Kindle - yes or no?

[chocoholicwifey]

I've been debating getting one for myself for far too long, I love reading but I'm not sure if a kindle would be the same for me as turning the pages of a book. But the book prices seem cheaper and I think a lot of people own them. Honestly would you recommend?

Yes! I have three. Two are full. They're so much lighter and easier to carry and take on holiday and (if you Google how) you can get many books for free. Not just the Amazon ones Love them. Slip in my pocket and I have 300 books right with me whenever I need them

Lifelong bibliophile, never thought I would convert until I started travelling a significant amount, now I can hardly bear to be out of the same room as mine.

So many books at your fingertips! You can read so many at once! No delivery time! Often cheaper, which only means more books! Read in the dark when your partner is asleep, or outside in bright light, or outside under the stars!

I now find it strange to read a physical book, which ten years ago I would have properly scoffed at. Yes, I'm a fan

Definitely get one! You can join your library and get free e-books. I was spending so much money on books and now I borrow most of them.

I love mine. Easier to hold in bed. Easier to slip into my handbag. More than one book. Backlight. I do still read some books in physical format but prefer kindle

I'm on my 4th. I hate clutter and books are clutter so I can't recommend highly enough. The paperwhite I have, has a background light system that doesn't disturb others if you read in bed and helps you nod off.

Yes - it's NOT the same, but you can take one on holiday with access to hundreds of books, plus there are real bargains to be had. And you can read it in the dark.

I recommend the paperwhite.

The only negative for me is I read quite fast, so the battery only lasts for about five hours of solid reading, so I have to be careful on a long journey.

I live mine. Its not the same as a real book, but definitely cheaper. I'm running out of bookshelf space, or at least until I buy another bookshelf, but the kindle solves the problem for a little while.

Backlight. Amazing.
Bored of what you're reading? Buy something mething else in 30 seconds.
Hundreds of books in your bag.
Only downside is not being able to lend them on.

My anti-kindle friends go on about 'the feel of a book' but that's bollocks - who really gets joy wrestling a hardback with a bendy booklight in bed?

I love mine....would never have bought my own...but was gifted one from my work colleagues whilst on sick leave....best present ever

Not the same as a real book, but great for taking away, train and plane, reading in bed. I get free books with Amazon prime. Didn’t know about borrowing from local libraries, will look into that one!

I love mine and have found it very durable, standing up to lots of travel, and a little more drops and bumps than I care to admit! There are ways to get many books for free which is useful, although I have the book subscription which isn't expensive and gives you a great selection. I would go for the paper white rather than the Kindle Fire models.

No. Absolutely not. Bloody awful things!

Yes - how great you have this to look forward to - I still love books as much - actually - more I'd say - definitely. It's definitely not an either-or decision - you can carry your own body weight around in books in something weighing about the same as a big apple - maybe a grapefruit if you add in the weight of a case. I still love to spend time mulching around second hand books shops and buy just as many as I ever did.

Look for the 99p daily deals - I buy 99% non-fiction so you don't get that many non-fiction books but I pick up cook books, a bit of poetry, pop science, pop psychology (a shame as so many in this last category are by US authors and in general I am less impressed with them).

They are lightweight - the battery life is incredible - the screen in incredibly good - a very good reading experience IMHO - the backlight means you can read in bed without othering your partner by having a sidelight on. You never loose you page! Even when you skip from one book to another when you come back the kindle knows where you were. You can touch a word to look up a definition.

There are so many places where a Kindle is so useful - cafe's, waiting at the doctors, dentist, train station or you can sling it in your bag/backpack on a walk/bike ride - on an air plane where weight and space are often at a premium - I love my kindle - it's full all the time (I have to unload books to make space for new ones) - if it broke I'd buy another the same day but look for a model with more memory. I have a Paperwhite 2 but I bought it in 2013 when they were new and it only has 2Gb of memory - by 2014 they were all fitted with 4Gb.

I have a kindle but if I was you I’d go for an iPad with the kindle app instead. All the pros of a kindle (cheaper books, can carry all your books at once anywhere you go) but you can also use it for other things. My kindle doesn’t allow me to use my library app or anything which is annoying because it means I end up using that on my phone.

I will agree that the battery life is fantastic though! But most of the kindle unlimited books and really good deals aren’t my sort of thing. They aren’t the books I read at all.

I love real books but also enjoy my kindle. The kindle is very lightweight so is easier to hold, I like being able to get the text size just as I like it too!

I would never just have one format or another, but enjoy getting various books for 99p.

The new paper white is just about to come out...so either wait for that or an offer on the existing Paperwhite. Black Friday is worth waiting for for an Amazon device.

The only negative for me is I read quite fast, so the battery only lasts for about five hours of solid reading, so I have to be careful on a long journey.

I had the same problem, Ellmau, though I see other posters do not.

I read somewhere that keeping the setting on Aeroplane Mode, even if you are not flying, helps a lot, and it does seem to. You have to turn it back on when buying a new book.,

You could download the free Kindle app onto your phone or tablet and try reading a few books on it.

I'm a lifelong book-lover and ex-librarian and I love my Kindle, maybe even more than actual books.

I love mine. I hate clutter so always had to find a way to get rid of books once I’d read them. My kindle is so light so I can just slip it into my handbag. Plus on a 10 day holiday I can read up to 10 books and my luggage is always overweight even without carting that many books around with me.

Mine is an old Paperwhite and the backlight and ajustable print size are great if your eyesight is a bit dodgy. I bought copies of my favourite books as they are much easier to read on Kindle.
I always thought I would prefer books, but the Kindle is much easier to wrestle with. I did drop it in the bath once, but it dried out OK.
I also have the Kindle app on all my devices. There are tons of 99p books on Amazon, I am never short of something to read.

Never wanted one, but got one and couldn't live without it now. 100% get one!

Yes. Absolutely. I was "against" them and now wouldn't be without mine.

But don't get a Fire. Get a Paperwhite.

I love my kindle an am now on my second one. OH is very traditional and has shelves full of books. My eyesight is too poor now to see small print in books so being able to adjust the font size on a kindle is great for me. Plus as PPs have said, it really comes into its own on holiday.

I have an old model of kindle I've had for years and it's still going strong! Like a PP has said I like my Kindle and real books too!

What everyone else says! I really like mine too. The only thing I find is that if I've read a book on my kindle, I always have trouble remembering the title! If I've got the cover staring at me from the table or wherever, then it's imprinted on my mind. Clearly I have a very visual memory!

Tiny thing, but does irritate me.

I have the kindle app on my phone. If I'm without the kindle itself, I can still dip into my book and it syncs between the two. Clever!