When you hold a textbook and a pencil, why does the textbook feel heavier than the pencil?

Your hand repels the textbook with less force.

The textbook has a stronger attraction to Earth.

The textbook has less mass than the pencil.

You can grip the pencil with more strength.

The textbook feels heavier than the pencil primarily because it has more mass than the pencil. The force of gravity pulls both the textbook and the pencil towards the Earth, but the textbook has more mass, resulting in a stronger attraction to the Earth.