ebooks

I was given a Kindle for Christmas and I love it. We are off on holiday soon and it will be great to take just one thing and know that I will have enough reading for the week (I am a very quick reader and have been known to get through seven books in the week).

I particularly like the way you can download a sample chapter from Amazon for free - and then download the book if you actually like it. When I first had the Kindle I searched through all the free books and have had great pleasure in reading those old classics which I read years ago - how I enjoyed reading What Katy did, etc. (And I have subsequently discovered that there is another book in the set called, I think, What Clover did next, - haven't read it yet).

I have also downloaded for pence books from completely new authors - so I would say that the Kindle has expanded my reading experience. By the way, am I the only granny who likes science fiction and fantasy books?

I think you have to be careful with the self-publshed books. You can end up wasting money and time on some very weak material. I think its safest on the whole if a book has gone through a publisher.

Jangly - the new author books I have downloaded have been through Amazon and have been well reviewed - I have not had a problem yet, but I take your point.

Oh, that's good. I downloaded two, and deleted them quite quickly. You obviously do your research better than me. Its so easy to clikc the" download now" button, isn't it?

Yeah - I could get quite carried away if I am not careful. Oh well, I suppose I had better go and actually do something instead of sitting with the laptop. Bye.

Yeah, I'm popping in and out of the kitchen. Will burn the spuds if I'm not careful!

I live abroad and it is very difficult to obtain english books here so I always 'hit' the charity shops on my Uk visits in the hopes of be able to take enough books back with me to last us till our next trip. Now the charges are increasing for baggage, we've been lucky enough to be able to leave UK clothes with my son and travel 'hand luggage only'. This creates a double whammy for us -
1. the weight is quite restrictive, 10 kilos is the top wieght for some airlines or only 5 kilos on others.
2. NO liquids except 100ml. Did you know that tomato paste counts as a liquid?
So we've invested in a couple of tablet pcs and now mainly buy ebooks because I could transport up to 6000 books on one cd! I agree whole-heartedly with the view that there is nothing like the feel of a real book but this seems the only way to ensure we've always got reading matter available. The tablet pc also helps with the 4 hours of flight boredom!
I've also downloaded loads of free books off Amazon and take great pleasure in re-reading some classic books I read many years ago as well as some I've never tried.
I still haven't found a way round the tomato paste problem!

Not interested in a kindle at all. I love the feel and smell of a new book. A friend of mine was in the middle of reading on her kindle when it went down and she couldn't get it back again for ages. They are expensive and what if you lose it or it's stolen. Losing a book isn't nearly as expensive - I know you can insure it - but what a nuisance. We're in danger of losing libraries as it is, this could be the death knell of ones local branch. Not all books are on kindle either. So sorry I'll stick to paperbacks. Can one get photos on kindle - I'm reading non fiction with enclosed photos which all add on to the interest of the subject.

To me there are few greater pleasures than going into a proper Bookshop and browsing. I like to handle the books, to read the reviews, to open and read a bit in the middle to see if I am comfortable with the writing and I love the smell of a new book. We have a lot of Charity shops here and many a bargain there as well.
Basically I am a Luddite. I want to feel that real thought and work has gone into what I am reading and that it is not just some electronic miracle..

I agree, there is nothing like the feel and smell of a book, esp new ones, and I could spend hours browsing in a book shop, lifting different books down from the shelves and having a good old browse!! Our first granddchild is due in October, and the one thing I am looking forward to most is when they are older, holding him or her on my knee, their lttle body warm and snuggly and " reading " a book together,

Having said that I can see the advantages of a kindle or e reader when travelling, esp now with so many luggage restrictions. I listen to a lot of audio books on my ipod, though one of the problems is I tend to listen in bed then fall asleep after about 5 mins, so totally loose my place, at least with a book you just go back a few pages until something looks familiar.

I think if they were cheaper I would consider one for holiday use, but couldn't justify it at the current price.

This is a great site:
http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/

Free ebooks for kids. Marvellous!

OxfordOwl

GillieB you are not the only Granny who loves Science Fiction and I treated myself to a Kindle, its great can now clear shelves of old tattered favourites as they can be downloaded from Amazon and I can read them any time and any where, Love it

I LOVE my Kindle! It's wonderful to be able to increase the font size of all the books to 'enormous'. If I fall asleep whilst reading, then it will turn itself off, and the last page I was reading comes up first when I next turn it on....

I have kindle for iphone and enjoy reading wherever I am, not when driving I hasten to add!! On the bus, supermarket queue a waiting room. Books are reasonable and of course no p&p.

Another Kindle fan here! I am an avid reader and cannot recommend it highly enough. When we went on a three week holiday in January I had six new books downloaded ready to read.

Sadly, I left my lovely brand new Kindly in the airport at Siem Reap, much to DH's annoyance. However, the insurance company paid up (minus the excess) and I immediately replaced my lost one. What amazed me was that when I fired up the replacement Kindle, I was asked if I would like to download all the books from my old lost one, which I did, for free. This is because the books you buy from Amazon are registered to your e-mail account and can be shared between any number of Kindles registered to that account.

The ability to increase font size and the reading light (I have the red leather cover with integral light - lovely) is wonderful for reading in bed when DH is snoring or on long haul flights when everyone else is sleeping.

I love my Kindle for novels or non-fiction with no illustrations as it's so light but if you need to follow diagrams and look at photos then a printed version is best.

But don't you kindle fans find it difficult going back in the book when you need to refresh your memory or sort a point out? That's my biggest bugbear with it.

Still like the real thing although I can see that Kindles are useful.
Love books,the smell and feel of new books is great.

Have you tried project Gutenberg? Its great,,all classics, lots of them i have never heard of, and I didnt realsie you get a one chapter from Amazon as a try out..But I still love a "real" book.

But, we dont have bookshops now that Borders have gone,neither do we have knitting shops, so everything has to be done on line and its not the same.We do have a really good oxfam book shop tho,But I do miss that new book smell and touch and the sort of "crack" when you open a new one.

I too prefer 'real' books but have got a Blackberry to which I have downloaded some free eBooks - it's great for travelling. I wouldn't buy eBooks to put on it though - nothing beats a 'real' book!

Nanafrancis you could always pay for one suitcase in the hold for all the things you want to take home; my suitcase is often loaded with various things that are either difficult or expensive to buy here and things that the children ask for from here!

I downloaded the kindle to my android phone and it is easy to read a book while sitting on a bus, in a cafe etc. I still prefer paper backs for reading in bed.

Agree about the price difference. I have just ordered a paperback version of Benny and Shrimp from Amazon as the Kindle download was far more expensive.Having said that I love my Kindle and really appreciated its conveniences when on holiday recently...and it doesn't matter if the grandchildren splash it at the pool! It doesn't go soggy and its cover protects it from the sunscreen lotion too.
Put it on your Birthday/Christmas list!