Though the specifics varied, there seemed to be a common thread through the answers to last week’s question: Many of you re-read books…but not too often. It seems most of us agree that there are so many books out there yet to read, that it’s hard to devote too much time to revisiting those we’ve already finished.

This week, we get a little techy:

On what devices, if any, do you read books? Or are you strictly a “physical book” reader?

While it’s true that I love traditional, physical, “real” books, I’ve also grown to love ebooks more and more. They’re super-portable, often less expensive, and if I’m using the right device, I can even read them in the dark. For my Fall Into Reading list, almost half of the books I’m reading, I’ll be reading as ebooks…on some kind of device.

That being said, here are the devices I use (and some I don’t):

• A Kindle. I love my Kindle. I can use it one-handed (even turning pages), it holds countless books, and the e-ink (or whatever it’s called) makes reading easy on the eyes. These days my Kindle is never far from me.
• An iPad. I also sometimes use the iPad Kindle app. The benefit to the iPad is that I can read in the dark (if I’m up in the middle of the night and don’t want to wake my husband). Reading on a screen doesn’t particularly bother me, though I doubt I could read for hours at a time this way.
• Smartphones/small-screen gadgets. These would be devices I don’t really read on. Though I’ve loaded the Kindle app onto devices of this type, and I’ve done some very modest amounts of reading, I think the screens are just too small for me to read comfortably. I’m either squinting to read the small print, or I enlarge the print and then have to “turn” the page far too often.
• A traditional computer. Again, this is a “not really.” Amazon has a Kindle app for desktop/laptop computers. I’ve used it, but I don’t really like it. I’m not sure why, since I read blogs and news and email all the time on my laptop. But for some reason, reading a book on a full-size computer is just not appealing to me. I’ll stick to handheld devices for my e-reading, I suppose.

So there you have it. Personally, in addition to traditional books, I primarily read on a Kindle, but also use an iPad occasionally.

What devices do you read on? Or do ebooks annoy you, and you prefer to stick to good ‘ol traditional books?

Responses to last week’s question were very interesting. Some of you love reading reviews, while others tend to steer clear. See — this is why I enjoy these questions. I learn about different readers and their different habits!

Here’s this week’s question:

How often do you re-read books? What does it take to make you re-read?

I wouldn’t classify myself as a huge re-reader. After all, there are always more books to read, new books to explore. I will never get to all the books I still want to read, so it’s hard for me to set aside time to re-read books I’ve already read.

But…

There are some books that I’ve read more than once. Here’s what makes the cut:

• The Bible. The Bible is the most important book in my life. I need to read it regularly to continue learning about God and growing closer to Him, to reap the encouragement and comfort it offers, and to learn to live in greater obedience to God. It’s always on my reading stack.
• Incredible Fiction. There are some books and series that continue to call my name, long after I’ve turned the final page. The Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis), the Time Quartet/Quintet (L’Engle), and The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien), to name a few. And though I haven’t re-read them yet, I can see myself re-visiting the Harry Potter series and the Hunger Games series in the future.
• Random Cozy Mysteries. I have the “ability” to read a mystery and, within a couple years, completely forget “whodunit.” And since I often turn to cozies when I’m looking for a light, mostly-mindless read, I’ve been known to visit the same cozy mystery more than once.
• Very Helpful Nonfiction. My bookshelves are witness to the fact that I keep quite a bit of nonfiction on hand “for reference.” And I do revisit books that have proven very helpful, instructive, inspirational, insightful, or otherwise handy. I’ve reread nonfiction in the areas of parenting, marriage, organization, and Christian living, primarily.

That pretty much sums it up, I think. There are probably a few other categories I could come up with, but those four cover the vast majority of my re-reading.

What about you? How often do you read a book more than once, and what makes you do it?

I mentioned in the Fall Into Reading 2011 launch post that every Wednesday this fall, I will post a question about reading.

Why am I doing this? Well, for one thing, I love reading and talking about reading with others. And for another, I thought it would be a great way to keep Fall Into Reading participants connected throughout the course of the challenge. Finally, I posted reading questions during Fall Into Reading 2010 and everyone seemed to really enjoy them. So let’s do it again!

Now without further ado, here’s your first question, and my answer.

How much do book reviews influence your decision to acquire and/or read a book?

If a friend or family member with tastes similar to mine has given a book a raving endorsement, I admit that I might not even look at reviews for that book. I’ll just trust that recommendation and pick it up without thinking twice. I also rarely glance at reviews for books from my favorite authors or series — I just go on past experience.

Otherwise, I do look at reviews, but I’m more likely to look at the negative reviews. In my experience, the negative reviews help me to better evaluate whether a book will be a good fit for me.

If a review complains that a book is slow-moving and full of flowery language? I’m likely to take a pass on that one. On the other hand, if negative reviews express disappointment that there wasn’t enough romance or that there were too many twist and turns, I might be even more likely to pick up that particular novel.

What about you? How much are you influenced by others’ reviews when picking books?