Will I get used to a Kindle?

[Brigittebidet]

DH, who is lovely in every way, bought me a Kindle today as he thinks I have been very stressed at work (correct) and we are off on holidays with the DC tomorrow and that it was a nice thing for me to have as I love reading (again correct). However, I love reading books, not screens.

I was grateful and enthusiastic but a little bit of me cried inside.

[SmallChairs]

@JayAlfredPrufrock

I struggle with mine. Yes, it beats packing 15 books if I’m going on holiday (I wish), but I still struggle with it.

Me too. It just feels all wrong. However, it beats hauling suitcases of books around with me, so I grudgingly admit its usefulness.

[Confusedandshaken]

My mum was very anti-kindle and didn't use the one we gave her. She offered to give it back to me but I declined. She has now downsized from a 4 bed house to a one bed flat and is very glad of the kindle,to replace the books she no longer has space to store.

[LadyDanburysCane]

I love my Kindle! I love real books but we read a LOT and ran out of room. The only physical books that we buy now are non fiction books.

We subscribe to Kindle unlimited which gives “free” books a bit like a library. You can usually get a free sample of most books so can read a chapter (or two) to see if it’s worth paying for.

You can take as many books as you want on holiday. A great big book just slips into your handbag.

You never lose your place.

With family sharing the whole family can read the same book at the same time. My DD doesn’t live at home but can read books I’ve bought without the cost of sending a physical book to her.

I think it’s actually more environmentally friendly - especially with the “throwaway” fiction that I’ll enjoy reading but only the once.

Honestly it’s fantastic!

[ImInStealthMode]

@Knittingnanny Kindle Oasis is for you! Left handed technology

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/traveling-cook.com/useful-kindle-oasis-ereader-for-left-handers/amp/

[SpringCrocus]

You can download instructions to get all the Google functionality onto Kindle, so it becomes a really good general Android tablet.
I've done this with three Kindles, they turn into really good all round tablets, with excellent HD screens.

[Starjammer]

Think some are conflating the Amazon Fire tablets with the Kindles. Kindles do not have colour screens and you can't watch videos or do anything else on them. They have a crappy web browser but their entire functionality is for reading. They use e-ink, not a tablet or phone display, so the screen resembles a book page. They are nothing like reading on a phone or tablet screen.

I have the Oasis: pricey but I use it for work so it's worth it for me. I had the Paperwhite before. Tbh all Kindles, even the entry level ones, are really good.

[londonmummy1966]

I thought the same but now love the fact that as soon as I've finished a book I can download another and I can read almost anything I want to without having to find it first.

[jackstini]

Depends where you read

I would hate it as my only times to read are bath (kindle bit dangerous!) or few mins if sunny in garden (reflection) and the main reason I read is to spend time away from a screen as that's a huge % of my work

It's the thought that counts and give it a go - but I totally get what you mean 😢 I would think my DH didn't know me if he got me one

[Starjammer]

Kindles do not reflect the sun. They behave exactly like a book page in this regard. Also the Oasis at least is waterproof.

[cariadlet]

Fire tablets have screens so it's like reading on any other screen (phone, tablet, laptop or computer). They're no good in the sun and won't help if you're wanting to give your eyes a rest.



An actual kindle is completely different. The e-ink makes it much closer to reading a book.

[opinionminion]

I love my books, however my kindle is perfectly placed for reading whilst laying down as there are no pages to turn or hold open. Also lighter/ less bulky when travelling.

[TheTeenageYears]

I absolutely love my kindle. Unless you carry a giant handbag all the time carrying a book tends to be a conscious decision. I like how light it is and can read without needing to switch the light off in bed when nodding off - just drop the kindle on the floor. When mine breaks I will prioritise a new one over many other things. If I'm in a queue unexpectedly and have my phone with me I can continue reading on the Kindle app from wherever I was up to on my Kindle and then when I go back to my Kindle pick up where I left off on my phone.

