiling.”
@mediocrebot And lo, it was good.
@cfg83 @mediocrebot yes it is! That would be a Kool place to spend a lot of time.
@cfg83 @mediocrebot @mycya4me
My living room on Steroids!
@cfg83 @jkawaguchi @mycya4me That would be our whole house if my wife didn’t have her own library to frolic in.
iPad.
Usually read epubs on my phone because it’s with me. Various apps (both Android and iOS) will read these aloud
Quality if voices varies. Some of the subscription apps have excellent voices but I won’t pay.
I’m fine with it.
I habe lots of audible books but hate the app. It overwhelmsvthe phone and gets no responsive. The audible app seems far more like a sales tool than a book player
For playing audiobooks I use Listenbir Smart on Android, or use Bookplayer on iOS.
Love physical books but I don’t have the time and space to manage them
@f00l I’ve been using the Libby app on my Android phone to borrow audiobooks from the library system.
@f00l I’m the same way on physical books. Once I was up to 10 boxes (to be fair they’re smaller boxes to make the weight per box manageable) of books in the storage shed I realized I simply did not have room for more. It doesn’t help that I don’t like to part with them, even if I’ll never reread a book I want to keep it.
Add in osteoarthritis making my hands hurt when holding a physical book open and ebooks make more sense for me all around. The fact I like reading on my phone and can have a small library on it with me at nearly all times makes it work out great for me personally!
@f00l @KevinS10 I feel like if you have say a collection of an author/series of books that will never make it out of the attic/box… Cause you’ve read them/won’t revisit them. It might be worth looking at ebay or some other avenue to rehome them. So someone else can experience them/pass them on.
I’ve got a big box of one author that’s just been sitting in the closet for a decade. I don’t like getting “rid” of things but they are probably never going on a bookshelf. I’d rather someone else read them if they were willing to pay the shipping lol that box is heavy.
Assuming they were into the physical paperback medium. That’s not everyone these days
@f00l @KevinS10 @unksol We have a lot of little free libraries here; a good way to pass along books a few at a time!
@f00l @KevinS10 @Kyeh the mailbox/community take a book type thing? I’ve seen those but in my area/population density would not work.
Also any sort of coordination?
What I got was just put books in a box and anyone can grab them. And you hope they read them/put them back.
Which is fair. You also don’t know some teenagers aren’t building a bonfire.
I like the concept if it would in neighborhoods
@f00l @Kyeh @unksol I was planning to sell some of them, because my financial situation is rather desperate, but then the big used book store in Knoxville, TN I was going to sell them to announced it was closing. There are some authors I’ll keep no matter what, like Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov and Larry Niven, but that still leaves a lot I can manage to part with. I’ll probably have to try selling them myself on eBay or Etsy or… I don’t know what’s best nowadays, have to look into it. I have a bunch of collectibles from my mom I need to sell as well, like Barbie dolls, Mary MooMoos, and more stuffed cow plushies than any sane person should have had. (They filled a 50+ gallon plastic tote.
)
On the community library thing, my neighborhood also isn’t dense enough for it to work and my books are 90% science fiction, another 8% fantasy, the rest a mishmash of stuff that mom left behind. Not everyone’s into those, so doubt it’d get much use even in a more suitable neighborhood.
@f00l @KevinS10 @unksol I think selling books is kind of hard anymore, unfortunately. But yes, the little free libraries are definitely a neighborhood thing. There are 4 that I know of within walking distance from me. In a rural area they’re probably not practical.
@f00l @KevinS10 @Kyeh
I mean. Scifi and fantasy were bread and butter. But age is relative. Tom Swift was kinda sci-fi. I don’t think I’d let those go. I’d want my kids to maybe read them. The box of Jim Webb books I bought when I was 18… Yea maybe I don’t need those… May need to reread Fields of Fire… Was it actually good…
@f00l @KevinS10 @Kyeh yea I have seen those in communities.
Selling books… Unless they are collectible. Not really. More of a “I have a box of the books from the author you are interested in. I can send you this very heavy box for the price of shipping”
And through a trusted platform so they aren’t being scammed which. Unfortunately. Ebay
@f00l @KevinS10 @Kyeh @unksol There are a gazillion people on YouTube talking about how to sell on ebay, so get their advice first.
@KevinS10 @unksol
They have a special postal rate for shipping books and media like CD’s. It’s really pretty cheap.
@KevinS10 @Kyeh @unksol
Actually I think romance, SF, fantasy, and thrillers are likely the most in demand book genres.
I don’t think used books bring in much. I know the local HPB locations don’t pay well but I like taking books there so that they might get another reader.
@f00l @KevinS10 @Kyeh right. I don’t think you make money on them but f they’re in the back of the closet lol. Ya don’t want them going to a dumpster but if someone wants to read them. Yup here’s ALL OF THEM lol
Even the actual library had to rorate things out sometimes so there would be a rack to sell/rehome
@f00l @KevinS10 they used to have that special postal rate cause we used that for text books 2 decades ago.
