Reading on a kindle or tablet

Mary108

Hi all

I hope you're well

I have a kindle e reader....just the basic kindle, purchased 2021, which I love. BUT I cant afford to keep buying books, nor can I afford kindle unlimited each month. Also, I'm now not a huge fan of Amazon

So....I've joined a couple of libraries and downloaded Libby. Super!

However, as I'm in the UK I cant transfer my Libby e books to my kindle so I'm reading them on my Samsung S20 phone atm. Not ideal.

I'm wondering about buying a tablet to read my library books. I don't want anything grand but might it require e-ink?

Can anyone give me some suggestions as to which tablet to buy (not apple please!)

Thanks so much

Mary

Emmia

Personally I don't have kindle unlimited I just buy books as and when I want them. I definitely spend less than the ~£120 a year unlimited would cost. 

But other e ink readers are available like Kobo, I think this is most similar to a standard kindle..

https://uk.kobobooks.com/products/kobo-clara-bw

Neil_Jones

The Kindle (if you have the later Fire version) is not limited to Amazon books only so you could install things like Libby and Borrowbox on those as they're not locked down.  The basic ones are more restricted.

There is an Amazon app as well for Google Play which would allow you to read your Amazon books on another Android device.

flaneurs_lobster

Mary108 said:

I have a kindle e reader....just the basic kindle, purchased 2021, which I love. BUT I cant afford to keep buying books, nor can I afford kindle unlimited each month. Also, I'm now not a huge fan of Amazon

Did you read the excerpt from Cory Doctorow's Enshittification in the Guardian?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/05/way-past-its-prime-how-did-amazon-get-so-rubbish

Buy a tablet if you want to do other stuff AS WELL as reading ebooks.

For reading ebooks ONLY (but better) then the device choice is pretty limited outside Kindle (if you exclude dubious no-names from Temu etc)

Look at Kobo (I'm on my second, first is still in use after 8 years) and maybe Pocketbook. Both are available at Currys if you wanted to actually hold/see.

Don't know Pocketbook at all, but a colour eReader at £149 looks a deal. Would need to check out independent reviews, particularly around ease of adding (eg) library books. BEWARE of US reviews, their libraries use different rules (and allow download to Kindle).

Adding library books to the Kobo is pretty simple because it supports ADE (the Digital Rights management software that libraries use) via the Overdrive app. 

Tree_pipe99

Neil_Jones said:

The Kindle (if you have the later Fire version) is not limited to Amazon books only so you could install things like Libby and Borrowbox on those as they're not locked down.  The basic ones are more restricted.

There is an Amazon app as well for Google Play which would allow you to read your Amazon books on another Android device.

The Fire tablet is not a Kindle. Totally different device. 

sausage_time

I use a Kindle Paperwhite for most of my reading (supplemented by the Kindle app on my Android phone for catching a few pages while on public transport etc).  The synchronization works well.  I subscribe to BookBub and many Kindle books are free or 99p.

For the library, I borrow real books most of the time. Some titles are Libby only and for those I use my Pixel tablet (and phone as above for a sneaky read - sync works most of the time).

I prefer the Paperwhite screen for reading - much easier on the eye.  On the tablet and phone I go with dark mode.  The Pixel tablet is rather heavy for holding but I usually prop it on something for reading.

In summary, the Paperwhite hardware is fantastic - and I don't think I'm spending too much at Amazon.

flaneurs_lobster

Neil_Jones said:

The Kindle (if you have the later Fire version) is not limited to Amazon books only so you could install things like Libby and Borrowbox on those as they're not locked down.  The basic ones are more restricted.

There is an Amazon app as well for Google Play which would allow you to read your Amazon books on another Android device.

Confusing things here, Amazon Kindle is an eBook reader, Amazon Fire is a tablet. 

There was a brief period about 10 years ago where Amazon used Kindle Fire as branding for their tablet but not since.

You can, of course, read eBooks on pretty much any device with a screen but the best experience is to use a device that's optimised for the medium, especially as it's something you might be reading from for extended periods.

KxMx

I'm a prolific reader (mainly library books physical) and have Kindle Unlimited twice a year when I get a deal. 

Day to day I use a tablet more than my phone, so find the Kindle app perfectly fine because my eyes are very used to the screen anyway. 

Mary108

Thank you all so much. What amazing advice.

Is it definitely possible to transfer books from Libby to a Kobo? I absolutely cannot transfer books from Libby to my Kindle. Thats only possible in the US. I'm in the UK

flaneurs_lobster

Mary108 said:

Thank you all so much. What amazing advice.

Is it definitely possible to transfer books from Libby to a Kobo? I absolutely cannot transfer books from Libby to my Kindle. Thats only possible in the US. I'm in the UK

Yes it is. Easiest way is to log the Kobo into your library account directly and download. You need an account with Adobe in advance to sort out the Digital Rights Management (ADE) stuff for the device.

Otherwise you download the book from Libby onto a device (typically a laptop) that has the necessary Adobe Digital Edition loaded (your library or Google will help with this bit) and move onto your Kobo using cut'n'paste in the file manager.

I use an eBook manager program on my laptop (Calibre) for keeping track of my collection but that's not really of use if just reading library books or stuff from the Kobo store.

sausage_time

flaneurs_lobster said:

Mary108 said:

Thank you all so much. What amazing advice.

Is it definitely possible to transfer books from Libby to a Kobo? I absolutely cannot transfer books from Libby to my Kindle. Thats only possible in the US. I'm in the UK

Yes it is. Easiest way is to log the Kobo into your library account directly and download. You need an account with Adobe in advance to sort out the Digital Rights Management (ADE) stuff for the device.

Otherwise you download the book from Libby onto a device (typically a laptop) that has the necessary Adobe Digital Edition loaded (your library or Google will help with this bit) and move onto your Kobo using cut'n'paste in the file manager.

I use an eBook manager program on my laptop (Calibre) for keeping track of my collection but that's not really of use if just reading library books or stuff from the Kobo store.

Very interesting.  I have some follow-on questions if I may.

• Do you know if the Kobo will sync pages with your Libby account?
• Can you read Amazon books on a Kobo devices.  I'm guessing no, so...
• What is the best source of paid-for books for Kobo. Is it comprehensive and similar price to Amazon?
• Can I read such Kobo sources books on my phone too?
• Is the Kobo display comparable with Amazon devices, specifically the Paperwhite?