Kindles and Library Books

nearlyrich

Well I got a kindle under protest and I read 2 or 3 books per week I rarely pay for them..I guess in almost 2 years I have spent a lot less than a quarter of the money I used to spend on real books.

lolavix

iPads aren't great for reading as they are backlit and can strain your eyes, also much more expensive, but a lot is down to personal preference

kingfisherblue

Like nearlyrich, I was reluctant to get a Kindle. That was just over a year ago. I still read 'real' books, but have saved a fortune because I download free books. Some are rubbish, but many are quite decent. I've just read some older Ken McClure books that the library didn't have, and I've re-read a coiuple of Katherine Joseph books as well.

I have very dry eyes and need to put eyedrops in regularly, but the Kindle offers the opportunity to enlarge the font, which is great when my eyes are sore. The screen isn't bright and uncomfortable for my eyes either.

I have to say that buying the Kindle was money well spent.

thegirlintheattic

kingfisherblue wrote: »

Like nearlyrich, I was reluctant to get a Kindle. That was just over a year ago. I still read 'real' books, but have saved a fortune because I download free books. Some are rubbish, but many are quite decent. I've just read some older Ken McClure books that the library didn't have, and I've re-read a coiuple of Katherine Joseph books as well.

I have very dry eyes and need to put eyedrops in regularly, but the Kindle offers the opportunity to enlarge the font, which is great when my eyes are sore. The screen isn't bright and uncomfortable for my eyes either.

I have to say that buying the Kindle was money well spent.

I absolutely love Ken McClure. I was so happy when he made his back catalouge available on Kindle as some of the used paper copies were going for a lot of money that I couldn't afford. He's a great author, and to those who haven't read his work he usually offers at least one book free on Amazon and the others are very reasonably priced. Sorry for the off topic bit!

Nicki

Thanks for this thread! I have recently started using my sony e-reader which I was given as a gift a few years ago but stayed in the drawer unused for a long time. It hadn't even occured to me that I could borrow content from the library but I have checked my local council's website and they have a large catalogue of books in the right format, which will end up saving me a fortune!

As for the kindle/ipad debate - I also have the kindle app on my ipad and I find it far easier to read books on my ipad than I do on the e-reader purely BECAUSE the ipad is backlit. I often end up tilting the e-reader left and right in either dim light or very bright light because the contrast between the text and the background isn't sufficient for my failing eyesight!

mrsg26

I am interested in this thread as I have an iPad and download books from amazon onto my kindle app. It's really annoying that in the US people are able to lend their books to one another, why cant we have this facility here? Also is it possible to get ebooks from the library? I live in Scotland and not sure if this facility is available at our libraries. I must enquire, as someone who reads regularly I can spend around £10-20 on books per week so if there is an option to get them on 'loan' it would save me a great deal.

Nicki

Check the website of your local library in the first instance mrsg26. Thats what I did and discovered they had a large catalogue

starsandmoon

I work for Liverpool libraries and Kindles carnt access our online catologue whereas Kobo etc can. I know there are ways round this but Amazon etc are clamping down on it. It was Amazon that put a stop to it as they want to make as much money as possible!

Had some quite irate people in who were unaware they couldnt download on their Kindles and Amazon dont tell you this.

TeamLowe

out of interest how much is it to 'lend' an ebook, if its charged? and what is the selection like?

i'm afraid i have to disagree with Nicki on one slight point- my Kindle is much much better in strong light than any backlit device- i've got the Kindle app on phone and reading in the car in sunlight is hard work, but the Kindle screen is very easy as it's e-ink (which might be different to the Kobo, i think DH said the kindle has the best e-ink). it can't be read in dim/dark light but that's just like a book really and you can get lights that attach to the top for a couple of quid

i have the very basic Kindle which if you're not just reading is a bit of a faff to navigate as it has no keyboard, but what i do is 'purchase' books from Amazon on the computer to be sent to my Kindle, then sync it later.

Nicki

TeamLowe wrote: »

out of interest how much is it to 'lend' an ebook, if its charged? and what is the selection like?

.

My library they are free

The kindles may be better than the sony e-reader in terms of contrast. Or it may depend on how good your eyesight is (i am quite short sighted but also need mild specs for reading). I would recommend anyone looking to buy an e-reader tries both backlit and non backlit options out and see what works better for them, as clearly what works best for you, doesn't work well for me at all and vice versa.