Seems to be something DODGE missed. I think this is accurate
https://www.shipscience.com/understanding-ups-book-rates-for-shipping/
But yea and the obvious goal is to share knowledge/art
@f00l @KevinS10 @Kyeh @unksol My wife is the head of a smallish local community library (~13K books in circulation). Every year they have a book sale to clear out de-shelved books and raise a few bucks for the library. They usually go for $0.50 to $2.00. each. And every year at the end there is a pickup load of unsold books that go to recycling. So you probably aren’t going to make a lot of money hawking used books.
@f00l @KevinS10 @Kyeh @macromeh ya you just want to give someone else the chance to have them
@macromeh also has she/the library considered putting up an eBay page for their annual sale?
The ups book rate helps. But who is out there looking for books. Never mind how much time it takes to list them. But if they were in like an Excel sheet and could generate listings… And might be people wanting to finish collections.
@f00l @KevinS10 @macromeh @unksol
I just remembered - I don’t know if the program still exists, but someone here used to collect used books for the local jail.
I guess there are also several organizations that collect books to send to the military, like Books a Million & Operation Paperback.
@f00l @KevinS10 @Kyeh @macromeh @unksol
My daughter lives in Nashville. She built one of those little neighborhood/community libraries and filled it with puzzles. She’s had a lot of luck with it and it generated a ton of interest while the power was off in her community for almost 2 weeks earlier this year.
(Posted pictures here before)
@KevinS10
Our daughter and her family live in Nashville. If you ever get to Chattanooga or Nashville, McKay’s is a good resource for selling/buying used books, collectibles, old CDs/dvds, game cartridges, etc
You can get cash, or store credit (for a higher amount). We take stuff up there when we go visit them pretty regularly.
@unksol She buys/sells/trades some books on the paperbackswap.com site for the library. But she only bothers for newer/higher demand titles.
@macromeh I know one she or I could dig up at the main library was “Tom Swift and his diving Seacopter”
But that like the second series from the 50s. Pretty sure I chased them all. I know the space series showed up. Once I locked on something lol. I just kept going till it ran out. Finding the space ones was a whole thing from the main county library. Just lots of nostalgia with some of those. Plus tearing RC/tech apart in the 90s/i bet I this could work… Lol
Audiobooks. That way, I can listen while I’m busy working
From a computer screen, and being distracted by emai
Actual paper, followed by e-ink displays. They’re just so cool.
I have a purpose bought android tablet that I do most of my reading on. Black background, white words.
I recently discovered the Google books app will automatically switch to amber words on a black background when it’s after sunset, I’m reasonably certain that is my new preferred experience.
@Nate311 what tablet would that be? I think if I were going to get back into reading I would want a dedicated ebook device.
Or just actual physical library books. But if there are very good ebook readers I’d like to take a look.
Yes yes Kindle
@unksol I have a Lenovo Tab One. It’s not too heavy, and it has an 8" screen. It’s lighter than a paperback, and I can make the print as big as a need to.
I picked this tablet because I could download kindle, libby, kobo and Google books without having to screw around with any settings or jailbreaks or whatever else you need to do to get everything on a fire tablet.
/showme Momma cat reading to her kids
@mycya4me Here’s the image you requested for “Momma cat reading to her kids”
@mediocrebot sources please
@mediocrebot @mycya4me Cutest picture of day
.
@cfg83 @mediocrebot @mycya4me
But trained on who’s art?
@cfg83 @mediocrebot @unksol what you must not like cats!
@mediocrebot @unksol what’s wrong is it’s a Mama cat reading to hir kittens.
@mediocrebot @mycya4me @unksol Yeah everyone knows cats won’t read. They can read, but they won’t.
HOWEVER, the book in the image is a picture book. No words.
@cfg83 @mediocrebot @mycya4me I mean empirically I like cats too much so… Eh… But I also wish there were less
@mediocrebot @mycya4me @unksol Yeah, I remember the picture you showed us last year …
/showme Exhausted human named “unksol” in room full of books and cats.
@cfg83 Here’s the image you requested for “Exhausted human named “unksol” in room full of books and cats.”
@cfg83 I did not share that. Someone may have. The actual goat run had the cats with real pictures. I’m not doing AI just saying
@cfg83 @unksol WOW!
@unksol Hee hee hee, I’m sorry. I pull many legs during the day. I should have put in a wink emoji.
No AI is a fine ethical stance to take.
For me, I can’t help exploit the Dada nonsense images I can create. I will be fine if they legislate it out of existence, but I also know it’s probably far too late.
/showme Schrödinger’s cat jumping out of a quantum box and attacking Schrödinger with a hot dog.
@cfg83 Here’s the image you requested for “Schrödinger s cat jumping out of a quantum box and attacking Schrödinger with a hot dog.”
@cfg83 it’s clearly not going away. And I get it’s fun. So I’m not gonna have a fit around it I just don’t need it/shrug.
