E-Readers

[HEPZIBAH]

E-Readers - Kindle, Kobo, Nook etc - it looks like they are here to stay!
Do you own one? What are your thoughts about them? Will the really replace books? Do you find the book downloads cheap? Are the free titles really worth reading anyway?

Living in Luxor, has owning an E-Reader made a difference to your life?

Please share your thoughts and experience on E-Readers.

[Scottishtourist]

I have 40min train journey to Glasgow every day for work.
Some days I meet acquaintance who works in public library on outskirts of Glasgow.She always gives me hard time when I discuss literature with her and show her my latest purchase from charity shop!
Fact is,that she is worried that all this e-reading will eventually affect her job.I personally don't think it will.
She is in charge of "children's section"
Her dedication is commendable.She runs "rhyme time"sessions for pre 5's,"book bug"sessions for school age children and even visits Primary schools to sign up kids for summer reading sessions.
I don't ever think e-reading will replace the personal touch that these kids receive in public libraries.Our children should always be encouraged to pick up books and enjoy.
Personally,I think it's just a lazy option for adults!

[Janen]

I love my Kindle! But I still love books. There is no substitute for the reference type of book both aesthetically and practically but for novels you can't beat having a whole load waiting to be read in such a small package. The e-book is so convenient for travelling and so much more comfortable when reading in bed but I still love the traditional feel of a great work of reference. So maybe the world of fiction needs to look out, but those beautifully illustrated coffee table books have nothing to worry about. As for price, I don't think there is a huge difference in buying direct versus supermarket prices for popular fiction!

[Maakari]

what good timing for this topic! My birthday is on Monday (21! wow! !) and my family keep asking, do I want a Kindle as a present? Every one at work owns one, and they extol its virtues most vigorously! They know that I am an avid reader, and get through at least 2 books a week.
So, I am thinking about it.
I do travel frequently, and when coming to Luxor, pack at least 2 or 3 paperbacks. This obviously adds weight to my precious weight limit. But then I leave them there for other people to read and enjoy.
I do like the feel of a book, but everyone says you will quickly get use to the lighter feel of the Kindle (especially in bed)
I am a charity shop addict, and always, always, find some great titles for pennies, and help the charity at the same time.
At work the hospital has a book shop, which has expanded greatly in the first few months of business, unfortunately, it is right outside our staff room, so i do get tempted in there most days!But then I can bring 'em back to resell for the hospital wish list. I sometimes say to friends, Hey, I've just read a great book, do you want to read it?, But, if I have kindle, I cannot pass book on, but can recommend it, then they have to buy it (in E.Format, or book).
What else can it do? Can you download magazines, papers etc. How do you order your books in Egypt? Do you have to be near WI FI hotspot? How extensive is the list of books? just fiction? How does the price compare to, say supermarket prices of two books for £7?
Need to think hard about this, would it be an expensive toy just for convenient holiday reading, or would I come to use it for all my reading material? My kids are lovely for asking, but I don't want them to spend that much money on me, then I don't use it fully!
P.S. I do know it has adjustable font sizes. The kids did stress that! Seems the increasing amount of reading glasses littered round the house has alerted them to the fact that their mother is a blind old Git now!
:urm2:

[Bearded Brian]

I've gone half way in that I put the Kindle app on my netbook. OK it's not as easy to hold as an e-reader but I felt that for the amount of reading I do - holidays or hospital the cost of a kindle would be a little used toy. For me the main advantage is being able to take a large selection of reading material without it taking up weight and space in my luggage but I would still prefer an actual paper book.

[LivinginLuxor]

I'm toying with the idea of getting one, but probably won't until they come up with a colour version using the same digital ink technology as in the present generation. They seem fine for novels, but magazines, newspapers and other publications will suffer without the coloured illustrations.

[Robbo70]

I resisted buying a kindle for a long time despite so many recommendations because I just love to read a proper book. Problem was, 2 weeks in Luxor required about 9 books and that was a hell of a lot of weight in my bag.

