To Kindle or not to Kindle

At the start of lockdown last year, I bought an Amazon Fire for about £40. I get books through my library card on Libby and Overdrive, free books from various websites and Amazon has Kindle Unlimited which means more free reading. I used to go to the library two or three times a month and never thought I’d get used to ereading but I’ve read over 100 books since this time last year. I have an IPad but due to arthritis I find it cumbersome to use in bed. I usually charge it every couple of days whilst I’m asleep. The Amazon Fire is half the thickness of a regular paperback with its cover on. Easy to carry, usual changes to light and font can be made. I added a memory card to store books on so that I could move them to other devices. Thoroughly recommend!

Hate my kindle its languishing in a drawer. I can see they have limited usefulness especially at the moment. fivegee you can always donate your books to a charity or your local library. I read four books a week at least and can always find someone to pass them on to.

This is an Amazon Fire (7)! Not too big and not too small!

You'd already made your decision fivegee before I could add my praise for my Kindle, but now that you have decided, I'd thoroughly recommend the Kindle Paperwhite. I'm on my fifth Kindle, and have recently given up my Fire Tablet/Kindle (I didn't like the Amazon browser).

I can read the paperwhite outside, whereas with all my previous Kindles, the light reflected on the screen so much, it was impossible to read, or in the case of the Fire, see anything else I was trying to do.

To get that feel of holding a book in your hands, look for a cover that opens out so you can hold it in two hands. I only ever use mine one handed (great for easy reading in bed whilst lying on my side ) but my friend likes to hold hers open like a book.

The only downside for me, having a rubbish memory, is not being easily able to flip back a few pages or paragraphs, to remind me of something that happened, or the relationship between two of the characters. I'm sure there's an easy way of doing this, but I've yet to find it

Love my kindle. Ideal for holidays as I can take as many books as I want and not worry about luggage allowance. If I finish a book I can buy a new one straight away. One of my best buys.

Notagranny44 if a book is available as an ebook you will be able to borrow it from your library, all you will need is your Kindle email address ( on your Amazon account).

I have one of the early Kindles so it has no backlight. But I use a small torch if I want to read in the night. I wondered how I would like it being an avid book reader but after a few pages I really forgot it was any different. Not long after I got it I realised I was looking for my bookmark as I finished reading! It has been a real boon since our library has been closed for so long. At the moment my daughter and I have swapped Kindles and are reading each other’s choices.

Another Kindle plus I forgot, when you’re lying in bed (or relaxing on the sofa) and suddenly think, ‘Ooh, I’d love to read such and such a book,’ - then within a minute or so the entire thing of 100,000+ words will have whooshed out of the ether into that little device in your hand.
Can be a bit lethal, though - like Amazon’s One Click!

I have a Kindle Paper white and find its brilliant for reading in bed as it has back light. I download books from Amazon when they are 99p, several a month but cheaper than buying books. However I do miss holding a book and being able to flick back easily to remind myself about the plot or who people are. I also agree that its useful to have a cover that opens like a book. If I receive proper books as a gift its a lovely change though.

A Kindle is a wonderful thing to have, an absolute joy.
I do prefer real books, but my Kindle has been amazing during the lockdown when libraries are closed.
Also they are so useful to take on holiday as books are too heavy in the suuitcase.