tammyw Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I have always said NO to e-readers. I love books, the feel of them, smell of them, etc. But I'm wondering if I should reconsider. Mainly because there have been quite a few times that I've been searching our library's online database for books, only to find that they have an online copy only. Now I'm thinking even if I still mostly read regular books, I should maybe get one for the times when I can only get online versions from the library? How does this work with library books? Do you request them, and when they are available, you download the link, and it expires when your time is up? That part is confusing to me. Also, IF I did this (big, big IF) what is the best e-reader out there? Are there ever great deals to be had? This is such new and confusing territory, and I swore I'd never go here, so I've never read a single thing about this subject. TIA for any advice and gentleness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Well for just an ereader not a tablet, I have mixed feelings. we have a Nook and Kindle. I actually prefer the look and feel of the Nook. However books are normally cheaper and more plentiful for the Kindle. Sorry not much help on a preference. BTW I fought the idea for a while as well but finally gave in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briansmama Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 My Dh bought me an expensive Sony e-reader for Christmas a few years ago, and I really really wish I would have asked for the Kindle instead. Amazon corners the market in e-books. They are always priced better than they are at the Sony reader store and Amazon has more selection too. I'm actually thinking of buying the $69 Kindle just to get better deals on e-books, even though we have 2 Sony e-readers that work perfectly well (and cost hundreds of dollars a few years ago). I use them (Sony) for library e-books, but the selection is just so-so. I'd love the option of buying Amazon e-books. Also, we are Amazon prime members so if I had a kindle I could borrow a book for free each month. We have the iPad Kindle app but it only works with an actual Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 We are Amazon Prime members also. That's good to know about the free book each month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 Thanks Wendy. I think I"ll hold out a bit longer :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 The main reason we have ereaders here is the huge selection of free classic literature that is available for the Kindle. It is really convenient to be able to grab a book that the kids are interested in from the snippets in WWE. We've saved a TON of money on books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 We've used Kindle for several years and have borrowed loads of books from our library's Overdrive. Like any book, I request it and if it's available, I check it out and download it with a USB cable. It won't be deleted from the Kindle until you turn on WIFI, although it's considered returned on your library account. Admittedly real books look great on the shelf, but a Kindle is easier on Dd's eyes with the amount of reading that she does. For example, Howl's Moving Castle is now available on Kindle for $2. We had to read it aloud due to font size, but now she can read it on her own. I really don't think you will regret it. I slip the Kindle into my bag and Dd has a choice of 200 books to read where ever we go. It's a lot easier to shop when she can sit in a cart and read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Kindle has more available options for books, but I actually prefer the Nook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I have a Kindle and a Nook. As much as I like the Nook, Kindle has far more free books and the prices are often better. Plus, Amazon offers lots free to Prime Members. I still buy physical books, esp when it's something I know we'll love and want to keep, but it's so nice having the Kindle with me at all times. Plus, we have some basic games we like to play while waiting for appointments, etc., and ds loves to listen to audiobooks in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I really didn't see the appeal either, but I received a Kindle for a gift and I confess I really like it. I find it particularly good for reading on the exercise bike (when holding a book can be awkward). Even if you have no interest in purchasing books between the monthly Prime book and the widespread availability free books it is a good option to have. This site has good lists of homeschool free books for the Kindle. http://howtohomeschoolforfree.com/todays-free-educational-books-for-kindle-kindle-apps-122612/ Keep in mind you can always get the freebies and store them for later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Slight aside -- the Amazon Prime lending library really only works with a real Kindle, not with the Kindle app? Guess that makes my decision about whether or not to pay for Amazon Prime easy.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 The kindle is easier to read from while eating or doing anything with one or both hands. Studies show that people read more novels after getting a Kindle. I think it has a lot to do with how easy it is to hold, while multi-tasking. Also when your close vision starts failing in the your late 30s to early 40s, you can read from the Kindle without glasses far longer than you can from a book. Glasses make me nauseous, so it's nice not to have to wear them. I have several library cards and have an excellent selection of books to choose from. I don't wait any longer than a hardcopy book and sometimes the wait is shorter. I have a Kindle Fire, that I bought before I had my fancy cell phone. Now I wish I had a 3G Kindle. I don't have home wi-fi. I can get the books onto my Kindle by tethering my phone to the netbook and then transferring them to the Kindle, but it would be SO nice to just choose the books with my phone and then download them directly to the Kindle, skipping the need for the netbook. I spent hours today trying to figure out how to tether the phone to the Kindle, but so far no luck, for free options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Actually, Tammy and any others thinking of a Kindle, don't bother getting one because you all will make us wait longer for a book ;). As Hunter mentioned above, it's sometimes faster borrowing a book on Kindle than a hard copy of the same. You can't extend the borrowing time, like you can with a hard copy. But if everyone starts buying Kindles, well.