Kindle - for or against?

[bettertoreceive]

Rightly or wrongly, I've always been against buying a Kindle.

But it's becoming increasingly apparent that I am in the minority, and now I think maybe I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face as I hate change

Obviously it's cheaper long term, no trekking to the shops, and more environmentally friendly.

But for me, it surely doesn't come close to reading an actual book, and it's one thing I can do to get away from screens.

Has anyone felt like me and is now converted?

Or did you try it and hate it?

I was exactly like you, loved to hold a book, the smell etc 😂 then my DH bought me one just before our wedding, I got the kindle paperwhite (which is a lit screen so can read in bed) and I took it on honeymoon with me.

It completely changed my mind! I loved how light it was, how I didn't have to use a book mark, how the pages didn't bend in the breeze.

That was 8 years ago and it still works perfectly. I read more than ever.

I resisted, but love it now, especially for holidays when I can load it up with a selection. Also, my eyesight isn't what it was, but I get to choose the font! So much easier for reading on beach, in bed ... anywhere.

And you never lose your place - it opens where you left it. You can bookmark, look up words ... and other things like annotate and make notes, which I don't do.

I prefer books but a kindle is good for going on holiday! I have just biught dc a kobo as it you can access library books on that

I love my kindle, I actually find it quite uncomfortable on my eyes reading a proper book now I can’t adjust the size of text!

I have a Kobo, which I bought instead of a Kindle because I can borrow library books on it via Overdrive. I actually love it.

Fully converted. I can take 50 books on holiday and I can read when DH is sleeping without a light on.

Ah just read more of the threat and realized @Stopsnowing beat me to it!

I was the same, then DH bought me a kindle paperwhite. I've not looked back and probably read more than ever with a kindle subscription.

I love my Kindle and find actual books quite inconvenient now

I still love a book, still love perusing a book shop and the thrill of buying a new one. I've had a kindle for years now and use it for travel, holidays etc - no more panic about having to eek out a book so that you aren't left with nothing to read. In short, it has its place BUT books still rule!

I'm on my 5th kindle in 11 years; I am clearly very hard on them! But I love it, I had shelves and shelves and shelves of books but I have been ruthless in clearing out to only keep books I'd like to reread and ones with sentimental value. I have a kindle unlimited membership which I get more than my money's worth, lots of books go on the 99p deal all the time so I'm never without anything to read, I'm not contributing to waste with my book habit (I do try and hand my books in to the charity shops but how many Jilly Coopers do they need, really?!) and most excitingly, if I finish one in a series then I can read the next one RIGHT NOW. My kindle and the dishwasher are the two electrical items in our home that I'd replace within 24hours if they broke.

Books are king but with my kindle I love that I no longer have to waste most of my 23kg baggage allowance on books! I got through at least a book a day on holiday and when you're away for 10-14 days.

Yes, I suppose it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

I am about to go on holiday next week, but I can't justify the cost right now, so I'll be going retro and taking a few books that hopefully won't turn out to be a waste of suitcase space!

There isn't a law that you're only allowed one or the other [helpful].

Kindles are great for holidays, travelling, reading cheap shit, reading in bed/the dark, the hairdresser... so you can take it anywhere easily, get a bit of Kindle time in whenever the opportunity presents, and the next book is always, always waiting for you.

Books are great for hunkering down on a wet Sunday afternoon on your cosy sofa, or for heavy-going non-fiction that you want to be able to flick backwards & forwards for, or in the bath in case you drop it...

I cannot believe I used to go away for a week with 12 books in my suitcase, so I always had something to read that suited my mood. I'd never be without my Kindle now.

I’ve had kindle/ kindle app for years and years and love it. But particularly with the app on my phone I find I don’t concentrate as well, I flick too often over to Facebook, mumsnet etc.

I also had kindle unlimited and I’d not stick with a book, I’d try the next one and the next one. I’ve cancelled that, but even with normal kindle there’s too much temptation to go onto the next book before I’ve finished the one I’m reading.

I’ve deleted it from my phone and bought second hand books recently - cheaper than kindle books and I’ll send them back to a charity shop when I’m done.

I was a late convert and love love love my kindle paper white for reading fiction.
So convenient for travel, thinner and lighter than a paperback so fits in a small bag or pocket, as others have said it keeps your place in the book, it doesn’t strain your eyes and the brightness is adjustable, you can group your books into folders (called collections on kindle), and it doesn’t disturb anyone else if reading in bed. Being able to change the font type and size is a great bonus and it’s quite easy to learn how to navigate if you want to flip back and forth between chapters, etc. I take mine to read in hospital waiting rooms, my husband takes his into the sauna.
I buy non fiction kindle books too (travel guides and cookery, mainly) but prefer to read those in full colour and on the larger screen size of my iPad. I’m not sure I’d bother on my kindle. Also, reading fiction on the iPad is more difficult as it’s more strain on the eyes and a lot heavier and unwieldy.
There are daily offers in fiction, most at 99p per book, so it’s worth waiting til favourite books or authors come up.
Go on, I bet you don’t regret it!

I love my Kindle because I like reading, not books as a physical item, although I do love browsing bookshops, only to come away with a list of books to buy for my Kindle when they go on offer for 99p.

The Kindle Paperwhite is also waterproof so good for reading in the bath and being able to read in the dark is probably the best bit.

They're also nothing like a screen. In the daylight it looks just like a real book, and there's also no distraction like you'd get with a phone or tablet.

If you're unsure and in no rush, why not wait for Black Friday, they're usually on offer with a good discount at that time?

I love my kindle.
I can read in bed and make the font bigger so I don't need reading glasses.

I adore mine! I simply couldn’t be without it, so easy to carry an entire library around in your handbag, makes holiday book packing so much easier!

Me too. I was always rather superior about e-books but I love my Kobo. I do wish I had bought a waterproof one.
Also not tied to Amazon like kindle is.

Thanks for these replies!

I think I have been convinced.

I'll maybe hold off until Black Friday and see what deals I can find. I have enough stopped/started books to tide me over until then, plus access to a library at work - which I always forgot about.

Crossposted! That's exactly my plan

My mum lent me hers at the weekend and I’m obsessed/ converted already. It’s so nice to be able to change the fonts and spacing and not have it fall on your head if you want to read on your side in bed xxx

No Kindle for me. I don't even buy books. We have loads of phone box libraries where we are. I pick up books from those. It is really good, I end up reading, and enjoying, lots of books that I would not ordinarily pick.

I love real books and read a lot, however we all had kindles for our holiday this year or the first time and they were brilliant.

We usually drive, and take around 4 or 5 books each for our break, however flying made this impossible. The kindles were light, portable and batteries lasted ages. Easy to buy and download books.

I bought 4 from ebay, reconditioned, for £50 each and they have all worked a treat. Batteries only needed 1 recharge in the 12 days, and we all read a lot!

Never thought I'd say it, but highly recommend. We're taking them away this weekend when we visit family.

I bought light cases for each and they survived constant pool and lake reading for 12 days.