The data centers and waste of power… But don’t need to have that discussion at meh
Audio books from the local library (they’re free). Listen while walking the dog. I really like audio books spoken with a native accent of the location of the book, ie French in Quebec, and Irish in Ireland.
While I rarely take the time to read, much less listen to, books, I did go by our local library yesterday morning for a book signing with a local author and to pick up a copy of his book.
He’s an EMT I knew back when he worked on the ambulance. I didn’t realize he was an aspiring writer until this book dropped. I have a hard enough time keeping up with things I do around the house without dedicating even more time to sitting around.
This book will probably sit collecting dust on my bedside until the next time we go on a cruise where I don’t have Wi-Fi. I figured it was a small investment in support of the craft of writing books.
And YES… books make great insulation!
@chienfou keep w flashlight ready for the next time the Internet goes out lol
@chienfou
That’s a proper booked up room in a proper booked up house.
K00l!!!
@f00l
Thanks. On the wall opposite the bookcase in the the office picture (green walls) is a matching bookcase which actually hides a Murphy bed…
I cut the books down to be a couple of inches deep (they were liberty discards). I have fooled a lot of people with that piece.
I love audiobooks! it’s all I listen to in the car and at home.
@Glenorcarp I’m guessing you don’t have a wife?
@Glenorcarp @phendrick you lost me on the wife thing. I’m guessing commute to work and earpods at home if others are around.
@unksol LOL. If you’d had a wife, you’d understand.
Cats can be ignored; but, wives…
@phendrick I just assumed your hear her over them. And if you pretended not to you would get some very clear gestures or a volume increase?
If I’m cleaning out the garage I’m putting some banging female country on and will not hear you lol. To each their own
I don’t think people blast audio books. I’m sure a two on the shoulder does it
@phendrick @unksol
The image of someone walking around with a boombox blasting audiobooks cracks me up.
@Kyeh @phendrick @unksol
@unksol You’re still missing the point of my reply to @Glenocarp, so I guess it needs to be mansplained.
There’s that word ALL in his comment. Audiobooks are ALL he listens to in his car, he said. Implies he does not listen to anything or anyone else. In my world, and presumably his, that would include his wife, if he had such. And IME, wives don’t take kindly to being ignored, especially when in close proximity.
Capisce?
Don’t overthink it.
@phendrick I mean that is a dumb way to read the English language but sure… Be pedantic. I’m sure that’s super fun.
@unksol Reading it literally is “dumb”?
I had figured someone in IT, a field noted for slavish adherence to syntax and semantics, would have learned how to pay attention to pesky details.
And “pedantic”, as in nitpicking? You’re the one who jumped in on my reply to add your debased two cents.
@phendrick obviously yes if you walk through your life reading things that way instead of the way you know people meant them just to be insufferable. But you do you
@unksol So you “know” how people mean things to be, even when they say otherwise. And you know that I just do things to be insufferable. Clairvoyance must be a nice gift.
@phendrick yup it’s super nice. I’ll send you some.
Seriously. I don’t know what set you off. You seem to have a problem with the word all used in common language. I’m done with all of it. Have a good day though
Audio books or else I never end up enjoying the books I want to consume…
E-book is my current first choice, mass-market paperback is second, “trade paperback” is in ninth place, and hardcover is tenth. There are no contenders for third through eighth. Audiobooks aren’t books for me.
@werehatrack I have never made the audio book or ebook jump.
What are you reading ebooks on? Keep meaning to get something to try on other than my phone…
Hardbacks are kinda the shelve type. Paperbacks. Ya know get worn and replaced. I was never rough on the libraries copies. But they are meant to be consumed. Having 10K people thumb the page vs one.
@unksol I mostly just use my phone. Generally, reading a book is something I do away from the desktop.
@werehatrack fair enough. I was thinking a tablet style might feel more “book like”.
There was this recently
https://meh.com/forum/topics/dungeon-crawler-carl-books
Need to download some before the Internet goes out again. Also why it’s nice to hold some physical media
Ebooks, on an Android tablet not on Kindle app because I wouldn’t be caught dead on it. Although if my only two options left in the world where Kendall and an iPad I would probably pick the kindle. Because I wouldn’t even be caught dead using an apple product. But I don’t want to argue with those of you who got sucked in
I really want to say physical books, but I’ve gone through some old ones that were in storage and they’re quite dusty and yellow.
An eReader with a backlight is really cool, but only if I could change the batteries out. (Do they even need a battery change after 25 years?)
I love traditional books so much. I was anti ereader for ages but I was recently converted. If I have the option, I will still choose a physical publication but I am not hating the e-reader for multiple reasons.
@sillyheathen
That’s how I was with the daily newspaper. MUCH prefer physical broadsheet but the lack of consistent delivery made it totally impractical. Ended up getting a tablet to read it on though TBH I do use the enewspaper version which looks like the print pages but on the tablet. Next best thing.
@chienfou I’m with you. I miss broadsheets and magazines. There’s something so much more gratifying about completing a crossword on a newspaper than a tablet or screen.