Do you own a Kindle?

[April20]

Date: 11/24/2009 4:56:46 PM
Author: Haven

Date: 11/24/2009 2:25:18 PM
Author: HollyS
What?! And not be able to breathe in the irresistible aroma of new books????

Sacrilege.

AMEN!

First, we start paying for bottled water.
Then, we start paying $3 a cup for coffee. COFFEE! The beverage that used to be free in break rooms all over America.
Now, we start paying for books?!

No, thank you. I''m a big fan of libraries, and when I really love a book, my local used book store. And when I really REALLY love a book, I need to write all over it and give it to my friends so they can write all over it and give it back to me so I can read what they wrote and respond. And then give it to someone else.

My husband always jokes that I can''t read something without a pen in hand. I''d ruin the Kindle after reading one book--is it easy to clean ink off the screen?

You can highlight and make notes in the margin. It''s one of its functions!

Seriously- I am all about libraries and used book stores, but that all stopped when I started flying 2-4 days a week. I just can''t carry the books around anymore and the Kindle is the PERFECT solution. I still read my library books at home.

 

[wsu12]

Thanks for the feedback Ladies...Conceptually I love the idea, financially I am not sure that it makes sense for me right now. At present 99.9% of the books I read I check out from the Library, my local library delivers the books I place on my "queue" via a courier service to my doorstep for FREE.

Nevertheless, Santa if you are reading this...I''ll happily take a Kindle

.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I am a library girl. I feel like I have won the lottery when I go and pick up a bunch of books I wanted to read-for free! Plus then I don''t have to store them! That said,
I love to read on vacation and hate to cart a bunch of books with me. We were going to buy a Kindle until we started looking at Barnes and Nobles Nook. I think we are
going to buy one of those. Hubby carts a lot of books with him to work so he will use it and save his back. It sounds like a great idea.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 11/24/2009 11:46:03 PM
Author: fsu1227
Thanks for the feedback Ladies...Conceptually I love the idea, financially I am not sure that it makes sense for me right now. At present 99.9% of the books I read I check out from the Library, my local library delivers the books I place on my ''queue'' via a courier service to my doorstep for FREE.


Nevertheless, Santa if you are reading this...I''ll happily take a Kindle

.

Really?! That''s a great service to provide. I wish our library did that -- it makes sense, especially for those who may not be able to go to the library for whatever reason.

 

[wsu12]

Date: 11/26/2009 9:08:31 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett

Date: 11/24/2009 11:46:03 PM

Author: fsu1227

Thanks for the feedback Ladies...Conceptually I love the idea, financially I am not sure that it makes sense for me right now. At present 99.9% of the books I read I check out from the Library, my local library delivers the books I place on my ''queue'' via a courier service to my doorstep for FREE.



Nevertheless, Santa if you are reading this...I''ll happily take a Kindle

.

Really?! That''s a great service to provide. I wish our library did that -- it makes sense, especially for those who may not be able to go to the library for whatever reason.

It is pretty amazing. It is a service provided to everyone with a library card within the county..I do not have a disability or special reason for qualifying. All I do is ensure they make it back in the library book drop by their due dates. Good stuff.

 

[April20]

Date: 11/26/2009 10:34:41 PM
Author: fsu1227

Date: 11/26/2009 9:08:31 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett

Date: 11/24/2009 11:46:03 PM

Author: fsu1227

Thanks for the feedback Ladies...Conceptually I love the idea, financially I am not sure that it makes sense for me right now. At present 99.9% of the books I read I check out from the Library, my local library delivers the books I place on my ''queue'' via a courier service to my doorstep for FREE.



Nevertheless, Santa if you are reading this...I''ll happily take a Kindle

.

Really?! That''s a great service to provide. I wish our library did that -- it makes sense, especially for those who may not be able to go to the library for whatever reason.

It is pretty amazing. It is a service provided to everyone with a library card within the county..I do not have a disability or special reason for qualifying. All I do is ensure they make it back in the library book drop by their due dates. Good stuff.

I''m totally jealous that your library delivers you books. I would LOVE that. It''s all i can do to make it to the library before my hold expire!

Back on the subject of Kindles- I think they''re great when you travel frequently and carrying your books around with you isn''t practical. If you mostly read at home or are carrying one book around with you to kill time while you''re waiting, etc, the Kindle probably doesn''t make sense.

