get a kindle - yes or no?

[Changedusernameforthis2]

I've always held off getting a kindle - as I have always been a real book person- but recently I've found a number of American magazines that are expensive to ship but much cheaper on a kindle version- if you have a kindle, what do you think of it?

No. I was gifted one and it has remained in its packaging ever since.

Couple of month ago tried to sell it at an independent pawnbrokers for cash but they didn’t want to know so I’m a bit cautious.

Any particular reason you haven't even given it a try? Presumably you like to read if someone gave it to you as a gift.

I bought a kindle when they first came out and never looked back I love it , all my favourite books in one place without them cluttering up my house .

Yes I don’t know what I would do without mine. It’s slim and light for your bag and also you have a record of everything in case someone asks for a recommendation. And you can read in tandem on your iPad or phone

We got a kindle last year and the actual piece of tech is dreadful. So clunky and slow to navigate between books that I can’t bear to use it.

However, the kindle app on my phone is much better. I’ve read quite a few books on it now.

Did you get a new Kindle? Because I've had Kindles for a long time. (15 years or more?) and they did used to be clunky. I got a new one last year and it's super fast to navigate.

Lots of people saying use your phone or iPad with kindle app. On holiday that would be absolutely pointless for the same reason I can’t use my Libby app on the iPad outdoors. In bright sunlight it’s unreadable. The kindle has a paperwhite screen which retains high definition at any lighting level, just as good as a real book by the pool. Plus I can actually take clothes now I don’t need 20 paperbacks in my suitcase 🤣

If you wanted to try one @Changedusernameforthis2, how about going to CEX? I bought a used one there for my DP about 4 or 5 years ago. I've just had a look and you can get a paperwhite in mint condition for £70, or an older basic one for as little as £30. They usually give a 2 year guarantee on electronics - DP's is still going strong. It would be a cheap way to decide if you like it before investing in a new one, and if you did, Amazon usually give a discount if you send in an old kindle.

I absolutely LOVE my Kindle. I read a lot and I travel a fair bit and having hundreds of books at my disposal wherever I am is an absolutely game-changer for me. DP also has a Kindle and reads far, far more than he used to before he got it, just because it's so much easier for him to carry everywhere and it's also much easier to read from while standing up on public transport. Plus it's really useful for both of us to be able to adjust the font size and so on, and to read in the dark without disturbing each other etc.

However, I probably wouldn't get a Kindle to read magazines, or anything with pictures, so if that's the main thing you think you'll use it for, you'd be better off downloading to a tablet instead, as a few PPs have suggested.

That's the one thing that keeps me buying books rather than using Borrow Box all the time. It must be so hard to see poor sales of something you have invested so much time and emotional energy in.

I love my kindle (especially with my 51 year old eyesight, so easy to read). I was very against it as I love the feel of a book. However I was converted when i was given one. I can read at night easily, in the sun. On hols I can just download a new book when I need. I can make the font as large as I need to read comfortably.

It also much easier on the eyes than a phone or tablet screen, especially at night. There is no harsh glare or light and the creen is matt.

My first one was 7 years old, I got a new one last Christmas

would not be buying a kindle now.

have a watch of this why. Explains it much better than I am about to.

Amazon decided they can edit books after they have been bought on kindle. WTF.

And since with kindle you don't own the book, and with a recent change cannot download the pdf file of the book you have bought, it leaves your entire "bookcase" open to someone deciding what you may or may not keep in there.

Whether or not you agree with books being edited after the author has died or to move with the times etc, they cannot be allowed to reach into peoples libraries and mess about with what they already purchased. (I don't use the word "own" deliberately)

If organisations came to your house, inspected your bookcases of books you had already bought and ripped out pages they didn't like or crossed out words/passages they didn't think you should read, we would lose our collective minds!

And at one point they "lost" 1984 from the library 😂😂 of all the books in all the world... that one

I wish I liked mine but I hated it.
I was so excited about it but I just couldn’t get over the feeling of holding a screen and missing the smell and feel of a book. I didn’t get past a week…
also on the tube I found I would somehow end up skipping pages when I’d be moving around if I was holding it one handed and it’s way harder to find your place on the kindle than it is to guess when you lose your page of a book!

It’s nil point for me. I pack less clothes and toiletries for a holiday than the average person probably, as I would rather fit books in!

I bought a kindle for books. Ended up giving it to the kids. Can’t beat a proper book imo! 📚

Try putting the kindle onto dark screen, made a huge difference to me, same with Mumsnet dark mode is much better.

Apparently, I have 867 books on mine. Get a kindle, this is my 3rd, I’ve had one since they came out. Usually lots of deals available. I’ll add interesting books to my wish list and wait until they drop right down in price.

Love my Kindle paperwhite. Would never go back to paperbacks

I love my kindle. Got my first one for my 50th now on my second. It was great when my eyesight deteriorated recently and I could make the font bigger.

OH loves his real books but it's so much easier to have loads of books on something that fits in your handbag rather than filling half your suitcase with books.

I had a Kindle years ago, now I use the Kindle app on my phone/tablet/laptop. The app is available on Play Store or Apple so I genuinely don't understand why you would need a separate device for this now? Unless I'm just being completely thick?

A lot of people are moving away from kindle now, they have also recently changed a number of policies which deeply effective authors.

Kobo might be a more ethical choice.

100%
absolutely love mine, best purchase in years

I had a Kindle and when it stopped charging I got the App on my IPad mini (which is about paperback sized). Suits me for reading in bed and travel. Not great for outside but I do also read paper books.
I’m increasingly going back to paper books as I find them easier to flick back if I’ve forgotten something, and for some reason they stay in my mind longer. Maybe because they are more tangible.

I also have BorrowBox on my iPad.

Get a kindle. Love mine. You can take War and Peace on holiday.

Maybe because a kindle is most similar to a book size and weight wise, and they also have very reader-friendly screen. Fewer distractions. Long battery life.

i do miss mine, but not enough to replace it