I conceeded defeat and bought one. I have been well and truly converted. I have a leather case for it so its very much like holding a book anyway now, but lighter. I regularly download the free books from Amazon and most of them have been easy reads. Many are part 1 of a trilogy or collection, but if I have enjoyed the book I am then happy to buy further titles from that author. If they are rubbish, I havnt lost anything by just deleting them halfway through.

With Kindle, you can choose a wi-fi one so you can find a hot spot and download, or use your internet connection and download to the laptop and cable it accross. The best bit is the battery life. I last charged my kindle the night before I left Luxor 3 weeks ago and I have read most evenings and bed times and still have half a battery life on it. I find in Luxor, reading 3-4 hours a day, it lasts for about a month inbetween charges. The screen is also brilliant as it can be read easily in bright sunlight. Its only downside is there is no back light so to read in poor lighting you need to buy an additional clip on light. I got one in Tesco last week for 97p

I would upgrade immediately should Stans hope come about that they will introduce a colour version of kindle. As you can subscribe to most papers and magazines now, that wold make the kindle perfect. For now, I read my books on kindle and the daily newspapers on my laptop.

[Subversion]

Im a bit on the fence!

I kind of think the author didn't write a Kindle - they wrote a book!

As "objects" I really like books (though I don't read anywhere near as often as I should!)

On the other hand..

I'm not sure its right to technology bash when we are after all using electronic media wrt this forum!

And yes a kindle seems a much more practical option for travellers.

This is a bit like the debate between vinyl and CD's !

I shall watch this thread and see if I end up converted

S x

[HEPZIBAH]

I have been going through all the arguments and questions about e-readers for ages. I love books - to the point that I find it hard to part with them. I read alot, but perhaps not as much as I could, and almost always have a book with me. I do find a lot of books are actually quite expensive though - or rather I cannot justify the money. Online Bookshops help such as Amazon, AbeBooks etc help but locally our charity shops are actually quite expensive - non of your 50p bargains as many of them are about £2 and not in all that good a condition.

So...having found a £10 off offer I convinced myself that I'd treat myself and buy a Kindle as it would be more convenient to carry in my handbag and when travelling (LOL! like I do that regularly!. After two disastrous and aborted attempts to get one, but having been told how to get hold of a book that I really wanted to read and couldn't get a paper of - The Diary of Anna Leon Owens - I decided to compromise and download the Kindle for PC and then some books to that. Having started to look through the book lists I became more tempted to buy a Kindle again - afterall I can't drag my laptop around with me every time I fancy going to a coffee shop to people watch and read. Thankfully, last week I saw another £10 off offer so ordered a Kindle and collected it last Saturday.

My first comment about it is that I think there should be some better written instructions with it on paper. I found I was having to fiddle with it blindly (you know - like men when they get a flat pack and try to assemble it) and worried I'd do something daft. So far all I've managed to do is top up the battery and add a few books - working my way through the free books list before I pay for any - but I was pleased to see that the books I'd downloaded to my laptop were automatically on the Kindle. I also think the accessories that you may or may not need for it are quite expensive - you certainly need a cover or protective bag for it for when not in use - I was able to get a deal on a basic cover because I bought mine through Tesco direct. I looked at the 'night light' bit as I think I would find one very useful but could not justify the extra cost at the time - sadly I did not see any at 97p unlike a previous poster.

How am I getting on with it? Well to be honest it's been in my handbag all week waiting for me to have time to get it out and use it. I've not been able to use it at night when I do most of my reading as I have a couple of real old fashioned paper books that I need to finish and comment on early next week. I've also just been sent a list of new books that I've been asked to select some to read and review - some from manuscript. So I'm not sure when I'm really going to put my new purchase to the test.

