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've had a kindle since Amazon first brought them out. I still have my original one somewhere.
I love them. I can read my books, play a game or go online wherever I am that offers WiFi.
I currently have a paperwhite, my previous models, kindle fire are currently being used as security cameras.

I have a question.

my seven year old is a massive reader and (having run out of storage space) I got her a kindle for her Christmas. She LOVES it. She is flying through books at some rate, and is costing me a fortune.

My aunt is a primary school teacher and was quite disapproving of the kindle for a child. She said “oh I suppose it’s alright as long as you are giving her actual books too, and it’s more of a combination?”

I mean yes, my daughter has many, many physical books which she still reads. But is there an issue with her reading mainly on the kindle?

Not at all. She's reading and that's a wonderful thing.
It doesn't matter what she's reading her books on, be it a kindle or a paper book.
There is no issue at all as far as I'm concerned.

Ignore the kindle snob imo if she loves reading let her carry on. Have a look at kindle unlimited if you haven’t already, you pay 7.99 a month and can have up to 6 books at a time to read instead of buying per book

I wasn't sure if I'd like a kindle because I absolutely LOVE my books.

But then my partner bought me one and ...
I love my kindle.

So convenient. Especially when you're going away. Or need to read in the dark! Which I often have to do!
I really love my kindle now.
I also have Kindle Unlimited which I like as you can download 20 books at a time as part of your subscription.

You could also look at joint BorrowBox through your local library.
Download the app and you can read ebooks. And listen to audiobooks on phone.

That should say 'joining borrowbox'

my seven year old is a massive reader and (having run out of storage space) I got her a kindle for her Christmas. She LOVES it. She is flying through books at some rate, and is costing me a fortune.

You can get a lot of free books - all the children's classics like the railway children that are out of copyright.

www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/consumer-advice/technology/a544701/how-to-get-free-ebooks-kindle-books/

www.lifewire.com/places-to-get-free-kindle-books-1357954

OP

If you have alexa it will read your books out to you, which is a cheaper way to read in the bath, although I did mange to dry it out with rice.

I prefer it to books, I'm dyslexic so changing the font is useful, I also have arthritis that makes holding books difficult.

I was exactly like you but then got converted - I now read both as I still like to read library books and buy the odd book but actually now I probably prefer the reading experience of a kindle slightly more (easier to do one handed, in bed, more portable so great for travel etc. also I read mine with just one hand and the kindle light on when I'm breastfeeding).

Some other things to consider

• unless you routinely buy every book you read. A kindle can be waaaaay more costly. Buying every kindle book you read at £2-£6 a pop can add up.
• consider getting a kobo instead. This way you might also be able to borrow books from your library straight onto that (my library does this through "BorrowBox" - you can borrow the ebook and then download it onto your Kobo. Unfortunately kindle doesn't support BorrowBox in the UK (although you can read BorrowBox books on a phone/tablet through the app but it's not really the same. So if I want to read a book on my kindle I have to buy it.)

I see to be like you too.

I'm converted now. I can get books whenever I want them and I can adjust the font. And for going on holiday it's so compact and light.

My order of getting a book I want is:

1. library


2. second hand


3. Kindle

The Kindle has been winning recently due to some good deals and the fact we’re on holiday sharing a room with our 8yo.
I do prefer paperbacks in general though.

Love my paperwhite kindle. It lives in my handbag. Waiting room, taxi rides, etc and I have hundreds of books to read.

I still buy real books as I love them but genuinely could not be without my kindle.

When I was over the luggage limit in a flight due to my books I had no choice! As a family we read a lot on holiday and fast. Kindle essential for travel.Still mostly read normal books in everyday life

We make a point of buying books new at our local bookshop. If you just go to library and second hand how does the industry survive?

There are endless offers on Kindle books at 99 p and it's not all self published rubbish either, most popular books are on offer quite regularly.

I never pay more than that price and am never short of anything to read, I have hundreds of books that I've bought when on offer. Up until recently, our library charged more than that to reserve a book, plus you had to go there to pick up and return the book and the opening hours are of the 'between 3 and 4 pm every second Tuesday' variety, so takes quite a lot of planning.

You just have to look at the offers pages regularly and be prepared to wait rather than buying a particular book at a particular time.

I love my Kindle. I live in a small flat, not much room for bookshelves, yet I have over 700 books on my Kindle. I can sort them into collections or by author, and I can adjust the font and brightness.
I wouldn't be without it.

I used to be like you, OP, but love my kindle now.

I still read paper books as well and will buy a book in hard copy if it's special or something I love.

But for books I think I'll only read once and are not sentimental, I tend to prefer the kindle.

The main advantages for me are that it's light, fits in my pocket, I can hold it with one hand, I can read in the dark whilst my husband is sleeping without disturbing him.

It's not really like looking at a screen, it's much easier on the eyes.

The only annoying thing is that my husband uses apple books and I can't read his books on the kindle - that is more to do with Apple's locks than Amazon, though. You can read some non-amazon ebooks on Kindle.

Against! But that's because I'd get a kobo instead.

With amazon you are stuck using the amazon store. With kobo I can get books from anywhere (apart from amazon) and even download them straight onto my kobo from the library for free.

It's much easier to read as it has a paper like screen so you don't get any glare like you do on the shiny phone screen, plus no notifications/calls/texts. Oh and the kindle is waterproof so better in the bath/pool/hot tub

I do use the app on my phone too (as they will both sync to the last page you read) but it depends on which is more appropriate

I was completely against e-readers - books all the way for me!

Then I tried reading on my iPad and loved it. Bought a .kindle and loved it even more. Totally converted.

• all books are small enough to fit in a bag.
• i can get the next in the series immediately
• holiday reading is a breeze! No more having to take a separate suitcase for books.
• I can read one handed
• i can read in the dark

so many reasons why I love my kindle!

Could you explain how they work please? I have a first generation kindle and find it useful for holidays and travelling. I will buy books in it if they are significantly cheaper than the book. Otherwise I still much prefer the experience of reading a book. I can pass the book on too, which is good.
I borrow a lot of books from the library, so a Kobo sounds like it would be useful.

I still read ‘proper’ books but I love my Kindle for taking on holiday (I’m a quick reader and would need to pack at least 4 for a week), for the ability to adjust the font and the level of light, for reading in bed without disturbing dh, for reading great fat books I’d never bother with otherwise, since they’re too heavy and awkward to hold in bed, and for the ability - if there’s something I really fancy reading now - to have it whizz into my Kindle within seconds.

I treated myself to a new one after holidaying with a friend and seeing them read in the morning with the light off!

Love my paper white. DH works shifts so I don't disturb him. I often wake in the night too so can read.

Still love a book so don't think it needs to be all or nothing!

I have had a Kindle since they were introduced by Amazon and read many many books on it but I do hate having my cook books on it. I have the app on my tablet but still find it is inconvenient to have to keep flicking between pages as recipes seem to be stretched over more pages on Kindle than an actual book.

I love my kindle. I love reading. The local library became a “community” library and it costs to join, doesn’t have a great selection of books and operates odd hours which made it difficult for workers to use (it’s aimed at, and is great for, SAHPs and their pre-schoolers). I used to spend a small fortune in books and although I always passed them on/donated them I felt it wasn’t very environmentally friendly. I’m a member of Kindle Unlimited so a lot of what I read doesn’t actually cost me anything more. Kindle slips into my small handbag so if I’m ever stuck waiting I always have a book - it’s much better than doom scrolling on my phone. So many reasons to have a kindle!