 

[HappyAnniversary]

Now that I''ve had my Kindle for 6 months old I really prefer reading on it. I don''t have to shift the book as I move from left to right page to have the light hit at the right angle, I don''t have to pull the pages of a thick paperback apart to read down deep into the spine of the book, It is always light, it is more comfortable to read one-handed, I get free books all the time. I can take 100 books with me where ever I go. For example, went to wait for my car at dealership and was planning to read book A, but it was noisier than usual and I switched to BookB which took less mental effort, didn''t get lost in the plot when I was interrupted. Best of all is the ability to change the FONT SIZE, and you might need to be over 40 to understand the immense implications of that neat trick! I was at the airport and saw a book I wanted and bought it and had it delivered via the magic of the whispernet in a a few minutes!

When the price goes down it will be more affordable and therefore a viable option if you are considering it from an economic point of view, but for me, especially not having to strain to read, it is a miracle and I am back to reading a lot --like I used to do.

 

[ndpwood]

We own a Kindle and unfortunately we never use it. My husband got it, but he''s the tech guy who doesn''t read much, and I am the old school girl who reads a lot! If you''re reading novels and not non-fiction, they are great. But if you''re reading non-fiction with facts that you''d like to revisit, I''d recommend regular books. Good luck!

 

[TravelingGal]

OOh, my friends just gave me one for my birthday. I am so excited to try out the Kindle. I used to love to read, but haven''t in awhile. I don''t even know where to start in terms of books. Whee!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 12/10/2009 8:53:35 PM
Author: TravelingGal
OOh, my friends just gave me one for my birthday. I am so excited to try out the Kindle. I used to love to read, but haven''t in awhile. I don''t even know where to start in terms of books. Whee!

Tgal, Amazon usually has about 5 books a week for free (free only during that week) - fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, etc. that are fairly new. Also, Amazon has a lot of older books that are now in the public domain for free too (though sometimes the formatting isn''t the best). And I love using the samples feature to preview a chapter or two. Have fun!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/11/2009 12:50:27 AM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

Date: 12/10/2009 8:53:35 PM
Author: TravelingGal
OOh, my friends just gave me one for my birthday. I am so excited to try out the Kindle. I used to love to read, but haven''t in awhile. I don''t even know where to start in terms of books. Whee!

Tgal, Amazon usually has about 5 books a week for free (free only during that week) - fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, etc. that are fairly new. Also, Amazon has a lot of older books that are now in the public domain for free too (though sometimes the formatting isn''t the best). And I love using the samples feature to preview a chapter or two. Have fun!

Thanks BEG! I typed in free book of the week and got all sorts of free book listings. Am I missing the correct link though? There were certainly more than 5...

 

[TravelingGal]

FYI, scathing review on NYT for the nook. I guess I am happy I got the Kindle2!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/technology/personaltech/10pogue.html?_r=1&8dpc

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 12/11/2009 2:58:42 AM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 12/11/2009 12:50:27 AM

Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

Date: 12/10/2009 8:53:35 PM

Author: TravelingGal

OOh, my friends just gave me one for my birthday. I am so excited to try out the Kindle. I used to love to read, but haven't in awhile. I don't even know where to start in terms of books. Whee!

Tgal, Amazon usually has about 5 books a week for free (free only during that week) - fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, etc. that are fairly new. Also, Amazon has a lot of older books that are now in the public domain for free too (though sometimes the formatting isn't the best). And I love using the samples feature to preview a chapter or two. Have fun!

Thanks BEG! I typed in free book of the week and got all sorts of free book listings. Am I missing the correct link though? There were certainly more than 5...

I'm sure there are more - especially the older books! And if you go to Project Gutenberg, they have all of their books in the Kindle format, I believe. I've downloaded a bunch that way (though Proj. Gutenberg requires a USB to move to the Kindle). I have to say, having the Kindle makes me buy so many books....!

ETA: Thanks for posting the Nook review! I was getting some tech envy for a while (the Nook looked so cool!). Glad I have the Kindle instead

 

[geckodani]

Date: 11/23/2009 11:48:07 PM
Author: MC
I don't even know or want to know what a Kindle is. I LOVE books. The crisp paper, the yummy booky smell, and the freshly read pages that result in turned down corners when I finish up a chapter and fall into bed asleep.

I'm old fashion. One of those characters in a sci-fi novel who'll be hunted down for not giving in to modern technology.

Yup.

Me too.

That said.... I'm on the fence. I really am. I ADORE books. Adore them. Love them. Love the smell of paper, and the very tactile experience of reading. Read like a crazy person. Always have a book going.

That said.... I have so many. I mean. SO MANY BOOKS. Having them all in one place.... that could be heaven. But I hate reading on a screen.

Oy.

Maybe when they are cheaper.

For now I will enjoy my paper smell!!!

ETA: T Gal! Yay for you! How do you like it?

