I think i might hate my kindle

Me too!
I also like the fact that I can coordinate my Kindle books on the IPad so that I can read them in bed with DD asleep in her cot.

Are you saying there's a way of sharing Kindle books? Now THAT would be good...

I too received mine for Christmas...am a resolute book lover, but have to say I love the Kindle now. Like Arctic...I am in danger of becoming a bit of a bore on the subject, however, and since Christmas have already read 3 books on it !

I would say research the books you are interested in before attempting to purchase...most of the books I have purchased have been a good £2 or £3 cheaper than normal paperbacks. I will still continue buying books, but feel that I will be able to buy more beautiful, classic, reference books etc, and stick to paperbacks and 'bookclub' books on the Kindle. I have a voracious appetite where books are concerned and so feel it will ultimately be cheaper for me to purchase on Kindle.

Also, I have a leather cover, which is rather like holding a book anyway. I am so looking forward to loading up books for hols.

I got one for Christmas after being in 2 minds about it, and I am absolutely loving it.

I bought one book I really wanted to read which happened to be only 99p, and since then I've been downloading free classics and wallowing in Victoriana. And I've downloaded all sorts of children's classics and cheap books for the dc who are also enjoying it.

I have turned into a total Kindle bore... I often feel a bit anxious if I think I might be going on a journey and run out of books to read so this is like a comfort blanket, I can take it charged up with lots of books, which I find reassuring.

I am wary of the One Click button though, you could easily spend a lot there if you weren't careful.

remember you can get a refund if you have instant buyers regret too.

I agree kindle is as well as books - for cheapness and ease of carrying books around/on holiday and I find it's easier to read in bed- lighter, one handed and I have the lit cover wihch is spendy but brilliant.

you can skip chapters, press the right arrow key and it takes you to the start of the next chapter

Yes the not being able (or only with much faff) to skip ahead thing is annoying, but it IS a bad habit of mine with real books...

It's not an either/or thing - you are still allowed to have real books f you have a kindle. As others have said, I use it for things I would never have bothered to buy, like free classics - I am wading through Barchester Towers on the train - would never have read it if it hadnt been free on kindle.

It does work much more easily in the US but there is a way around it in the UK, hence the MN Kindle reading club.

Just don't ask me to explan how it works as I could never get my head around it! .

Would be really grateful though if someone could explain it again......

Just to say that I think that the sharing between friends only works in the US.

I got one from DH for xmas too- am currently reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (cost £1.40) and really enjoying it and reading it at the same rate I'd read a book.
One thing I like about it is that I can't skip further on to find out what happens (a bad habit of mine).

Didn't expect to like it - pleasantly surprised.

the reason they aren't backlit is so that they are more like real books.

and because the main reason that no-one wanted e-readers before is because their main worry was that it'd be like a computer screen, which would give them headaches.

Aaah, see, this is why i dont want a kindle. I love my books, love going into a bookshop browsing and thumbing through them...I cant see that I will ever want a kindle but hey, you never know.

I am sure once you get to grips with it you will love it :)

Stick with the clun piebald

I love, love, love my Kindle. Got it for Christmas. Looked at Amazon for 100 free books then signed up for Ereaderiq website which will send you an e-mail for the freebies for that day. Also, sometimes look at the Discussions on the Amazon Kindle Shop webpage.

You can easily adjust the typeface, size and gaps between the words. My Kindle doesn't leave my side now.

I look at the Kindle as being an addition to normal books not instead of. So I buy cheapies in the sale for kindle and therefore have ended up buying a lot of books I wouldnt normally buy and therefore widening my reading. But I still love a good old rummage in the charity shops for books and am very pleased when I come out with some bestsellers for 50p each. And of course, the Kindle is fab for holidays and travelling.

I did feel the same as you at first, but I still sneak into charity shops (it's charity, I'm giving money for a good cause is what I tell myself) but it means I can have one book for the bath and my kindle for work.

The light thing never bothered me because my books don't come with lights

You can get a refund for the book you purchased by accident

I love my kindle, but it hasn't stopped mebuying paper books. I buy whichever is the cheapest format.

Another one who was undecided at first! I'd decided not to buy one for the same reasons above - the feel of a book, feeling guilty about bookshops & charity shops etc etc. DH bought me one for Christmas though and I'm really enjoying it! I will still buy books but just not so many.

I really don't understand why people say you need to buy a light for it - I just read by the lamp that I use to read books while in bed .... and as Dressing says, it's great being able to read one-handed & keep the other hand under the covers

I love mine! I got a light for a tenner and it works perfectly well. I love not having to shift my position to turn pages and being able to read with just one hand out the cover when it is cold.

When I got mine I was a bit underwhelmed. Mainly because when you get a new gadget there is normally loads to do and look at but with the kindle all you can do is read. I now love the simplicity of it.

I think the not being backlit is am amazing feature, and really well thought out.

It isn't backlit because it is a book replacement (with benefits) and books aren't backlit. Having it as e-ink rather than backlit means that you can read it in bright sunlight etc

You can get plenty of backlit devices to read on - iPads, tablets etc. But they strain the eyes. The e-ink of a Kindle is as easy on the eyes as the printed page, but you can't backlight it. No point complaining a Kindle isn't backlit, buy a different device if that's what you want, but you won't get the lovely Kindle screen which is really nice to read from.

You can share books with people on your same amazon account. For example, when my dh got a kindle we added it on my account rather than his own so we could share books. Also I have a kindle app on my iPad, so can read my books on that. I remember reading somewhere that you could loan kindle books to friends but not sure how that works.
I still use the library a lot and tend only to buy kindle books on offer eg during the Christmas sale when a lot of books were only 99p. I still buy books from charity shops. When I bought my kindle the e books were a lot cheaper but apparently a lot of prices are one set by he publishers.
I always at the end of the sample go back and look at the price in the kindle store , which is an option, it says buy it now or view in store. You could always cancel your purchase? It says something like, purchased by accident, click here. Or go into your amazon account.
My dh buys fewer books and buys books at full price, whereas I read a lot and check if I can get it from the library first. I nearly got caught out when reading a book of the day sample and when I went to buy it it had back up to full price again!

I also assumed they would be back lit. It seems an obvious feature to me

Oh dear. I am watching this with interest because your op Piebald explains exactly the reasons they don't appeal to me either and I'm still umming and aahing about getting one.

I usually love gadgety things and part of me wants one for that reason, and yet there's something about Kindles that seem to detract rather than add to the pleasure of reading imho.

Ahh brian got there before me.

The screen is about the same size as a paperback page, so if you don't have enough words you need to do what Brian said, maybe with a paperback next to it so you can see that the size is the same.

I don't understand why you are upset that it doesn't light up. It is like a book really, in that you need light to read it, so use the same lighting you would if it were a book you are reading?