What do we think of Kindles?

[Tinytoez]

im just curious really.
For no particular reason I decided to download a Kindle app onto my phone and pc, and started reading some of the freebie books, then it was mentioned there was a book on here I should read so I downloaded it before I forgot about it and it was there instantly for £3.99, Ive been reading it on my phone and its a real pain because I have a touchscreen phone with a keyboard and the pages seem to turn by themselves.
Yesterday out of curiousity and because Ive been stuck home with this chest infection and was trying to stop my brain turning to jelly, I started searching to see what was the cheapest one I could find, and after about 3 hours I found one for £50 on Gumtree, with the case and the charger, its second hand but hardly used, Im really impressed with myself because it was £40 cheaper then the one without the keyboard, let alone that one that has got it, which Im getting.
I had been thinking about what I could do to occupy myself for the 2 hours wait at the hospital for my GTT and I had also promised myself I would start reading the books everyone should have read like Charles Dickens etc, because Ive never read them, I liked reading in the kindle format, but not so much on my phone.
Ive also decided it will be good for the times I have to wait over an hour to see someone at the GP surgery.

What do you lot think of them?

 

[borofergie]

I have an iPad and a Kindle. For a long while I couldn't get on with reading books on them, until I found the "highlight" and "note" functionality, that lets me flag up the best bits for future reference (and so that I can throw them about in arguments on this forum).

I love books. I miss bookshops, but the ability to get your "hands" on a book instantly, is a great thing.

 

[catza]

I love real books, but when it comes down to having to choose between the two I love my Kindle more. I think I have downloaded every free book on the net and store them on a programme called Calibre which keeps them safe for when I want to transfer a selection over to the Kindle. I have bought a few ...well as long as my OH isn't listening in I will admit to quite a lot

.... and on the whole don't miss not having the paper versions.

Hospital and GP waiting rooms are no longer a boring place to be and if I am in the middle of a good book I have to force myself to listen out for my name being called.

If you want to read the classics then Amazon usually has a good selection and it's worth going back once a month as they seem to add new free books monthly. I have recently downloaded the Alice series and am looking forward to revisiting my childhood.

 

[starlight1]

i love my kindle, i can take it any where and when i want a new book it only takes seconds to download.

 

[didie]

I love my Kindle. I have 2 now because I thought number one was dead and had to order another one because I can't be without one. Then I discovered how to get number one working again, so I have a back-up one. I like Kindles with a keyboard because I can't be doing with touch screens.

I use Calibre to convert pdf books and upload them to my Kindle.

I think I have about 1000 books on them.

You can make collections to sort your books which is useful. I have collections by genres and authors and also favourites, read and unread.

If I read a book that I really love, then I will buy it in print edition.

I really miss Borders. I used to love the smell of the shop. I never liked Waterstones at all. Now I just buy books for my Kindle and buy the print editions from there as well.

 

[borofergie]

I really miss Borders. I used to love the smell of the shop. I never liked Waterstones at all. Now I just buy books for my Kindle and buy the print editions from there as well.

Yes! Me too. For me payday used to involve a trip to Borders, coming home with an armful of books that I'd never thought about before I walked in the door. There was something very eclectic about their stock. I pass what used to be the Brent Cross Borders every day on the way to work, and it still makes me sad. If there was a Waterstones in my back garden I wouldn't shop there.

 

[Tinytoez]

I wanted a touch screen to begin with, then decided that my phone was annoying enough and life would be so much easier with a simple little button.

 

[Tinytoez]

My mum loves real books, she is always reading one, she gets them from the local charity shops for 50p each then takes them back again when shes finished, for her its all about being cheap, so I dont think she would like a Kindle, also I guess she does her bit for the charity shops too.
I like real books but I have a nasty habit of literally loosing the book Im half way through and never finding them again.

 

[didie]

I used to drive almost 30 miles to Borders and it was always a real treat.

My mum who is 82 was the first in our family to get a Kindle. She loves her ipad as well. My daughter and husband refuse to have Kindles.

http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=ed0 ... 417011a963

This is a great link. You can subscribe and get a daily email which tells you about which books are free on Amazon.

 

[Tinytoez]

Im thinking we need a book club, or a list of recommended reads now.
I tried downloading Calibre and it went funny, will have another go when Kindle arrives.
That link will be helpful

Taaaaaa xx

 

[catza]

Thanks for the link didie, there is a similar idea again with Amazon. You get 'one day special offers@ for 99p. There's a link on the right handside at the top to sign up to the email alert, so it tells you what it is every day

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature...._rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=270713247&pf_rd_i=341689031

 

[chris lowe]

I had a Kindle for Christmas. I give myself a rule that I won't pay more than £3.99 for a book as I'm not getting a paper copy (if you see what I mean). I also find that a lot of books that have photo's or drawings in, then you don't get the pictures. I recently read a Jack the Ripper book that when I looked at it in Waterstones there were a few photo's in it that were not with the kindle edition. You can sign up on Amazon to get an e-mail notification of the daily deals, and most of the classics are free. I have the wireless kindle as I didn't see the need for a more expensive 3G version.