ETAA: I am so glad I am not the only one that likes the way books smell...

 

[TravelingGal]

Geckodani, I really really like it! I have read one book so far and totally get lost in it. The flash of the page turn doesn''t bother me at all (I thought it would). I love that it''s lighter than a book and doesn''t give me that handcramp from holding it. I was in my favorite large chair and sitting sort of sideways, and liked that I could prop the kindle up and just click to turn. Very easy to read.

Using the kindle seemed very intuitive to me. The wireless is awesome...and like crack! So much to download for grins and giggles! I''m already an Amazon wh*re, so this is another excuse to be on Amazon. It''s such instant gratification, it''s really quite scary.

However, since I am under the 30 day eval window, I felt it was only prudent to go check out the nook, so I went to B&N today and played with it for some time.

My conclusion, no way, no Nook, no how. It''s awful as it stands right now. I think it could be a worthy competitor but the thing is horrendously sluggish. I would be pissed off to spend that money right now only to get a machine that worked like THAT. The page flashes are 2-3 times as slow as the kindle (which prevented me from really getting lost in it). I didn''t find it as intuitive as the Kindle to use, although it didn''t take me too much longer to figure out. The menus are slow and after a few clicks you kind of forget where you are and what you''re doing, if that makes sense. It''s also noticeably heavier than the Kindle, which I didn''t like. Some people might like the substance and heft, but being a one hand reader, I like it to be as light as possible.

The sales person as the kiosk seemed to already be automated to address frustrations and said software updates are coming soon and kinks are being worked out. The question is when will the Nook work like it''s supposed to? Hm. I don''t think I''d want to be the guinea pig.

I also like the buying experience on the Kindle better, both on the device and on Amazon.com (maybe because I''m so familiar with Amazon). The Nook has all the free books through google, which makes it confusing if you type in something like "Pride and Prejudice" because a ton of google listings come up. I did check out the free google "scanned" version of Pride and Prejudice and it was easy enough to read though.

Finally, I like the physical keyboard on the Kindle, but I know this is a personal preference. I''m a blackberry bold person, and not an iPhone or blackberry storm person because I HATE those virtual keyboards. On the nook it took me several tries to type in "Pride and Prejudice" because it kept typing as "prejudive". Not sure if it was the nook''s problem or mine, but I''ll give it the benefit of the doubt and call it a user error.

With no basic internet (I love the free wikipedia access on Kindle), Kindle 2 is the clear winner for me. Nook isn''t even a temptation. I think as it gets better, it will be a matter of preference and what you look for in an e-reader.

So my bottom line is that if you have to get one NOW, Kindle 2 is the one to get. If not, wait to see how Nook improves and what Kindle 3 will hold.

 

[cinnamon013]

I have a Kindle2 and love it. Sure beats driving to the book store once I''ve finished something.

 

[EricaR]

DH has a Kindle 2 (it was an early Christmas gift) and he loves it. He is a BIG reader, as in 2 or sometimes 3 books a week, and we were drowning in books. Most of the things he reads are new Fantasy type novels, not something you can usually find from the library. We''d accumulate and accumulate books, then two or three times a year go over to the used book store to sell them. Of course, most of the time he didn''t find any new books to buy there because most of their Fantasy section consisted of books he had sold them!

So no, the Kindle doesn''t make up for the smell or the feel of a book. BUT! You cannot beat the convenience of being able to get a book immediately and I am loving that the sea of books is finally receding.

I''m so jealous of it! I''m considering using my spring bonus to buy one for myself.

 

[TravelingGal]

Questions for Kindle users...

If I am reading a book, I know it saves that page. But say I''m reading it, then flip to table of contents, then close the book. The next time I open it, it goes back to table of contents, so I have to go searching for where I left off. The only easy way to make sure I can go back to that page is to bookmark it before I close the book, correct?

 

[geckodani]

Thanks for the review TGal! If I find myself in the posession of an excess of funds, I may check it out.

Methinks this will be no time soon, LOL. I keep getting more and more intrigued though. And there''s no rule that says I can''t still have books....

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 12/14/2009 12:41:57 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Questions for Kindle users...


If I am reading a book, I know it saves that page. But say I''m reading it, then flip to table of contents, then close the book. The next time I open it, it goes back to table of contents, so I have to go searching for where I left off. The only easy way to make sure I can go back to that page is to bookmark it before I close the book, correct?

TGal, you can try hitting "Back" before closing the book, which will take you back to the last page. I''m a dummy and never think to bookmark (doh!) so I either keep it on the page I''m on when I close it or remember the page number it was on and just type it in. Your way is much more efficient

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/14/2009 3:40:41 PM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

Date: 12/14/2009 12:41:57 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Questions for Kindle users...


