Kindle v Paperback

[justonekitty]

Looking to buy a kindle, love reading especially on holiday. But tend to fly hand luggage only plus with a month long holiday coming up, I am considering a kindle. Concerned that it won’t feel like a real book. Feedback, tips etc welcome!

Tricky if you’re going away for a month - just pack underwear and books 😆

It doesn’t feel exactly like a real book but if you’re lazy like me it’s much easier to hold and flick through the pages, perfect for travel, definitely get one!

I love my kindle.
It saved my marriage 😂
I like to read in bed, my DH reads but tends to want to sleep earlier than me.
Before the kindle I had to keep the bedside light on which annoyed him.
We now both have a kindle which is lit so we don't disturb one another.
Other features I like:
Choosing the font
Choosing the size of font
Choosing the brightness
It's small
It's light
You can put loads of books on it. Particularly good for my DH who is a speed reader
Loads of 99p deals

Drawbacks:
It's not good for pictures (although I have an old kindle so this could have improved)
Not good for information books e.g. cookery books or diy books

I've got a Kindle. I read a lot, especially on a 2 week beach holiday, and in the days before Kindles my case would be weighed down with several chunky novels. A Kindle is a godsend in my opinion in that regard. That said, I still prefer the feel of a book when I'm at home. Browsing in a bookshop is one of my favourite things.

I've got a Kindle Paperwhite which enables you to read even in bright sunlight. You do have to touch the screen to turn a page, access settings, change the font etc. I prefer the old style Kindle with the buttons on the side but that's just my preference. I like checking the Kindle Daily Deals on the Kindle Store where you can get books for around 99p. I've discovered new authors and book series that I might not necessarily have picked up in store.

I think that, for a long holiday or when you're travelling with light luggage as you have indicated OP, then a Kindle is a good option.

You can get a case for a Kindle which makes it feel more like a book. Just remember to take the charger!

I love physical books but I have a kindle for when I travel.
It doesn’t feel like a real book but that doesn’t really matter.
The usefulness and convenience makes up for it!

I’m an obsessive reader, and while, no, a Kindle doesn’t feel like a book, it’s been an absolute godsend for travelling. I’m a very fast reader, and holidays always gave me the horrors because of how to carry enough to read — DH would be screaming ‘We’re going to miss our flight!’ while I was still standing at the bookcase trying to cram stuff into my hand luggage.

And, as a pp said, it’s also useful for reading in bed or on the go. I used to always have two novels in my bag any time I went out.

So, even if you still generally prefer physical books (I still do), Kindles are useful for holiday, on the go reading, and reading in the dark.

I love my kindle but I still love a physical book. I think ive got to grips with which books I want a physical copy of and which is ok for kindle.

If it's a book I am likely to go back to and take my time over, then a physical book is better. If it's just a quick holiday read then Kindle is perfect. Loads of deals I wouldn't have read otherwise and prime gives you some freebies.

Paperback. Kindle is useless with anything containing illustrations, charts, maps or graphs and they have a nasty habit of editing books without making that clear. Plus the damn things need charging.

You can always squeeze a large number of standard size second-hand paperbacks into hand luggage and given they were probably fairly tatty in the first place, it doesn't really matter if you sling them away once read.

I don't know because I don't have a kindle but it the screen easily viewable in the sun. Also you can download the kindle app on your phone or tablet

There was absolutely no way I could carry enough reading matter for a fortnight in my hand luggage.

Agree on the illustrations, maps or diagrams, though.

I also bluddy love my kindle scribe. I use it for notes more than anything, but does mean I can read a couple of pages in my lunch break if I feel like it plus pdfs and stuff. My old little kindle is still preferable for summer reading though.

Love my kindle.

Yes you can read it in direct sunlight.

A full charge lasts weeks.

Great for holiday as you have a ton of books on hand, some are only 99p on the daily deal.

Fab for night reading too as a light is built in.

My Kindle lasts weeks on one charge (just put it on airplane mode) and I use it daily. Pictures and charts don’t tend to feature in my preferred genre, and I’m horrified at the idea of throwing out books unless it was a dreadful read (in which case I would be disappointed at taking it on holiday).

Kindle all the way! I have 600 books on mine, most cost 99p, even the ones from good authors. (There’s the Kindle daily deal and they refresh deals once a month - I look forward to the 1st of the month when I go through them all).

