Using the Kindle (bookstore, fiction, free, audiobook)

[katie45]

I prefer an actual book vs. a Kindle. The Kindle isn't a book, it's a one-page at-a-time electronic device. Many love it's portability; and for them, then the invention is right up their alley...and I'm glad for them.

I enjoy reading autobiographies and referring back to photographs included in the book as I read, and just not sure how one could do this with a Kindle.

Too, I love being at a library and browsing various materials. And library books are free. There are many books one can download for free on a Kindle, but to purchase others online won't work with my budget.

It's all a matter of personal preference.

[QuilterChick]

Originally Posted by katie45

I prefer an actual book vs. a Kindle. The Kindle isn't a book, it's a one-page at-a-time electronic device. Many love it's portability; and for them, then the invention is right up their alley...and I'm glad for them.

I enjoy reading autobiographies and referring back to photographs included in the book as I read, and just not sure how one could do this with a Kindle.

Too, I love being at a library and browsing various materials. And library books are free. There are many books one can download for free on a Kindle, but to purchase others online won't work with my budget.

It's all a matter of personal preference.

Just because you have a Kindle doesn't mean you have to stop reading printed books. Or going to the library for quiet time among the stacks, reading a newspaper from other areas, magazines, etc. etc.

I don't read newspapers or magazines on my Kindle, seems odd to me. But I love the portability of being able to have it with me when I travel, in my tote bag or purse. Not to mention all the new storage now after donating books to ""Friends of the Library"" for resale or donation. I have kept all my college books and travel books etc. We can love our Kindles and hard books too.

[katie45]

Originally Posted by QuilterChick

Just because you have a Kindle doesn't mean you have to stop reading printed books. Or going to the library for quiet time among the stacks, reading a newspaper from other areas, magazines, etc. etc.

I don't read newspapers or magazines on my Kindle, seems odd to me. But I love the portability of being able to have it with me when I travel, in my tote bag or purse. Not to mention all the new storage now after donating books to ""Friends of the Library"" for resale or donation. I have kept all my college books and travel books etc. We can love our Kindles and hard books too.

Good point re the library...some even sit in the library and read off a Kindle. To me, a Kindle is like holding one sheet of paper to read from; but, it's nice to know there are options we can all choose from.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by QuilterChick

Just because you have a Kindle doesn't mean you have to stop reading printed books. Or going to the library for quiet time among the stacks, reading a newspaper from other areas, magazines, etc. etc.

I don't read newspapers or magazines on my Kindle, seems odd to me. But I love the portability of being able to have it with me when I travel, in my tote bag or purse. Not to mention all the new storage now after donating books to ""Friends of the Library"" for resale or donation. I have kept all my college books and travel books etc. We can love our Kindles and hard books too.

Magazines and newspapers are great on the iPad - the subscriptions are far cheaper than print, which allows me to read things like The Financial Times and The Economist, which I otherwise would skip. The main difference between reading on the iPad and my desktop PC in my office is that I can go anywhere with the ipad, I'm not stuck at my desk. That can be done with a laptop, too, but my 15" laptop is heavy and clunky and the battery life is not very good. The Kindle beats the ipad for reading books, though.

And for traveling, the combination can't be beat - with the Kindle and the ipad, two relatively small electronic devices (and their respective chargers), I have hundreds of books and magazines basically in my pocket. The only thing I miss is being able to randomly leave finished books in places and then wonder about the journey they took after (although the answer is likely: to the landfill).

It's the information I want, the format isn't crucial - except I love being able to change the text sizes (and, on the iPad, zoom in).

That said, I still have a loft library with probably near a thousand books - many out-of-print, specialty reference or non-fiction and otherwise unavailable.

I was buying hardbacks of cookbooks, until I realized that I rarely use more than 5 or 6 recipes from any given cookbook, so why keep the whole thing? I can import recipes from the ipad to my Mastercook software (it's ugly but possible).

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by katie45

I enjoy reading autobiographies and referring back to photographs included in the book as I read, and just not sure how one could do this with a Kindle.