[Yildez]

My Kindle is the best present I've ever given myself! I'm a voracious reader with no access to English books except through Amazon, and their postage charges to Turkey are eye-watering! I have always loved books but the transition to ereader was immediate (and painless!) for me. I've given considerable thought to why this is and have realised that I am interested in the content of the book, not the method of delivery! Book, ereader, scroll, papyrus - I really don't care if the story is agreat one!

I joined Burgomeister (www.truly-free.org) taking a 6 week subscription that allowed me to download 5 books a day from 1,000's; I am now a member of the book exchange and get the majority of my books there. My e library now stands at about 6,000 books, all personly chosen, with just over 2,000 currently on my Kindle.

I love my Kindle, it's always at hand and will be with me in Luxor in December.

[Alistair1967]

I own a Kindle, but expect the down load prices to be ramped up as more people adopt them...

Also, I like to read in the bath, and as any ereader is likely to be affected by such an environment, I usually still have one or two charity shop (or Tesco) -sourced paperbacks lying around.

[hatusu]

I love books but just cant get enough of them in Luxor. I read 2 or 3 books a week normally. So now I love my Kindle. I dont think I would ever have bought one if I still lived in England as I frequented the library every week, but for here its ideal. The prices are much cheaper than the paper versions - there arent all that many books I enjoy that are free, but I have found plenty for under a pound. And for books that I really must have, then they're still usually about half the price of buying in the shops. I particularly like the fact that you can try a sample before buying (quite a large sample too - about 5% of the book on average, so you dont waste money on mistakes) In an ideal world I would prefer the paper version, but its not an ideal world is it, and I wouldnt be without my kindle now. I carry it everywhere - if anybody snatches my bag, they can have my money, but give me back my kindle!

[carrie]

I love books but the problem is here that the glue melts and all the pages come apart, for that reason I bought an e book last time I was in UK but having problems getting it to work. With the help of George from Regal Lounge I soon hope to have that problem solved. I have I must admit technophobia.

[Yildez]

I love books but the problem is here that the glue melts and all the pages come apart, for that reason I bought an e book last time I was in UK but having problems getting it to work. With the help of George from Regal Lounge I soon hope to have that problem solved. I have I must admit technophobia.

Hi Carrie,

I will be in Luxor for over 2 months from December 15th with lots (thousands actually!) of ebooks that I can share with you!! Let me know which ereader you have so that I bring books in the right format, and your favourite authors, genres etc. Or Pm me your email address (sorry, I lost it!) and I can send them to you in zipped form with instructions how to load them to your ereader. Don't worry - it's easy, and I'm not a techie!!!!

While visiting Luxor Museum last December I got talking to a Canadian visitor who recommended Pauline Gedge's novels about Egypt. I now have most of them in eform, and they're extremely good - maybe you'd like them?

Hope to see you in December

[LivinginLuxor]

I've just ordered a Kindle - not from Amazon, but from Souq.com here in Egypt. I'll be getting it in a couple of days hopefully, so I'll let you know how it works here. The price was a little less than that advertised on Amazon for the same model.

[Phantom]

Well done Stan - you won't regret it. Having just been on holiday and usually taking 6 or 7 books to read - just one Kindle with lots of books is amazing. Saw loads of them on the beach, so it's definitely catching on. Most of the free books are a bit rubbish, but pay a little more and you won't be disappointed.

[LivinginLuxor]

Got my kindle two days ago and already have put 200+ books on it - without even connecting to Amazon site! It's truly amazing and I'm really impressed. However, I'm reading my latest real book, so won't look at anything on it until I've finished.
Definitely the way to go - just a swish of the finger to turn the page.

[HEPZIBAH]

I look forward to your users update.
Which companies/sites are you using if you are not using Amazon to get your book downloads from?

[gd47]

Erm...Pirate Bay?

[LivinginLuxor]

Correct!!!

But I have also downloaded some from the Internet Archive, and Project Gutenberg in EPUB format. The Kindle cannot read them, but there are free programs that convert them to MOBI format that the Kindle can understand.