Ah yes the Kindle. There are a lot of electronic readers out there (less of a choice in the UK though) so why the Kindle? This wasn't a quick decision, I don't make quick decisions on things this expensive. I have been talking about a kindle and other readers for months now (and driving Chris mad with it) A couple of times I have even gone to buy one but then changed my mind at the last minute to do some more 'thinking about it.'
Thinking about it I have, I have looked up the reviews and feature for all of the readers out there but for some reason I always came back to the kindle.
Why an electronic reader at all? Its a good question. I'm not a 'gadget' person particularly, my mobile is the most basic pay-as-you-go model and I have never owned an mp3 player. But a kindle I can really make use of.
I read a lot of classics and these are either free on the kindle or very cheap (I just downloaded the latest 2010 translation of War and Peace for 0.74p) I also buy the odd brand new hardback and these are a lot cheaper when buying the ebook edition.
Plus there's the instant download. No ordering online and waiting, instead its downloaded in 60 seconds.
But will this 'replace' books for me? My plan is that my first point of call for any book will be my library then ebook so hopefully no it will not replace books for me. Also I like 'collections' or special edition books which I certainly can't get from an ebook. All the kindle should do (if goes according to plan) is save on storage space and save me a bit of money in the long run.
Once I've finished playing with it and have read a whole book on it I will give a further update.
Oh and even though Chris has teased me by saying that when the end of the world comes he won't lend me his trustworthy paper books for either reading or for precious fuel while I morn the loss of electricity, I have still promised to let him read a book from MY kindle.
Posted by Jess
Congrats on your new Kindle!
ReplyDeleteI've thought about getting one myself, but I can't justify the price... especially since when I've gone looking for certain e-books, Amazon won't sell them to me for "copyright" reasons because I'm in Canada (they have no problem selling me the paper version, though)! Have you found this to be a problem in the UK? Or is pretty much everything available to you there?
La Coccinelle - no I havent found any issue but then there has been various legislation flying around lately with ebooks. One of these is that librarys if they lend ebooks (which more are doing now) have to be free.
ReplyDeleteI don't use my kindle often, but sometimes that's the only way for me to get ahold of a book I want to read. Like for instance, the book I reviewed today - The Monk - my library had no copies of and I didn't know if I'd like it enough to own it, so I downloaded it free from Gutenberg. It helps that I read a lot of classics, so I can get a lot of books for free.
ReplyDeleteI have a nook, and I like the convenience and ease of purchasing books (too easy sometimes!), but it will never completely replace old-fashioned books. What is also great is that I can download e-books from the public library, which from what I understand cannot be done with a Kindle.
ReplyDeleteIt is a nice toy (that's what I call mine, anyways), though, so have fun with it.
Congrats on getting a Kindle. I hope you really enjoy it! I love mine :)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOOOOVE my Kindle, and I only have a Generation 1!! I wish you many fantastic reads on it :)
ReplyDeleteI feel exactly about my Nook (does that sound vaguely pornographic to you?) as you do your Kindle: love it, with limitations. God forbid we should lose electricity, and nothing will replace our beloved paper books, but these are a convenient, fast blessing in their own right. Never again will I be stuck in an airport forced to pay full price for something I'm only half interested in reading.
ReplyDeleteAmanda - I think the classics are where ereaders really come into their own and will be so so useful.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne - the kindle has its limitations with regards to borrowing library books although I think Id rather borrow the paper book really. The Nook unfortunately isn't available in the UK, we ar much more limited in that regards.
Amy & irishrosedkm - So far its a lot lot better than I expected.
Bellezza - LOL it does abit. Its scary how fast it is though and how it doesnt feel like Ive just spent money.
I hope you enjoy your Kindle! I recently bought a Sony Reader and I never expected to love it as much as I do now. Why? It is so easy to take so many books with you and especially now that I'm in Sweden for a few months, it is perfect!
ReplyDeleteI've gone with an ipad and i really love it (mostly because of all the other things I can do with it like watch movies). I never thought I'd get one, but I do actually like using it. And it will be really handy when I'm off on holiday somewhere and don't need to bring 15 paper books with me!
ReplyDeleteI love my kindle as well :) Have you signed up to netgalley as yet? That's mostly what I use my kindle for .. reading e-ARCs!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the kindle. I can't make myself cross over yet. I can't wait to hear what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteI love my sony E reader but it will never replace my beloved books!
ReplyDeleteHave fun with it.
http://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/sony-e-reader.html
Congrats on your kindle!
ReplyDeleteTracy has blogged about her Kindle on Mrs. BG-- she is the only one of us with one and she really likes it. I'm in no hurry for one but will give in eventually-- I'm always dragged kicking and screaming into new tech then I dig it. I really like the idea of free classics.
Looking forward to your kindle updates.
Enjoy your Kindle! I'll be anxious to hear what you think of it after using it for awhile.
ReplyDeleteOh! Congratulations on your Kindle! I love mine and can't wait to read more on it. I found that using it for reviewing books is quite handy since I can highlight lines and use bookmarks without putting lots of little bookmarks in my paper books. I think I will probably use it more for non-fiction than fiction, but who knows?!! I can't wait to download some more stuff on it!
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely check back to see an update on how you are liking it. So excited for you (and I LOVE the graphite color..I'm a little jealous I didn't wait! hehehe)!