My first Kindle lasted 13 years, so no complaints about longevity either.

Kindles are brilliant - if you charge it before you go on holiday you probably won’t need to do it again until you get home.

I always hear people talking about the feel of a real book and how important that is to them… and I think .

To ne, that’s a bit like people saying they can’t possibly stream a movie on the telly, they HAVE to get the DVD for the feel of it. Or even better, the video.

Just get the kindle app for your phone or tablet ? If you only want it for holiday, on the go reads etc. or at least try it first this way and see if you like it.

I only ever read on my kindle so I’m biased , it lasts ages on a charge even using it daily , you can read in any light and have several books on the go without the hassle of having several books piled somewhere . My daughter uses a mix of kindle and physical book but only takes the Kindle away .

I have had Kindles since they first came out. Really useful for travelling, just download books before you go. Battery lasts for ages. So much easier than having to take books with you. I read a lot, so I would have to take multiple books with me which would take up most of my baggage allowance.

I also read physical books. Just because you have a Kindle, it doesn't mean that you can't read books as well.

Sounds like paperbacks are ideal for you, but most people reading for leisure purposes aren’t reading books full of pictures and graphs.

I don’t read academic or scientific texts on my Kindle; I’d always read those in hard copy because things like graphs and footnotes are easier. But about 98% of my reading for pleasure doesn’t involve books with illustrations or charts or maps. It’s primarily fiction or the kind of non-fiction that doesn’t require diagrams.

And one of the reasons I initially bought a Kindle was because packing enough paperbacks for a holiday sent my luggage over the airline’s weight allowance. And also, I think if you’re someone like me who reads a very wide range of genres and styles, one thing that annoys me is having several books in my bag and thinking “None of these are what I’m in the mood to read now.” A Kindle solves that problem.

I still read plenty of paperbacks - I just counted the stacks by my bed of the ones I’ve bought recently and am working through and they consist of over 100 - but I also adore my Kindle for travel, commuting and having access to literally thousands of books at my fingertips. Also means I can read in bed without having a light on and keeping my other half awake.

I probably charge a Kindle once a week, which given I charge my phone every night, isn’t something I find inconvenient at all.

It’s quite a different visual experience though - I have the Kindle app on my phone and iPad for emergencies, which is handy, but no good for reading in direct sunlight and also reading on a backlit screen is a lot less like reading on paper. A Kindle e-reader (as opposed to an Amazon Fire tablet, which is very different) has a different type of screen that’s non-reflective, front lit rather than backlit, and mimics the effect of reading on paper in any light conditions.

Kindle, absolutely. It's light, you can read it in the sun, you can read it in bed without the light on (and lying in weird positions), you can put as many books on as you like, and add more while you're away. What's not to like? (Apart from, as someone said, diagrams and pictures aren't always great, plus you don't actually own the books you buy from Amazon, and they can decide to stop supporting your kindle in the future. Oh yes, there's that as well, funding Amazon....)

I love my Kindle. I read every day and I’m a fast reader so when we are travelling I would struggle to carry enough books to keep me happy. I’ve got hundreds of books on my Kindle and so I have plenty of choices to re-read as well as access to new books whenever I want them and wherever I happen to be. Easy on the eyes, can be read in bright sunlight or in the dark thanks to the backlight. I’ve got small hands and have had problems on and off with a frozen shoulder. The Kindle is much easier and more comfortable to hold than a 400 page novel.

I still buy hard copy books and I can’t understand why some people view it as a choice between the 2. Kindle isn’t great for illustrations and diagrams, although the app on a tablet does do that better. There are always going to be certain books that you will want to have as physical books. After all what could be nicer than the smell of a new book?

There is a lovely website called Faded Page where you can download original editions of older books and send them to your Kindle for free if you fancy.

Most council libraries have an e book service (Libby) and it's really good for holidays. Easy to read on your phone, wide variety of genres, there's all sorts of magazines, too.
It's free.

Long term it isn’t an either or situation. Sometimes you get free or 99p kindle books so you snap them up cough over 600 kindle books on mine and sometimes you see a stunning Sprayed Edge you need to buy because it’s so pretty.

cost per use my kindle is the cheapest thing I own.

Get a kobo, then you can borrow library books for free
though I have a kindle for holidays and only buy 99p books when I see some I like.