Since the beginning of time, similar things have always been compared to each other: Pepsi or Coke? Lemon or Lime? Boxers or Briefs? And books are no exception!

Late last month, I announced that I was taking Throwdown Thursdays–an original feature on my blog–to the meme-leagues by making it a monthly meme others could join in on.  The idea is I select two combatants and the blogger is the one who decides who wins. This can be done through a series of three rounds or my listing the pros/cons or however they see fit. Then, we all post our posts on the last Thursday of the month and see what everyone else selected as the winner.

If you participated, please add your link to the linky below!

Paperbacks vs Hardcovers

Round 1: Durability

Flimsy, Glossy Paper vs Reinforced Cardboard

Which holds up better against the elements of reading?

I’m the type of person who HATES when her books get ruined. I have nothing against a well loved book–I get that a cracked spine and a fraying cover show that has been read many times–but there is nothing better than a book in its pristine condition; especially when it is on your bookshelf.

I also tote my books everywhere when I am reading them. I shove them in my purse or backpack so that I can pull them out whenever I get the chance. So it is inevitable that they get jostled around and it never fails to show–specifically on my paperbacks. They look like my dog chewed them or a small child took a bite out of the delectable cover. Yuck!

Winner: Hardcover. I love slipping off that dust cover and letting that hard cardboard protect my precious pages as I proceed to carry the book all over the city.

Paperback: 0 | Hardcover: 1

Round 2: hold-ability

Lighter, Bendable Cover vs Heavier, Ridged Cover

What’s a girl with small hands to do?

My hands are freakishly small. It’s actually a struggle because I have to wear gloves on a regular basis because I work with bio-hazardous material in the lab on an everyday basis. I have the palm size of a medium and a finger length of a small glove–ugh.

Regardless, I find it really hard to read hardcover books because my hands just can’t hold them up. It doesn’t help that I am so use to my eReader and can hold it easily in one hand either. They dwarf my hands and tire my arms. Tough I would love to simultaneously get an arm workout while I read, when you read for hours on end like I do, it gets to be a little painful.

Winner: Paperback. Their lighter covers that I can easily bend to get that perfect grip are ideal. While I hate the idea of bending a book, sometimes, for the sake of comfort, a sacrifice needs to be made.

Paperback: 1 | Hardcover: 1

Round 3: overall APPEARANCE

 Glossy vs Dust Cover

What looks better on your shelf?

I don’t buy many physical books any more, I’m almost entirely an eReader now, but when I do, I have to say I am partial to hardcovers. When completing my collections, I usually opt for the slightly more expensive hardcovers because I like how they look on my bookshelf. It also goes two-fold with the durability as well. I don’t want to ruin these books I own as I read them and tote them around.

HOWEVER, paperbacks are slightly winning me over. Have you seen the re-branding of the Mortal Instruments Series? The spine art for those books is AMAZING! I was totally set on buying the hardcovers for my collection but these guys have me reevaluating that!

Winner: Hardcover. This one is a close one and I think it maybe one that changes over the next few years as book marketing becomes even bigger!

Paperback: 1 | Hardcover: 2

Ultimate Winner: Hardcovers

Final Comments: While they may not be my favourite to read with, they are my favourite to look at and I like that it takes a lot to wreck them. I suppose I am a little vain like that.

What are your thoughts? Do you want to participate?

Leave a comment below!

Next Time: First Person POV vs Third Person POV