Digital readers like different books

Public Library data suggests print and digital readers like different books, claims Alison Flood in the Guardian.

Included for the first time in UK libraries’ annual tally of loans, Ebook lending 'indicates a slightly different reading demographic. ‘

The new figures cover the period between July 2018 and June 2019.

US thriller author James Patterson was the most borrowed print author from UK libraries for the 13th year running. Eight of the top ten titles were thrillers. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novel The Midnight Line was the single most borrowed book.

Gail Honeyman’s novel Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine was the most borrowed ebook from UK libraries.

 The top 10 list of the most borrowed ebooks included Adam Kay’s This Is Going to Hurt, his memoir about life as a junior doctor in third place.

Madeline Miller’s Circe, a feminist retelling of the Greek mythological witch, came in fourth. 

JoJo Moyes’ Still Me, her second sequel to the bestselling Me Before You, comes in sixth.

Sally Rooney’s Normal People was eighth.

Do I agree with the premise? Thinking as a reader, I have to say I rarely buy print these days as digital is so much easier. 

No going out to the book shop, no paying high prices for something I may read only once. Instead I type in a title or an author and can decide from my chair what my purchase will be. Usually it is a good deal lower than the print equivalent. It is delivered to my ipad in seconds, and I can manipulate the type to suit my eyes and I can read it in bed without annoying my husband too much. 

I suppose what I've written above must say that I enjoy the reading experience rather than the physical feeling of a book in my hands or on my shelf. How one changes over the years! I have loads of print books in my home and have begun to weed them out and dispose of them. But then, when digital didn't exist, I could hardly buy it! My dog Tim yawns as if to say what does it matter as long as you read? How true.