Should I get a Kindle (or similar)?

[LadyMinerva]

Just that really. I've always maintained that I'm 'old school'when it cones to books. I like the feel of them. But, for various reasons, I'm wondering if it's time to get with the times and start with an e reader.

Was anyone else stubborn about books but then change?

@kalokagathos we’ve had a few , never had a jerky one I reckon you had a dud .

I love my kindle and use it for 99p/free reads. However I find it more expensive to buy some books i like as I would usually use charity shops! Also I read some manga and I prefer that in book format.

I wish I could get all my favourite books on kindle as space is at a premium in our house. But unfortunately they are too expensive, I can't justify the 5.99 each when I already have a 50p copy from the charity shop!

I hadn't heard of kobo before, im going to look into that as borrowing books would be good!

I got a kindle about 12 years ago, after holding out for a long time. I loved it, but it wasn't back lit, so couldn't read in the dark. Also, a paperback survives being dropped in the bath a lot better than a kindle does.....

Now I use the kindle and library apps on my phone. To avoid glare I use dark mode, so black background and white writing. It means I can read while putting the kids to bed and always have the book I want with me. It doesn't work so well in bright sunlight, so not good for lounging round the pool on holiday. I don't lounge much though, so just used a book on the one time I did.

Slightly off topic, hopefully not too far

I had kindles for years and recently bought a Scribe - it's a game changer. You can read and use it as a normal kindle, with the added benefit of notebooks

Thank you everyone. Looks like I'll have to take the plunge.

I'll still use books but majority of reading will be electronic.

If i can successfully give up smoking after 30 years I can do this!

I have a kindle but was put off it because I never found out how to share books with the family. And you don't own the book, you rent it from Amazon. We've switched to Kobo now and it's simple to share books with DH. I do actually prefer reading from the Kindle screen over the Kobo, DH prefers the Kobo.

I like the dictionary function, especially when reading in a language I'm learning. I always have my Kobo in my bag, and it's very practical to read at night.

On my kobo I can filter my home screen to show unread, part-read or finished. I think you can sort into personal categories too, but since I mostly have Library books, there's not much there to sort.
I don't like reading on a tablet or phone, but find the ereader much easier for my eyes.

Thanks @GreyDuck what I want to do is be able to replicate book shelves, so move the book rather than copy it to a category.

Just to say you don’t have to buy the paperwhite anymore for reading at night, I believe now even the basic version is backlit. I’ve had mine for 10 years+ and it still works really well. I haven’t read a physical book in a while, mainly because I often have a small child in my bed with me so don’t want the light on. But also because of lots of the reasons people have already listed, the books are much cheaper, there are daily deals and monthly deals and I pretty much only read these books.

I have got very used to it though, I have a beautiful signed copy of Intermezzo to read and have been putting it off as can’t be arsed with a real book 🙈

@LadyMinerva as others have said, just download the app on your phone, then you will always have a book with you, wherever you go.

Even if you do decide to buy a separate Kindle device, the app on your phone will synchronise with it so you can pick up where you left off even if the device isn't to hand.

The worst thing about Kindle is that you can't turn off the annoying feature that tracks your reading habits and congratulates you for them. But there are plenty of positives - I like being able to word-search the book, which is useful if you lose track of who a character is as you can remind yourself of when they were first mentioned.

I understand that. But for me the convenience of reading anywhere outweighs everything. I think it may come down to do you love physical books or do you love reading. If you love reading you will go for a Kindle or other e- reader every time. You are a book lover not a reader

I think OP buy the cheapest one. Have a good with it. Then decide what you prefer. Don't use the phone kindle app . It's nothing like a Kindle

Agree! I bought a second hand one off eBay for £60 and it's brilliant - won't upgrade it until it breaks, which could be ages as it had barely been used.

I've tried to find this thread again! I hated my kindle but I got this for my birthday thanks to your post and I really like it. Not sure what I'm doing except randomly scribbling in notes pages