TO buy a kindle or not to buy a kindle?

[ATruthFestivelyAcknowledged]

Disclaimer: (No doubt this has been done before, please feel free to direct me to previous threads if you know where they are )

I'm a book lover. As in, I love the books themselves as well as the contents. Our house is stuffed full of books. Our biggest challenge after moving was finding enough bookshelves. Because of this I always swore I'd never get a Kindle.

However (there was always going to be a 'however' wasn't there?!) my mum and best friend (who always felt as strongly as me about kindles) have both been given them as gifts over the last six months or so and they both now LOVE them. I've got some Christmas money burning a whole in my pocket and my hand is hovering dangerously close to the 'add to basket' button on Amazon.

So... should I do it? Why? And if I do it, which one should I get?

How do the 'touch' ones work? I've read reviews that suggest it's hard to work the controller to type anything. If that's the case, can I buy books on my computer and transfer them to my kindle? How?

What else do I need to know?

Thank you.

Ive got one and love it but still borrow books from my local library for me and my children

I love mine, more than I thought I would. It is so light and portable.

I love all the free books too through Project Gutenberg (think that is what it is called)

I would get a lighted cover or a clip on light designed for a Kindle - mine is a book light and keeps dropping off but will keep until it needs replacing. Go for it!

Gad, this is me. I really really want a Kindle, but may hold on for the touch screen version which I gather is coming out (fairly?) soon???

Do they come with any form of cover or slip, or is that a separate purchase. if so, is a cover absolutely essential (just thinking of my budget that is all). There don't seem to be any "cheap" bog standard covers/cases?

And, sorry, am complete kindle novice, how do you get a light for them? My Dad has a very flash amazing case which incorporates a light, but no way can I afford one of those, so is there another way?

TIA (sorry for twenty questions!)

Living in a small flat I have fallen out of love with physical books - dusty, heavy, take up so much space etc. Of course I still love books - but I don't have the space for them.

LOVE my kindle for space saving reasons and more. And I've just downloaded the kindle ap to my iphone too - so no need to carry kindle on short tube journey - but I can read my book on iphone for 10 minutes. And guess what - it opens on the last page I read on my kindle last night as it's all synched up. Superb, and a little bit 'magic'.

Loving the amazon Kindle daily deals too - a £1 book offered every day.

And I want to start on Dickens (from the beginning) soon.

HipHop - I have the iphone app, but not the kindle (yet!). Seriously seriously tempted to get one and pay it off £20 a week for the next several weeks. Just concerned that by the time I add a decent cover and a light etc, that I'll actually end up spending waaaaay more!

yes the cover/light combo is expensive - DP kindly brought one for me for my birthday. I use the light every night so it's been well worth it in my case. I wouldn't carry it around with me without a proper case. There are cheaper cases etc on ebay.

It is amazing how they synch up - so clever! I hope you can find a way to get one AB!

Also v.reasonably priced covers on Amazon,worth a look. Kindle brilliant for these cold nights,you can read in bed all tucked up with just one hand out of the duvet!

Definitely, definitely, definitely! I too got mine for Christmas and now wouldn't be without it. I will always love "real" books but the Kindle is so portable and the selection of books is so wide. Am really enjoying exploring new authors cheaply. It lives in my handbag or car half the time so I can snatch a read when I'm waiting around at sports practise etc. Usually download on PC because it's easier frankly but I've got the basic one without the keyboard and it's O.K. to use if you're not near the PC and want to download something. Do it!

I have got a kindle but the kindle versions of books are more expensive than paperback at the moment so ive been buying paperbacks

The keyboard kindle doesnt just have a keyboard, it also has free 3G. Thats really important for us as we dont have wifi at home (walls are stone and very thick) and I dont want to have to plug into my computer every time I want a book.

It's also meant that, as most places we've been on hols have 3G but not necessarily wifi, I can download wherever and whenever I want, rather than having to either connect to a PC or find wifi.

I really wouldn't bother. My friends and I swap books, and I can't do that on the kindle. I can't see any advantages to reading a book on a kindle at all. And I would hate it if other bookshops went the way of Borders, which is what will inevitably happen.

One advantage is the weight of it when going on holiday. I can take loads with me and they weigh nothing. Also, if you run out of books, you can download whatever you want, whenever you want.

Still love 'real' books though

I want to love mine but I dont. Ive used it maybe three times since I was given it in sept. I may try it again soon. I do get disheartened by how much anything I seem to want to download still is.

I have been thinking of getting one mainly due to love of reading but lack of space. Some of my children's friends have them and I am told they are reading more than ever before - I think this is a good thing, they are reading more, but yet another electronic device, the way of the world. However just wanted to know once you buy a book can you download to more than one device ? So on itunes, once you buy you can download to iphone, ipod, ipad etc. but is it the same for a Kindle ebook ?

Just thinking ahead if kids get for birthdays / xmas, can they read the same books or do you have to buy them twice ?

As long as you attach them a to the same amazon account you only pay for them once. You can rename the kindle within the account so that each person's has the correct name on it iyswim, but they all belong to the master account.

I also read about a system where you can "rent" books as well but I can't remember what it was, need to find out.

Thanks for that somethingscary, will google that renting option.