Recommendation sought - Night time activity

I love my Kindle and wouldn’t go back to reading books now if you paid me. It has a backlight and the brightness can be adjusted and, if you are a Prime member there are many free books. Otherwise there are many at 99p and even best sellers are usually considerably cheaper than paperbacks. The best thing I find is that you can download a sample of a book which allows you to read the first few pages free before purchasing it. How many times have you bought a book and. after the first few pages, decided you didn’t like it? Well on a Kindle you can just delete it and find another book.

I have two Kindles, one very old and the other a bit newer. They're much lighter and easier to hold if reading in bed.

You can find free books on Amazon or cheap ones for 99p.
I read books too but not usually in bed.

DH could sleep through most things but if it disturbed him, I'd buy a Kindle with a light.

Why don’t you just read before going to bed. Then go to bed and sleep. Skydaner I just have to read to get to sleep!

Icebreaker I’m intrigued about how many people you have sleeping next to you!

If you have an iPad you can download a kindle app as well as borrow ebooks and audio books from your library.

I too like to read during the night when I can’t sleep and I download ebooks from the library onto my iPad so I can have the light dimmed. Ebooks also come in audio versions so I can listen through headphones in the dark so DH isn’t disturbed.

My new Kindle is back-lit and I love it. I can turn the brightness up and down and there’s countless books on Amazon either free or around 99p so I don’t bother with paper books now which would have to be brand new as I cannot bear the thought of grubby looking paperbacks.
I had to have a new Kindle as my old one bit the dust when the battery wouldn’t charge anymore, I did have it for a very long time though and got a £5 voucher when I took it for recycling

Thank you Maggiemaybe, for taking the time to give me all that useful detail. I’m getting more confidence in the whole idea now.

And ferry 23, thank you too. I have found some articles comparing Kobo to Kindle, and I think I may come out in favour of a Kobo.

Cheers M’dears

My Kindle is much older than the one you’re looking at, Icebreaker. It’s a Fire HD 6 from 2015, and it works with the three services offered by my library. Two are ULibrary and CloudLibrary. I also managed to get Libby on it, though my library staff told me it wasn’t compatible and I keep getting warning messages saying my device is too old (just before it opens the book ).

As far as I know BorrowBox, also offered by my library, is just for audiobooks, which I download to my phone to listen to on my more boring walks.

I have a Kobo e-reader, and use that for library books - no problems. I don't want Amazon controlling what I can and can't read!

I originally bought an e-reader when they first came out for travelling rather than packing loads of books but I wouldn't be without it now, I use it all the time and you can also get loads of books from their website for 99p.

Backlit, so you don't disturb anyone else.

Oh! I’m looking at Kindles for sale, and reviews of them on Argos website. In July this year, someone asked the following

Can I download library books?

Hello, from the information we have available, unfortunately no, you can’t download Library books on this Amazon Kindle 2024 6 Inch 16GB Wi-Fi E-Reader. It is not compatible with BorrowBox. Thank you for using Argos Q&A.

Do I need a ‘special’ Kindle, or do I need a library that doesn’t use Borrowbox?

Ooohh… comments coming in thick and fast! I missed the two above.

Another endorsement for Kindles, and I’ve never heard of reading glasses with spotlights! Wow. Must Google them!

Thank you for the ideas and comments everyone.

I have tried the ‘clip onto the book’ style light, and I too found it a bit fiddly. It moved about annoyingly, and was a nuisance to clip and un-clip.

It’s nice and warm in bed! So I like to get really tired from reading, then just close the book and shut the light off, and fall asleep. My mind works overtime otherwise, and I can’t nod off.

The Kindle idea is worth exploring. I wonder if I could transfer library books to a Kindle? I rarely buy a new book. I mainly read borrowed or 2nd hand books, charity shop purchases, or books from the shelves of homes I’m house sitting at.

I’m aware that most libraries allow downloading of E books, but I’ve never done it. I definitely should look into that option, thanks Su22.

Yes, that’s why I have a Kindle too. Well, that and the fact that I can download books for free from our library service. Which is some consolation for our two local libraries having closed down.

My husband reads after I put my lamp out, he uses non prescription glasses that have two little led ‘spotlights’ these aim at the book and are recharged via usb.
Amazon - doesn’t disturb me at all.

Bought a Kindle to download books onto, best thing I ever did doesn't disturb the other half, and I don't lose my page when I fall asleep reading

Why don’t you just read before going to bed. Then go to bed and sleep. I’m not trying to be funny but if my husband wanted to read whilst I was trying to sleep I’d be extremely grumpy.

You can get lights what fix to book on Amazon only problem I find is having to remove it to turn page.

Waterstones sell lights that you can fit on your book and only lights up the page. I think the head lamps are quite bright and may light up the room.