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upward Journey Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 You can also download Kindle for PC from Amazon onto your computer for free. You can borrow the ebooks from the library even though you don't physically have a Kindle :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 KIndle Fire HD 7" hands down is the best IMO since it allows for "immersion" experience which allows one to read and listen to audiobook done by professional readers at the same time with the words highlighted as the reader speaks. If you buy e-book first, which may even be free, then you can buy the audible book at a greatly reduced price or sometimes free. Look for the whisper sync feature for both e-book and audio-book for immersion to work. Plus, there are hundreds and hundreds of free great classics that kids will enjoy like the Tom Swift series, Edgar Ryce Burrows books (sp?), Dickens, Twain, etc. It has parental controls to limit internet or games completely or for a certain period of time. There are also tons of useful educational apps for free or a few dollars. Right now, it is a hit for DS. He is cheerfully reading "The Hobbit" with the immersion experience. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 Thanks everyone. So many choices. I'm paralyzed by them, which will probably mean I won't be able to buy anything for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Tammy, I held out for a long time too, but now love my Nook. If I had it to do over I'd get a Kindle, but I use it for so much more than just reading. Games, email, WTM are but a few things I can do. As for books, I buy a physical book when I know it's a keeper. Brain candy goes on my Nook. SOO easy and convenient there is no looking back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 I didn't really "get it", until I found a friend with a Kindle, and was able to hold it, and see how it felt in my own hands, and watch how much others really did use it on a daily basis. Do you know anyone who has one who will just show you how the page turning, library checking-out, etc. works? This helped me out a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 I've seen them before, just never really wanted one, because I thought that meant turning my back on paper books. But I'm starting to see that there can be room for both (and that there will be times when one is better over another). As a researcher, it will probably take me FOREVER to figure out what I'd want. It sounds like I definitely want to go the Kindle route (because of Amazon). I wonder if they ever have fabulous discounts? I love a good bargain :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 This topic is on my mind as well. Thanks for the thread. I wonder about browsing. Do children browse Kindles the same way they browse bookshelves? I am sometimes surprised at what my daughter has chosen to read. I wonder if the same book would have caught her attention if it were on the Kindle instead of a bookshelf. If not, that would be a tremendous loss here. ETA: Just to clarify... She often takes books off the shelf and reads short sections of them before browsing through another one. She picks up lots of info this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I wonder if they ever have fabulous discounts? I love a good bargain :) The fabulous discounts are necessarily in the devices, but in all the free books and library books you can get without leaving your house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I love our kindles. We have a little family of them. ;) I would start by downloading kindle for PC or a kindle app for a mobile device. They are free options so you can see how it works to get kindle books. There are tons of free classic books available for the Kindle. Since I started using AO, I have gotten at least a hundred ebooks for free on my kindle. The free books don't always have great formatting, but...they're free and you can have them with you wherever you go. I haven't had great luck with library ebooks, because our library seems to only offer popular fiction that I'm not interested in. Once I searched for every book on my wish list to see if I could borrow them as ebooks from the library. I complained to dh that they didn't have ANY of them, he told me it was my own fault for having such weird taste in books. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I had a post in this thread that seems to have disappeared http://www.ereaderiq.com/free/ Go to this website, register for their newsletter. Every day I get an email with twenty-ish FREE kindle books for the day. Those are not classics (the classics are always free) but are from new authors, or authors looking to expand their readership, or the first book of an upcoming trilogy. I'm also getting lots of cookbooks that way. I have yet to see a similar service for the Kobo, or the Nook... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I've seen them before, just never really wanted one, because I thought that meant turning my back on paper books. But I'm starting to see that there can be room for both (and that there will be times when one is better over another). As a researcher, it will probably take me FOREVER to figure out what I'd want. It sounds like I definitely want to go the Kindle route (because of Amazon). I wonder if they ever have fabulous discounts? I love a good bargain :) :iagree: No version of Kindle is perfect. But whatever you end out choosing will provide some special experiences that cannot be experienced with a hardcopy book. And there are experiences with hardcopy books that cannot be replicated with any Kindle. Just pick one and enjoy it for what it does. And in a couple years, buy a new Kindle when you have a better idea of what YOUR priorities are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I prefer real books, but I did get the cheapest kindle. It is nice and light and does the job. But I am very resistant to paying for books -- the kindle prices are so close to the actual book prices that I hesitate before buying. I have got a lot of some free stuff from Amazon -- so-so. Our library waiting list is forever. There -- those are all the negatives. But the positives make it worth the $69 or whatever. I like that I can shove it in my purse - it is so light -- and have something to read when I'm waiting in the car or at a kids' activity. I actually break down every once in a while and get a new bestseller when I need something to read at ds's 12 hour chess tournaments. It's much easier to have a few things on the kindle than carry a load of books. The other positive is that the basic kindle is so small and light -- a joy to hold. I know there are more sophisticated readers. But, since I feel the same way as you in preferring printed books todownloads, I find that the cheapest model is fine for me. Adding: I keep reading that Amazon will at some point drop the prices on ebooks. Apple has been in court about price fixing with publishers. I haven't followed all the details, but I am hoping for cheaper ebooks. Oh, another positive -- my little kindle stays charged up for a long, long time. I guess that black type just doesn't drain a battery very fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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