Hi all! We spent the last week on vacation and it was so incredibly relaxing - I read almost four books last week, FOUR! It was the first time in, let's see, about 6.5 years, that we've been on a vacation that really, truly felt like a vacation. For those of you with children still under age three, the future is bright my friends! Someday you will again be able to read a book next to the pool - while your children swim.
Between the week actually on vacation, and the many, many hours in the car, I had lots of time to read this past week - I did not want to be caught without a book. I had six books with me on vacation, four of which were hardcover books from the library. Lugging the books to Wisconsin and back had me thinking that perhaps a Kindle wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.
Then I read that, by the end of the year, you'll be able to check out some library books on a Kindle.This had been one of my major reasons for resisting the Kindle so far, no library books.
Then my sister's boyfriend gave her a Kindle for her birthday on Friday (Happy birthday, Shannon!) and I might have a little bit of Kindle envy.
So, I'm wondering, do I really want a Kindle?
My mother-in-law gave me hers to borrow for a bit, read a book on, see if I like using it... which is a good first step.
What do you all think of e-readers? Do you have one? Do you love it? Have your kids smeared chocolate all over it or thrown up on it yet?
I don't really plan on totally abandoning the traditional book format just yet (or ever), but it seems that having a Kindle might have some perks.
If you DO have an e-reader, how do you use it? How do you decided which books to buy in which format?
I keep mentioning a Kindle, because from what I've seen that really is the friendliest device for book reading, which is why I would want to own one...
Thoughts?
BTW, if you're interested, here are my thoughts about Kindle from two years ago, imbedded in an interview by my friend Erin... I pretty much stand by those sentiments, although these days I might be more inclined to encourage someone to give me a Kindle - 35 is a big birthday after all.
7 comments:
We were just saying this weekend how happy we are to be able to read at the pool again, now that the kids are older :)
Hopefully I can help with your 'e-reader' dilemma. First, I am a big library person myself, so it is hard to pay for money for something I can get for free (plus I never reread books).
I have had a Kindle which was just okay - the grey unlit screen is harder to read and requires another source of lighting. Now I have an iPad, which is obviously more versitle by providing email, internet, & apps. I can purchase a book from Amazon OR iBooks on the iPad and it is backlit, which means I can continue reading when the lights are out. You have to press a button on the Kindle to turn the page, which can have an annoying clicking sound to a sleeping husband. Whereas the iPad is silent as your finger 'turns the page'. Hope that helps :) Good luck!
I love my Kindle! I have had it for a year now. I got the Amazon case with the folding light for it, but I rarely use the light. I don't really notice any clicking noise when I change pages. I have the Kindle 3.
I'm a big library reader. Most of my reading comes from the library & I look forward to someday borrowing Kindle books, though considering the financial status of my library it will be awhile. Some Kindle books can be shared with friends, it depends on the publisher. But I borrow & share Kindle books with my friends & my parents from time to time. You get two weeks to read it & then it goes back to your friend's library.
Kindle has a bunch of decent 99 cent & $2.99 books too & run decent sales.
I switch between formats so much between the library books, the used books I buy and the Kindle that I don't feel I have lost the regular book format.
I have no first hand experience with the Kindle or other such devices, so my comment is UNhelpful. Except to say that if you DO have a birthday coming up, it sounds like a great gift! Probably the most appealing parts to me are the ecofriendly aspect, the space-saving & the instant access. We don't have alot of storage room around here so I tend not to buy books. But sometimes I have to wait for things at our library and I am impatient= especially with new releases. Why not go for it?
Speaking from a librarian standpoint.....if I was JUST going to get an ereader, it would be a toss up between a Nook and a Kindle, probably leaning towards the Nook. Why? You can start downloading stuff immediately, B&N plays really nice with the library and you'll have to wait a while to check out library titles on the Kindle - and when it does happen the wait lists will probably be REALLY long! That being said, I'd get an iPad over a dedicated e-reader if I had the choice. Lots of pros, tons of compatibility and you can download kids book apps too! Downside is the expense.
Love my nook for Sooooo many reasons. The color nook is like a mini ipad, and since I don't have any touchscreen devices, I like having the ability to play apps, check my email and watch youtube whenever i have a wireless connection. But it's much cheaper than an ipad.
i like the backlit screen that allows me to read at night without disturbing anyone. i like that i can adjust the font size and find out the definition of a word just by touching it.
It is VERY easy to check out books from the library... but also very easy to purchase them. And I've been buying more books than usual.
LOVE IT!
I'm with Heather the Librarian. I'm a librarian too, and speaking strictly on behalf of what I've seen with our patrons, the Nook is the big winner. It plays nicely with library books from various vendors, it's not tricky to set up, and the B&N support is incredibly helpful. [So I've heard from patrons]
The Kindle has been toying with us for at least a year in terms of allowing users to check out library books. It's all snagged up in digital rights and lots of red tape. They alleged by the end of summer - which as you can see is quickly closing in...
Just my two [lengthy] cents.
- Val
I read a lot, something that is maybe a bit unusual for a 21 year old. (Most of my friends are addicted to faceook and netflix and doing things that aren't reading.) But as much as I embrace technology, I can't get behind the Kindle or other e-readers. I just like books too much. I like having them in my room and I like thinking about having a library in my future home. I like how nice books (like ones from McSweeney's and Penguin special editions) are constructed and I like knowing how much attention and time and consideration went into making them. Digital books seem so uninviting and cold and effortless. My eyes get sick of looking at screens all day, so looking at another one when I want to relax seems bad. Also, I work part time as a costumed tour guide at a living history farm...where I spend time reading until visitors come in. They didn't have Kindles in the 1890s, so I obviously can't have one !
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