November 11, 2009

Why I Like Paperbacks Instead of Hard Covers


I was talking with our media specialist a few weeks back about books (I know, I know big suprise there!) We laughed when we reazlied that she loved hardcovers, and I loved paperbacks.  We thought we could trade books at some point.  I told her that I would buy a book in paperback even if I already owned it in hardcover.  Why do I love paperbacks so much? I feel like Shakespeare - How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1.  When they are brand new they are sooooooo shiney and smooth.  They just encourage stroking :) and they almost shout "Open me up! No one else has! Please read me!"

2.  I love the smooth neat pile a stack of paperbacks make. 

3.  The cover doesn't fall off like the dust jacket on hardcovers do!

4.  They are easier to hold. Hardcovers can be so bulky.

5.  A silly reason - I can buy way more paperbacks than I can hardcovers! (well except if I shop at The Book Depository - that place is dangerous!)

6.  Scholastic book orders, when I grew up, only had paperbacks - so all the love I have of book orders surrounds paperbacks.  To read my post about book orders go here

7. And lastly - it's all I ever had growing up. I never owned a hardcover. I think back to going into the bookstore and buying a paperback book. It slipped so easily into that little plastic bag. It was the one thing I knew my mom would always buy me. But more importantly it meant a step into a new world. Paperbacks allowed that. We would've never been able to afford hardcovers. I would've never read as much as I did without paperbacks.

Books I now own in hardcover that I will need to buy in paperback:  Shiver, Candor, Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Maze Runner and When You Reach Me.

4 comments:

  1. I like hardcovers, but maybe b/c I only ever got paperbacks growing up.

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  2. 3.The cover doesn't fall off like the dust jacket on hardcovers do!

    Yes, I hate that so much. I usually read hardcovers without the jacket on. One thing I like about hardcovers however is that they're more resilient when it comes to carting them around from place to place.

    And paperbacks are also great because it's the same book but for a cheaper price.

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  3. I love me some paperbacks as well but a hardcover with a dust jacket and a plastic cover just screams 'library book' to me. I suppose it's sort of like reading a book or reading a Kindle/Nook/Etc. I just wish they wouldn't wait a year before releasing the paperback editions.

    As an aside, I covet Shiver and In The Forest of Hands and Teeth, the waiting lists at my library are miles long. :(

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  4. Nice list!
    I'm a total hardcover girl but I smiled reading this. Excellent points.

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