Well … I bit the bullet and went and bought a Kindle. I’ve been look at the Kindle and thinking about getting one for at least a year.
Last weekend I finally decided that the time had come to get one. Why .. well maybe it had something to do with the super heavy novel that I’m trying to finish reading (The Girl who played with Fire). The thought of reading it on something that weighs just over half a pound was appealing. I mean, have you see how thick and heavy the novel – The Girl Who Played with Fire is? It must weight four or five pounds!
I ordered the Kindle on Saturday and it arrived last Tuesday – a day earlier than had been estimated. Of course I had to play with my new toy within minutes of it’s arrival.
I had already downloaded a few (21) free Kindle books from Amazon over the weekend. Did you know they have quite a few classics (pre 1923) that they offer for free? They also have a version of kindle for the PC so even if you don’t get an actual Kindle you can still read books created for the Kindle on your computer or even your iPhone or iPad.
The first thing I did with the Kindle was to start reading the instruction manual that came loaded in the Kindle. The Kindle was very easy to figure out, but reading the manual gave me a way to start getting used to using the Kindle and reading a book on a computer like doohickey rather than on paper. It only took me about 10 minutes into the manual to start becoming very comfortable reading on the Kindle.
I still haven’t finished reading the manual. I wanted to get started reading something I was interested in as soon as possible so I transferred the many free books that I’d found on Amazon to my Kindle and later that evening I went shopping for more books – Ones that I actually paid for.
Kindle books come in a wide range of prices. To justify the expense of buying the Kindle I’m trying to get books that are $6 and under … so I guess I won’t be getting any newly published books for a while. I’m in Canada so the prices and deals aren’t as good for me as it is for my American friends. Oh and I’ve also found several other websites where I can download or buy more books that will work on the Kindle.
So I guess I’ll be reading as much as possible in what little spare time I have.
I’m not thrilled with how Amazon is set up for finding Kindle books. If you’re just browsing it’s kind of hard to find books in the price range that you’re interested in. It’s kind of tedious like filling out an employment screening form. I certainly got used to reading on the Kindle faster than I have searching for books I want to read.
Do you have a Kindle or have you tried reading eBooks on your computer, iPhone or iPad? How do you like reading books on something like the Kindle? I’m enjoying it, but I tend to read on my side in bed so I’m terribly afraid of falling asleep and dropping the Kindle only to wake up as it crashes to the floor!
Oh and if anyone knows of some good sites where I can get really good deals on eBooks I’d love to hear about them.
I don’t have a Kindle, but I read books on my Kindle for iPhone app all the time! I’ve purchased a few, but mostly just been reading the for-free classics that are available. There were also several Harlequin books available for free as a part of their anniversary promotion, I believe.
I got a kindle when the kindle 2 first came out – I’d ordered the original at Christmas week, and within a month, Amazon announced the Kindle 2 was being sent out in place of the original. I ended up getting mine at the end of February 2009 (2 mos after I ordered!).
I absolutely *love* my kindle. I am completely spoiled having the ability to have a book (or hundreds) at my fingertips no matter where I am – I always have my kindle with me. I haven’t even read a paper book since I got it. It’s just nice knowing I am not using paper/ink/shipping etc for reading. I have the kindle PC loaded to my computer so if I want (haven’t yet) I can read on my computer too.
I fall asleep with my kindle all the time too – side sleeper here – and my husband will periodically turn the light off for me.. I’ll wake up a while later and put it on the table. I’ve never before fallen asleep while reading, but since my kindle, I read so much at night, I do, ha.
Also, i’ve never been much to read out loud to my kids – I have a hard time with it because I start yawning obsessively.. since having my kindle, my boys and I read every night at bedtime and it’s been great! We are currently reading a series called Fablehaven.
My kindle has been worth every penny spent, both on it and on books. I am like you though, I stay under about $7.00 or so, unless I’ve been reading the series, then I may splurge on one book for closer to $9..
Enjoy!
Well, with the Kindle you can have many books stored and downloaded into the device rather than holding several paperback books.
I have to admit that the latest Kindle – DX it’s pretty cool, but still i like best my Nook 🙂 (p.s. it has also a colorful touchscreen). Hope you’ll enjoy your Kindle!
I really am torn between ease and space friendly nature of the latest technology, and the physical comfort of a good book. I was considering getting a kindle, but I like the touch, feel and even the smell of a good book. I know that it might not be ‘eco-friendly’ to be such a slave to things traditional, but, has anyone ever come across statistics that compare the carbon footprint of a kindle creation and usage as opposed to that of a book? I’d love to be persuaded otherwise if I thought that from a sustainability point of view, that a kindle was the best choice.
Well, with the Kindle you can have many books stored and downloaded into the device rather than holding several paperback books.
Here’s some info worth reading on how green the kindle is (or it’s carbon footprint).
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/28/study-finds-kindle-more-eco-friendly-than-actual-books-maybe/
http://www.thechicecologist.com/2009/03/save-trees-and-read-green-with-a-kindle/
There are more articles about it – just plug your keywords into a search engine and see what comes up.
For me, I haven’t bought one paper book since having my kindle. I quit reading the news “paper” a long time ago and get my news online instead. I feel like my kindle is worth it!
I read ebooks through iPad and it’s a breeze. Haven’t tried though with Kindle.
Suggest you get a protection for your Kindle to avoid breakage or further damage if ever it crashes to the floor. 🙂
I have been using a Kindle – version 1 – for nearly 1 year, over 100 books read on it. It has been awesome. Made a number of trips and the wireless connection has only been out of service 1 time. Welcome to the club.
I just purchased a Kindle and am eagerly awaiting its arrival. I will let you know how i like it. All of those free books from before 1923 are what made me decide to go ahead and buy.
I think about purchasing one too but now I’ll wait till you confirm if it is a good one or not 🙂 thank you
You will love it. I travel a lot so I bought one last month and I use it constantly to read. Its a life saver on long boring trips. I also made my bag a lot lighter.
I really want a Kindle. I’m always on the train so I think that this will be a good investment.
I’ve used the Kindle app for the iPhone. The first version was a little rough, but it has improved since then. It also comes with some of those free out of copyright books you mentioned. Happy reading 🙂
I used to read ebooks from my Ipod touch, but I got tired and bought a Kindle, now I’m waiting for the next kindle Fire