ebooks

Do you have to have an IPAD to read an ebook?

No I have and sony ereader but you can download from the library onto your laptop/computer.

Can I get ebooks onto my Kindle from the library? That would be great.

You can get Kindle books on your android smart phone - go to the market and download the kindle app. You need an Amazon account.

Jangly you can't get ebooks onto a Kindly from the library...not yet but I think they are working on it. Seems unfair doesn't it?

I find it annoying that the price of the Kindle download is often more than the cost of the paperback

I didn't know you could get ebooks from the library

I bought DH a Kindle for his birthday, he doesn't seem to use it - I may discreetly steal it back in a few months.

Agree with yogagran that the price is v expensive.

There are loads of free books on Kindle though - and some really good titles. A lot of classics are there for free.

(Sorry, not much use if you have a Sony e-reader, I know!)

I agree with yogagran about the price of ebooks. Specially as you can't pass them on to anyone after you've finished them. Or give them to a charity shop. Tbh, now the novelty is wearing off a bit, I'm going back to paying a few pence for a used paperback from Amazon marketplace. Ok, its £2.80 for the postage, but still cheaper than the kindle version. And Oxfam benefits after I've read it!

I agree too yogagran. I don't understand why ebooks should be considerably more expensive than paper books as the publisher is saving on print and paper, neither of which are exactly cheap. There is VAT on ebooks but I thought there was VAT on printed books too, but when you download a book from Amazon it does point out that there is VAT added to the cost of an ebook.

I stll cant give up on paper books. They are so much more yours. You can give them to a friend, give them to a charity or wrap them up for Christmas or just enjoy a bookcase full of books collected over the years. Am i being a bit of a granny?

Another good thing about paper books is that, if you need to go back a few pages or chapters to sort something out, it is much easier than on the kindle. My kindle has a "sync to furthest page read" which is supposed to get you back to your place, but it doesn't seem to work! It can all take ages.

And its no easier to carry around as mine has to be in a sturdy cover or I'm sure I would scratch the screen.

There are quite a few places where you can download free e-books too

My library has this service too but I've not been tempted yet...I like to hold a book and part of the pleasure of reading is the physical element. But I can see why ebooks are very tempting for trips etc. - less hassle than trying to fit several books into the corners of suitcases etc.!

I was going to have a Kindle as a birthday present, but am not so sure now. I thought that e-books would be cheaper than paperbacks and I have read a lot of the classics that are free. I enjoy modern fiction which I then either take to a charity shop or give in part exchange at a secondhand bookshop.

I too was considering buying myself a kindle - no point dropping hints to DH for my birthday, I'd end up with firewood... But having read how expensive it is to download a book (I also checked on Amazon) the weekly cost would be too much for me. I'll stick to reserving my desired books at the library online (notified by email). This service is excellent and free to pensioners (the walk does me good too). Talking of Amazon, I find the reviews of books I like, to be very helpful, as reviewers (who seem to share my tastes) sometimes mention other authors that I might not have tried yet.

Apparently if you have a friend who has a Kindle, there are ways that you can lend each other your Kindle downloads. I'm not sure how you do it though.

(Amazon in the US now feature on their website which books can be lent/borrowed, so presumably that will also be coming our way soon)

I still read 'proper' books but do find the ability to increase the size of texts on my ereader very good. Now I'm used to it I can't say I even notice it as being any different to holding a book...but then I am probably not in the least sentimental about objects...
Lots of free ebooks for sony too but not what I like to read...more modern thrillers are my favourite choice.

I have a Kindle and wouldn't be without it. I don't find the books that expensive and cheaper than the book shop. Most books are about five pounds. It's great when travelling on bus or train. I must admit,though, if I really love a book I will still go out and buy it just so that I have it on my shelves.

I have.....'Kindle', 'Sony', 'BeBook', and 'Cool-er' Ebook readers.
I've not tried my local library yet, I'll have to give it a try.
In the meantime there are thousands and thousands of free ebooks available at a site called "gutenberg.org" or try putting "download free ebooks" into your favourite search engine. There are lots of freebies out there.

@Roger - as I'm considering buying a digital book reader I'd be interested to know the advantages and disadvantages of the Kindle and Sony ereader etc

An author I spoke to said that Kindle is tied to Amazon marketing which is a bit like Tesco - they screw down the price paid to the publisher and only promote the ones that come low enough. So some authors are not getting an airing on Kindle if they don't sell themselves cheap?

my other question is - touch screen or keypad?

@Liz08 Thanks for the 'heads up' on free library reservations for pensioners. I've been paying 80p for every book reserved so I must challenge them. I guess it depends which county we live in.

Sony or Kindle? to be honest there's not a lot to choose between them. Both do a fine job and I regurlary use both of mine keeping different categories of books on each.
The Kindle is not tied exclusively to Amazon.
The Kindle ereader takes ''MOBI, TXT, PDF, or HTML" formats.
The Sony ereader takes "LRF, TXT, RTF and PDF" formats.
So any book from any source with any of these formats can be used on the respective ereader.
As long as the format is the correct one for that particular machine, you'll have no trouble at all.
I've not used a touch screen (Sony?) but pushing a button instead of swiping the screen doesn't bother me that much. I suppose the advantage with a push button machine is that you don't get finger marks all over your screen.
I usualy download my ebooks to my computer first, then transfer them to whichever ereader I intend to use them on.

I just went onto Amazon to buy Cold Comfort Farm (recommended in the favourite book thread). They want £6.99 for the Kindle version, nearly £2 more than the paperback. Guess what, I decided to buy a used copy from one of their marketplace sellers for 17p. Even with the £2.80 postage that's less than half the price. Its so annoying! grrr