eBooks for Christmas? (cover, e-book, great, buy)

[LibraGirl123]

My adult siblings and I live in different parts of the country. Several years ago, my sister suggested that perhaps we could exchange books at Christmastime. We all embraced the idea, and it's worked out pretty well. Even though I own an iPad, I don't read books on it...yet. I still love the tactile feeling of a book-in-hand. When I'm finished reading a book, I pass it on to one of my friends, and they in turn lend their books to me.

So we got this email from my brother. Since all of us sibs own iPads, he's suggesting that we exchange eBooks for Christmas this year. It'll be easier, he says, blah blah blah. Aside from the fact that I am not into eBooks (yet), I'm just wondering how this is going to work. When I receive a book from one of my sibs, there's a package to open (ooooh ooooh, what's inside?), but what's to open with an eBook? An email with a special code or somethin'?

Bah humbug, I'm feeling like Scrooge now. I'm seriously thinking of dropping out of our sibling book group. Convince me otherwise.

[PA2UK]

Well, I personally would not recommend reading on an iPad. It's heavy, it's big, it's backlit, etc. The only advantage for me is that you can have reading apps from all different ebook stores so you are not restricted in which store to buy from (iBooks, B&N, Amazon, etc). The iPad Mini might be better since it's smaller and lighter - I might have to steal my husband's iPad Mini for a while and test run it as an ereader.

I am not sure how your book exchange works - does an "exchange" mean that you're swapping books you already own? Because ebooks with DRM can not normally be swapped or shared so be aware that once you buy an ebook, you can't just give it to someone else. Sadly, one of the downsides to ebooks is the lack of ability to share but that is to prevent piracy.

But perhaps you are merely buying each other books? This is how buying a Kindle book as a gift works: Amazon.com Help: Giving and Receiving Kindle Book Gifts
I can not say for other stores since I don't use them.

There are a lot of advantages to ebooks themselves, though whether or not those advantages outweight the disadvantages is really down to personal preference. For me, I love the device itself... I have a Kindle Paperwhite and it's small, thin and lightweight. I can hold it easily with one hand or even put it down on the table while I eat and not have to hold anything open. I can carry several books in this one small and light device, which is ideal for travel but also means I can own thousands of books without it taking up space in my home. Though the iPad is bigger and heavier, I imagine some of these advantages will still apply.

I also love being able to set my own font size and type. I never loose my place in a book anymore by forgetting what page I'm on or the bookmark falling out. I can buy and access books within seconds from the comfort of my couch. Before buying, I can read samples at my leisure rather than in a book store. I can dog ear pages, highlight and make notes in books without feeling like I'm ruining it (and I can easily access those highlights and notes at kindle.amazon.com). I still have access to library books, in digital format. I don't know about iPad but my Kindle has a built-in dictionary so I can merely highlight a word and the definition pops up. I can quickly and easily find any passage in a book by doing a search for a key word or phrase. Lots of ebooks are cheaper than the printed versions and there's lots of bargain deals and sales - like today is Cyber Monday and Amazon have over 2,000 ebooks on sale! I've heard that B&N does not do as many sales like this though and I've seen a lot of disappointed Nook users who were looking forward to all the specials only to find out it's mostly Amazon who does them. B&N do have a Cyber Monday Sale going on too, but only included 50 books. The good news is with an iPad, you can enjoy books from either store.

[LibraGirl123]

Originally Posted by PA2UK

I am not sure how your book exchange works - does an "exchange" mean that you're swapping books you already own? Because ebooks with DRM can not normally be swapped or shared so be aware that once you buy an ebook, you can't just give it to someone else. Sadly, one of the downsides to ebooks is the lack of ability to share but that is to prevent piracy.

But perhaps you are merely buying each other books? This is how buying a Kindle book as a gift works: Amazon.com Help: Giving and Receiving Kindle Book Gifts
I can not say for other stores since I don't use them.

Up until now, our holiday book exchange consisted of buying (and mailing) brand new books to each other as Christmas gifts. It appears that when eBooks are purchased through Amazon, the recipient gets an email notification of their gift, and then they can download their book.

Thank you so much for your thoughts on eBooks...lots to consider there.

[Ketabcha]

My suggestion is to get a Kindle. No one loves the feel and texture of books more than I do but the Kindle is the neatest thing I have gotten for myself in ages. I truly love it. I named it Boris and he goes with me everywhere. I don't have to haul around a paper book. Get the $79 Kindle and it will pay for itself in a couple of months if you read like I do. Honestly, it is a real treasure in my life.

There is another reason to get the Kindle. A lot of folks are not on particularly good terms with their siblings and this tradition that you and your sibs have is way cool. I love the idea of trading books. Please, please don't drop out of doing it. This is a tradition that will be valuable and special to all of you for the rest of your lives.

[PA2UK]

I've also just discovered that if you still miss giving or getting something physical, you can use Livrada - making e-book gifting personal - which will basically produce a physical "token" or gift card for the specific book you bought.

[LibraGirl123]

Originally Posted by PA2UK

I've also just discovered that if you still miss giving or getting something physical, you can use Livrada - making e-book gifting personal - which will basically produce a physical "token" or gift card for the specific book you bought.

That's a great idea for gift-giving!