Do you ever get the "feelies"?

I haven't read a Dan Brown book since The DaVinci Code, which was a very long time ago (I talked about this last Sunday). But when I was reading the description of The Secret of Secrets, Dan Brown's newest offering, it really sounded like something I could get into... and I bought a copy. The first thing I noticed as I opened the book was... the paper. Not just because it had words on it and I was going to start reading it, but the paper was.... luxurious! The feel of the paper was silky smooth and the weight of the paper, as I lifted one between my fingers, was wonderful... I was doing the "feelies"... feeling the pages between my fingers.

This is one reason people love real books! This tactile feel makes for a connection you just can't make with an ebook. And where most of my books these days are trade paperbacks, with pages that have a more rough feel, like recycled paper, The Secret of Secrets hardcover was a different animal. 

Publishers have a lot of choices when it comes to actually publishing the book. There are choices in covers (french flaps, anyone?), the weight of the paper, the finish of the paper, the font, the size of the font, deckle edges maybe? Now we have spray painted paper edges too. They also have a choice between hardcover and paperback. (Back in the day, most books were published in hardcover first with the paperback following about a year later. Nowadays, the trend for a lot of books is to go right to a trade paperback). With all these choices how do they decide? (I'm not sure, but I am going to try and find out...)

Do you like the feel of a real book?

I can't remember the last book that had pages that felt this way. Now I'm going to have to grab all my hardcovers and feel the pages....

Do you prefer "real" books, aka physical books, or ebooks? Hardcovers or Paperbacks? Let's talk! Let me know in comments below how you feel about the books you are reading!

Happy reading... Suzanne