If I am reading a book, I know it saves that page. But say I'm reading it, then flip to table of contents, then close the book. The next time I open it, it goes back to table of contents, so I have to go searching for where I left off. The only easy way to make sure I can go back to that page is to bookmark it before I close the book, correct?

TGal, you can try hitting 'Back' before closing the book, which will take you back to the last page. I'm a dummy and never think to bookmark (doh!) so I either keep it on the page I'm on when I close it or remember the page number it was on and just type it in. Your way is much more efficient

Doh! I just noticed the back button now...serves me right for not reading the manual!!!

ETA, and thanks!!

 

[HappyAnniversary]

Interested in a free Kindle Book??? Here is one of my favorite ones, it is free and the author is shooting to be #1 Kindle download, it is at #2 now , you can help a new independent author and read a nifty sci-fi book for free. I wish I could link a picture, the author had been asking people in Amazon and Kindleboards forums for input into the cover art and I think he has ended up with a really great cover. Thanks all.

http://www.amazon.com/MetaGame-ebook/dp/B002L4EXB0/ref=pd_ts_zbs_kinc_ebooks_2?pf_rd_p=489669831&pf_rd_s=right-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=1286228011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1EJ7DT6TBKGSRJF0PS7

 

[TravelingGal]

This thing is crack! Crackle! Ugh! I have had it for 18 days now and have read 14 books...the addiction is starting to get expensive! I don''t even read everynight...how could I have read 14 books already? And I just started the Stephanie Plum series (found the rec here on PS) and that''s a NINETEEN book series!

 

[purrfectpear]

Mine was crack too. I was whipping through several hundred dollars a month. If it''s any consolation it does wear off after about 6 months. Now I only buy a few a week

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/30/2009 1:49:31 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Mine was crack too. I was whipping through several hundred dollars a month. If it''s any consolation it does wear off after about 6 months. Now I only buy a few a week

Ack! I don''t wanna spend 100s a month...yet I''m powerless.....

I tried to slow down my reading, but my eyes just dart ahead.

I love this thing. I hadn''t read a book in years, and it''s allowed me to come back and enjoy one of my first loves.

 

[kalyn]

I loooove my Kindle! I got it in May. I alternate between not touching it for a month and not putting it down. Yesterday I read 2 books, the day before I read 3. The only bad part is the steadily escalating cost for me, since I am a student and work sporadically. But for me, the reading experience is so much better on a Kindle that it''s worth it for the extra few dollars. I am very touch-sensitive - I hate things like microsuede and rough paper, they make me shiver like the sound of nails on a chalkboard does. Kindle helps keep me able to read and completely lose myself in the books rather than be distracted by the paper feel.

Also love my case and booklight. I have one of the M-Edge cases in bright pink with the slide-in light, so much easier in the dark.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 12/30/2009 1:49:31 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Mine was crack too. I was whipping through several hundred dollars a month. If it''s any consolation it does wear off after about 6 months. Now I only buy a few a week

Ditto. I actually haven''t picked up my Kindle in about a month since I''ve been reading some Michener books which, for the most part, aren''t on Kindle yet. It gets better

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/30/2009 4:10:10 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady
My step daughter just got a Kindle for her bday/Christmas gift from my mil, she reads multiple books at a time.. sadly though, she likes the FEEL of a real book in her hand and when she opened it she was super let down. I told her honey, when you graduate HS and go on to college and start traveling, this will come in handy... she kind of thought about it a second and said well... I guess you''re right, there may be benefits to it later.. lol

SDL, I would have LOVED this while traveling. I left for my Europe trip 7 years ago...a lifetime technology wise. I carried 4 books (2 guidebooks, 1 train timetable, which was very thick and a reading book) so the kindle would have saved me at least 7 lbs! On top of that, you can put music on it. People were carrying CD players and huge cases of CDs. It''s a different world now...I would love to backpack again with all the new gadgets...although I''d worry a lot more about them getting stolen!!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

SDL, totally true.

Within a week of getting mine, I took it on a two week trip to New Zealand. Didn''t carry another book and it was perfect for the trip! Between the 12 hour flight and lots of driving, its capacity and light weight was so awesome. When I went to Tokyo for 3 months a couple years ago, I packed about 45 books in a backpack and took it as a second carry-on because I go through books so quickly and it''s kind of expensive to buy English books in Tokyo. I would have LOVED to have had the Kindle for that trip.

 

[Blackpaw]

Can you buy them in Canada? do they work? i just searched amazon for it and only came up with accessories...im confused