Do I need a kindle?

[TUGGY2006]

I've been threatening to buy a kindle for ages but not very tech savvy. I use my phone as an e-reader is the kindle much better as in what does it do that my phone won't & what one would you guys recommend? I seen a amazon paperwhite for 120 but there seems to be different generations so I'm confused. Thanks

I've had my paperwhite for 8 years. Love it. It means I can read in bed at night when DH is sleeping. And I turn the backlight off so it doesn't stop me getting over to sleep.
Only thing I don't like which others have mentioned is that I can't use it to read library books

I have a Kindle Paperwhite and a Kobo Clara.
I love them both. I mostly use the Kindle for cheap books from Amazon via the Amazon Daily Deal or BookBub emails. I use the Kobo for borrowing books from the library using the Libby app. You can also buy books from non-Amazon stores like Rakuten on it.

I was at my parents ( who do not have wi fi ) and because kindle had run out of books I got a book from their shelves - I found myself jabbing at the right hand page to turn the page

::holds hand up and hangs head in shame::

Done that as well.

It's better than the phone app because the battery on a basic Kindle lasts for ages, and the screen is larger. I don't have a backlit Kindle.

If you get a kindle fire you can use kindle unlimited, buy books or just download the Overdrive app (I think?) to access free library books. I love mine for listening to books while I'm cooking. I love to cook but it can get boring being stuck in the kitchen for a couple of hours alone.

I prefer books at home. But for travelling a kindle is wonderful - lightweight compared to books and doesn't need endless recharging compared to a tablet. Yay to adjustable font sizes and a screen that's readable in bright daylight (not as well as paper but much better than a phone or tablet)

What stops me from using my elderly Kindle a lot more is that it is not much use as a bookshelf. Yes it stores a lot of books but it doesn't present books nicely to choose from and it's not easy to find a specific book to re-read either. The e-ink technology only changes the image very slowly so you can't flip quickly from screen to screen looking for a book to read. My Kindle has a clunky texty menu interface that really only works to read one book at a time from cover to cover then start another. Browsing my real bookshelf or flipping through the covers of e-books on my phone to find something to read is much easier and much more appealing. Has the Paperwhite or Fire improved on this? I'd probably upgrade if it has.

@AmaryllisNightAndDay my kindle fire let's me swipe once and it has all my downloaded kindle books there to quickly peruse. I'd pop a screenshot up but my kindle book collection is trashy and quite frankly, mortifying

@TUGGY2006

Thanks so much for all your advice, I hadn't thought of library books, I usually rent some through borrow box occasionally does anyone know if you can read library books on a kindle? I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and treat myself to one you've all persuaded me.

No, you can’t read most library ebooks on a Kindle ereader because Amazon have not made their proprietary ebook format available to library ebook providers in the UK. You can do so on a Kindle Fire but that is a tablet not an ereader so that’s basically like reading on your phone but with a larger screen. Kobo ereaders are good and generally compatible with library providers but they aren’t compatible with Amazon ebooks so you would need to go via other ebook retailers. Kindle Paperwhite is a good solid choice - personally I would get the 8GB WiFi without adverts version because you can always remove books from it if you need the space and they’ll remain in the cloud, available to re-download at anytime. Unless you want it now, I’d give it a few weeks and keep an eye on the prices as they do offers on them fairly regularly.

@AmaryllisNightAndDay They are a lot better these days, although not quite as fast as a phone/tablet interface. The clunky text menu has gone, you can browse through the covers and you can arrange stuff in folders.

Thank you @DinnaeFashSassenach and @Talisin - definitely going on my birthday list!

I prefer to use the kindle app, the kindle we have is rubbish for battery life!

@Talisin. You can get the pictures of covers on all Kindles as far as I know. You certainly can on my ancient paperwhite and I think you could on the keyboard version. You just have to change the settings.

You can do so on a Kindle Fire but that is a tablet not an ereader so that’s basically like reading on your phone but with a larger screen.

The kindle fire is marketed as a tablet and a colour e-reader. I found it better than my older Kindle as it was more versatile and didn't require a lamp on for in bed reading.
That said, it's rubbish in the direct sun but I'm a parasol fan anyway. My meds make me burn in minutes.
You can buy anti-glare screens too but I've never bothered. My 2020 Fire has Alexa which is handy. Great if you have Amazon Prime.

@DinnaeFashSassenach - that is honestly a true story - I love my kindle - I have got rid of approx 3500 books - I keep the ones I like - you know if you can rid of 3/4 of your books - I think that is OK ( & I speak as one who once thought throwing or getting rid of a book was tantamount to blasphemy

But Kindle Paperwhite - v good IMHO to all

They offer 8gb or 32gb paperwhites now.
What have you all got?

I want a new kindle. Mine is about 10 years old. And I have no idea what gb storage I currently have. Nor what I need - 8 or 32gb?!

I wouldn't bother with 8gb but that's because I'm a book hoarder.

I love my Kindle (very basic pre-Paperwhite) for novels (a godsend with the latest Hilary Mantel!!!) and stick to hard copies of reference books (cooking, gardening, crafting etc.) that just work better in the flesh as it were.

Best of both worlds!

Well I bit the bullet... got a second hand paperwhite one off Facebook Marketplace and so far I love it. Does take a bit of getting used to, I think now I've set up the fonts & sizes im starting to enjoy it more. I like to curl up or lie in bed reading so it's easier to control than an actual book for that & its nice and light. I think the fact the paperwhite doesn't double up as a tablet works better for me as I don't get distracted by checking anything else.... something I badly need to work on as I get so easily distracted by this bloody phone. Anyway just wanted to pop on and say thanks for all your help & advice and anyone considering getting a kindle or e-reader go for it. Happy Reading ;-)

Happy reading, op. It took me a while to settle on font size, brightness, display options etc.

It won't be long before I need reading glasses so being able to make the font larger will be another bonus of the kindle!

Have fun @TUGGY2006
I'm on book 3 in less than a week thanks to lockdown. The kids only need so much help interference with homeschooling from me.