[SpringCrocus]

Agreed, I was referring to a Kindle Fire (HD, 10 " was the latest I've done this on. )

[SpringCrocus]

And yes, I use the Kindle e reader app on my phone to carry on reading books

[Ladyrattles]

I was like that to start until I realised I could read the next book in a series straight away even if it's 2am. It downloads in mere seconds and I'm straight back into the story. And when I'm on holiday I connect it to my phone hotspot to order new books straight away, so I'm never without a good book. I often keep it in my handbag so I can read if I ever have to wait anywhere. I like the fact I can change the text font if a book has a strange font. And now that I'm older I have the font size bigger as my eyesight is getting worse, which is a godsend. I also like to write stories as a hobby and email them to my kindle so I can proof read it like an actual book.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

@itsgrand

I felt like that before I got mine. I like the feel and smell of books and didn't want to be in front of a screen. I got a Kindle bought as a present like you and kind of turned my nose up at it. But ….. I soon fell in love and just wouldn't be without my kindle now!! I absolutely love it.

As soon as I finish one book I can immediately buy another one and start it in seconds!

This is exactly what happened to me! It took me months - maybe even a year - to get used to it, but I love it now. I do still read a lot of real, papery books, but quite a lot on the Kindle too.

I do like being able to acquire a new book, from the comfort of my bed, if the one I’m reading runs out of words, and I do like being able to get samples of books, so I can try before I buy. Or, when I’ve forgotten to bring the next book in a series upstairs, I can just download a sample, and that puts me on until the next morning (once I’m in bed, I’m staying in bed).

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

As well as what pps have said, a Kindle is great for big fat doorstop books that are too heavy to read in bed.

Plus you can read in bed without needing a bedside light, so not disturbing a dh who wants to sleep.

I still read ‘proper’ books but wouldn’t be without my Kindle.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Mine came in really handy when I was taken into hospital with Covid - I had enough books to keep me entertained, stuck in a room all on my own.

[WhistlersandJugglers]

I got one as a present but couldn't get used to it. New books were very expensive to download as well so that meant I wasn't motivated to stick with it. It came in handy as a general tablet for the kids before they all got phones so it wasn't a total waste.

[starfishmummy]

I use a mixture. Real books, paperwhite kindle and the kindle app on my phone (yes it's tiny but I can manage it) means I always have something with me if I am stuck waiting somewhere

[SoupDragon]

I used to sneer at e-readers. Then I read a book on my iPad and loved it. Then I bought a Paperwhite and loved it even more. With the right case I can read one handed (or pretty much one fingered whilst lying down in bed). I love the lit screen, the compact size, the fact that I can read my book on my phone on an "emergency" and it knows where I was up to, the fact that I can immediately have another book or buy the sequel (I've done that many a time!)

I'm a total convert. I've named mine Kenneth.

[BarbaraofSeville]

Proper standard kindles aren't screens because the lighting is different and they look like the page of a book, not a screen, can see on bright sunlight with no glare, but can also read in pitch dark.

The main one (kindle paperwhite, about £100 or so is also waterproof, so fine for in the bath, at the spa etc).

It's not the same to read using the Kindle app on a phone or tablet because that is like looking at a screen. The lighting is wrong and you're still holding a device where you're at risk of being distracted into a scroll hole.

I find it's cheaper to buy books as there's so many that go on offer for 99p and that includes new ones and 'proper' books by 'proper' authors, not just self published rubbish.

I have so many unread books that I've bought at this price that I don't allow myself to buy any more unless they're on offer.

So I have a huge pile to read without them taking up any space.

OP you could look at a free trial to Kindle unlimited and see if there's anything on there for you to get into.

[Kinsters]

I thought I'd not like a Kindle as I love the look and feel of books but it's so much more convenient than a book that it more than makes up for not actually being a book.

You never lose your place, you can read it one handed super easily even if its a big book, you can look up the definition for words you don't know just by clicking on the word. And one of my favourite features is you can click on eg character names and skip back to past mentions of them in the book (so handy for books with lots of characters if you've forgotten who someone is). When you flip back to your original place if you accidentally go too far it brings up a prompt so you don't spoil anything for yourself.

[BarbaraofSeville]

If I'm in a queue unexpectedly and have my phone with me I can continue reading on the Kindle app from wherever I was up to on my Kindle and then when I go back to my Kindle pick up where I left off on my phone

I can't do that because I never have the WiFi on my Kindle unless I'm buying a book, so the system doesn't know where I am. I thought that it made the battery run down fast but my Kindle is really old, one of the very first paperwhites released.

I'm sort of willing it to break so I can get a waterproof one. Might see if there are any good offers come Black Friday.

[Enko]

I love love my kindle. It has not changed my love for books there is a way between that works good.

These days I buy my hardcore study books on kindle so they are easily with me and chit lit. But my cook book collection remains books