I have re-read some of the books I read when younger - Wuthering Heights, Woman in White, Moonstone, Jane Eyre - all free and you can also get things like complete Sherlock Holmes stories.

My recent reading has included Life of Pi, Dream of Ding Village, The Red Queen and Taken which is by Jackie Rose (I think) and wouldn't recommend unless you like lots of foul language, unlikeable characters and unlikely plots so only read about 30% of it before I deleted. The only downside I can think of with a kindle is that you can't lend a book you've enjoyed to a friend. I'm not sure if there is way to do this or not.

 

[mish1953]

Free Books .. try http://www.gutenberg.org/ over 39000 free e-books, all older books out of copyright or if you are a science fiction fan try http://www.baen.com/library/ some are free and some you pay for , lots of new authors in here .
I don't have an e-reader yet , I use my lap top , but I have been having a look around , I may go for a KOBO as they seem a wee bit more flexible than a kindle and Asda direct http://direct.asda.com/Tablets-and-eBooks/480,default,sc.html?srule=price_asc&fix&showHits are doing a wireless Kobo for £49 . Kobo site is here http://www.kobobooks.com/ereaders .

I hope this helps
Hamish - Ipswich

 

[Cowboyjim]

Love mine.... use it all the time especially for us types with the degrading vision.. adjustable font and I got a LED light and case... snag is there are no books on it when you buy one... durh. Great for downloading samples off Amazon directly and they have a chart of freebies tho most are ****.

 

[cteld]

I don't have a Kindle, but a family member does and LOVES it. She carries it everywhere and it has allowed her to thin out her bulging hard copy book collection, which has created some much-needed shelf space. I don't know how they are in the UK, but the large sized Kindle here is not backlit. This makes for a more book-like and less computer-like reading experience, so I'm told.

I have some children's books listed in the Kindle bookstore and one science fiction short story. They haven't been reviewed yet. I sometimes offer them for free in hopes that someone leaves a review - positive or negative, I don't care; I merely have a writer's insatiable craving for attention. I'm crestfallen when nobody ever does. But I assumed people just read and forgot them instantly. Now, reading this thread, I think I'm getting a clue - people download free books and keep them available in a library but don't necessarily read them. Makes all too much sense. I'd do it myself, alas, if I had a Kindle or any compatible equipment.

I do believe ebooks are where we're headed. It's sad for what we're losing but encouraging in the sense that information and entertainment bottlenecks are disappearing. The publishing industry has been stagnating for almost forty years even while it's commandeered creativity, becoming less and less willing to take financial risks on the young, the new, the unproven. Now with self-publishing venues, we're seeing for the first time since the Golden Age of fiction indie writers getting a chance. And while most of them are ****, there are a few stars - just like in the Golden Age! (Did you know that back in the day, Robert Heinlein bought a car and paid off his house with his SHORT STORY earnings? It was a living. The publishing industry has not been able to offer that kind of living to the bulk of its creators for decades. This is a product of the extreme expense of supplies and distribution of print materials - a dilemma that does not exist with electronic publishing.)

So anyway, what I'm saying in my long-winded way is that there is a huge variety of material available on Kindle and nowhere else - not just mainstream material, but the new, the different, and the trendy. Also on Smashwords and other online ebook publishing venues. And again, much is **** but not in any ratio much different from traditional publishing. :|

 

[SueR]

Love my Kindle and wouldn't be without it. I opted for the 3G version and bought it from Tesco, so got the points too.

I find it so much easier using the Kindle than carrying several books around. Going away used to be a nightmare because I could never decide which books to take. Now I can carry up to 3,00 books around in my bag - not that it's full to capacity yet ! I find that the books are cheaper. I do download the free books, but as yet, haven't read any of them, because I still have several by my favourite authors still to read. Reading is my main hobby, so I do spend money on e books.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

I bought my wife a Kindle last year for her birthday and she loves it, she reads a lot and never thought that she would like an ebook reader but as soon as she used it the first time she was a convert.

I dont read much, maybe two or three books a year tops unless I get a passion for something as I did for diabetes books after diagnosis, so a Kindle would not be much use to me, I do have a Kindle program that I downloaded that allows me to read Kindle files/books on my PC/Laptop though.

 

[375lindyloo]

Brilliant! Was in two minds about getting one but am really impressed! I got the wi fi 3G version so when I am away from home I can still buy a new book if required.

 

[viv1969]

I LOVE my Kindle.
I have discovered some fab authors through downloading free books, and I know I wouldn't have found them any other way.
I really would recommend Kindle to anyone.

 

[catza]

Brilliant! Was in two minds about getting one but am really impressed! I got the wi fi 3G version so when I am away from home I can still buy a new book if required.

The bonus with the 3G version is that you can surf the net. With Google maps I have used mine to navigate when I found my self in an area I didn't know and, when my laptop died, the kindle enabled me to visit my forums and even keep an eye on a couple of eBay auctions. I admit that it is a tad clunky for surfing but it does the job when needed.