It depends on the formatting - some may have a table of contents that link to the photographs. If not, you can simply bookmark the pages with the photos and easily refer back to them that way.

Too, I love being at a library and browsing various materials. And library books are free.

Many libraries support ebook lending and Kindle recently announced that they are adding library lending as a feature (previously, other ereaders support library ebooks but not Kindle). Just check out: OverDrive – Global distributor of digital eBooks, audiobooks, music & video for library, school & retail

There are many books one can download for free on a Kindle, but to purchase others online won't work with my budget.

It's all a matter of personal preference.

Well, most ebooks are less expensive than the (new) paper version but if you ONLY use library books and never buy books, then Kindle probably isn't for you. While library ebooks are available, the titles are limited so I would not buy it solely for library ebooks. It is indeed a matter of personal preference but it's important to get all the facts before making a decision.

[katie45]

You seem to want a debate on this topic.....it's all personal preference regarding an electronic book vs. a paper-book.

Enjoy your Kindle!

Originally Posted by PA2UK

It depends on the formatting - some may have a table of contents that link to the photographs. If not, you can simply bookmark the pages with the photos and easily refer back to them that way.



Many libraries support ebook lending and Kindle recently announced that they are adding library lending as a feature (previously, other ereaders support library ebooks but not Kindle). Just check out: OverDrive – Global distributor of digital eBooks, audiobooks, music & video for library, school & retail



Well, most ebooks are less expensive than the (new) paper version but if you ONLY use library books and never buy books, then Kindle probably isn't for you. While library ebooks are available, the titles are limited so I would not buy it solely for library ebooks. It is indeed a matter of personal preference but it's important to get all the facts before making a decision.

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by katie45

You seem to want a debate on this topic.....it's all personal preference regarding an electronic book vs. a paper-book.

Not at all, I agreed it's a matter of personal preference and ereader probably isn't for you... but I find there's a lot of misconceptions and lack of knowledge about ereaders and like I said, I think it's important to get all the knowledge before making a decision, that's all.

[SXMGirl]

I just got the 3G Kindle after several years of resisting. I read every day and really like the feel of a book in my hands. However, I have so many books that it has gotten out of control. For the authors that I will keep, I will still buy their books; but I just started reading a Kindle book and I love it. I never thought that I would enjoy an e-reader, but it is light and easy to handle. I got the lighted cover and it works great. Since I usually order from Amazon, I found the ordering quick and easy. I bought mine at BJ's and it cost a little bit less than Amazon plus I get the 2 percent back so it is really affordable. I also saw that some authors that I used to read in hardback are now only published on Kindle.

I have friends who are also avid readers who have used a Kindle for years and told me how much they liked it. I am very glad that I took the next step and purchased it.

[LittleDolphin]

This is a somewhat different perspective--from an author of a new novel getting ready to publish as an ebook.

Me, I never wanted an e-reader, loved my print books, love them on my bookshelves, the touch feel, and yes, even their aroma.

But after trying the traditional route of getting my book published through trying to find an agent and getting the traditional first-author, unknown variety, rejection, I've decided to go the ebook publishing route.

I salute ebook publishing for helping authors get their works to the public.

For research purposes, mainly, I got my new Kindle a few days ago. And guess what? It's fun. I especially like its portability, so far I've read books on it at the coffee shop and in bed at night.

I've found it easy to use and actually, in some cases, easier on my eyes as I can enlarge the font size which I cannot do on print books. And it's funny how as I grow older, the font size in many books grows ever smaller. That ever happen to you?

Will the Kindle replace my love of paper books? Never! Will I still use the library, haunt new and used book stores, buy books online, swap books with friends, support the Friends of the Library and literacy programs? Yes!

Will the Kindle offer me another tool in my toolkit for purchasing, reading and taking books with me? Yep. As an avid reader I welcome its arrival in my life. And as a new author, I welcome its existence.

[jasper12]

I would not go with a Kindle if you have vision problems, you can get a Victor Reader Stream, and download audible books, many for free.