Reading - books or ereader (other kindles are available)!

[Time Waster]

I'm an inconsistent reader. I've got low tolerance for poor stimulus. A book needs to entertain and grab me or I'll lose interest. However I'm trying to improve myself and read books more frequently.

To this end I've been borrowing books from my old local library but it's inconvenient to get to. I'm on my second kindle but it has a big flaw IMHO. You can't read a bit before buying. A bookshop or library I can stand and read random bits through the book to see if I like the writing style. However they've got a lot of benefits over paper based books.

So what is your view on reading? Do you like kindles or proper books? How do you find out about books or authors? How do you choose what book to get?

I often get lucky dip book bags from the library. You choose category or categories of books and the librarian picks the books accordingly. I quite like ereaders but I really struggle to find books I like. I don't like picking a duff one for me. That's why I'm posting on here to find out what others do. BTW I suspect (and my GP) that I have ADHD hence my difficulties actually reading and getting into books. Although once hooked I tend to get hyperfocussed on the book and/ or the author.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Have you tried audiobooks? Or even BBC 'radio readings' (which are heavily abridged)?
I could offer you lots of (free) links if you want to give them a try; I existed exclusively on audiobooks for several years while my eyesight was deteriorating and before the technology was available for a very special surgeon to fix it.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Hmm

I used to read books because that was the only option otehr than reading it on a computer - i.e. desktop or laptop

When I got a kindle reading was transformed
I could read with no movement - I could focus on the words and nothing else except for a brief tap at the end of each page
words were all


and that suits my reading
I need only the words - the pictures are in my mind and flow back and forth based on the words which create the pictures

I can read any old rubbish as long as the plot and characters are OK
My wife needs a book to be well written - proper language and proper plot well thought out and written
She has spoiled several of my favourite fantasy books by reading 1 page and pointing out how terrible the writing it


so - back to the point - finally

both of us focus on the words - she need good writing and I need good characters

other people enjoy reading based on the whole experience - the feel of the paper - weight of the book - the experience of physically turning the pages
the words are a major part of the experience but not the whole by a long way

personally the weight of the book and the necessity of turning the pages interrupts the flow of the words
if a kindle could folow my eyes and automatically turn the page at the right time - I would be happy.

I think of it like a 3 Michelin star restaurant - they focus on the experience - the moment you walk in the smells the sounds, the smell, the colours
EVERYTHING
this is the reading of a real book to these people



personally if the food tastes nice and nothing hurts then I will be happy with the restaurant - the food is all important
so a good pub is fine by me


Add onto that - I used to have to take about 5 books on holiday with me - and even then I sometimes ran out
nowadays I can take 10 and they take up no space at al as I have then in hand luggage - all on the kindle


there are 2 different experiences
some suit some people - the other suits other people

 

[ColinJ]

To this end I've been borrowing books from my old local library but it's inconvenient to get to. I'm on my second kindle but it has a big flaw IMHO. You can't read a bit before buying.

You CAN... Look at the cover picture on the left of the Amazon Kindle listing. There will (usually?) be a 'Look inside' link that you can click on. It doesn't let you skim through the entire book but you should get a few pages worth. For example...

 

[Reynard]

Proper books for me. For one, the battery never runs out

I like to trawl through the offerings in charity shops and places selling discount books (e.g. The Works), but you do have to wade through a lot of dross sometimes.

Although I do read on the laptop, as I like to sample the offerings on fanfiction.net - all amateur-written fan fiction set in all sorts of different universes (my favourites are Harry Potter, Babylon 5 & Star Trek). There's something for all tastes, but you do have to search to find the good stuff. Although when you do, there's some serious professional-level work on there.

The best way to uncover new stories on fanfic.net is to find something you like, and then go to the author's profile and look for their other works, or works listed in their "favourites" section.

 

[Time Waster]

I don't think the look inside works for fiction. Certainly looking at books on kindle tonight no fiction book that I had look at had look inside.

Then again I've used look inside on non fiction books to not get into the main, body of the book. Title page, contents, preface, introduction etc. It's like you can't read the body or meat of the book to see whether you'll like it. Often a useless feature IMHO.

 

[Time Waster]

Batteries on my original kindle was very good until it simply stopped trading charge. Second one doesn't seem to have as good a battery. Then there's turning it off. I seem to recall my original kindle actually fully turned off so if you left it a long time it still had charge. My new one looks like it doesn't fully turn off so if you leave it a long time it is flat.

I used a kindle or tablet for work. We were preparing for update of our quality system it the latest ISO9001 version and a recert audit. I bought a kindle book on it and referred heavily to it on the munroe app add I did the paperwork. Not as easy on kindle I think.

 

[rualexander]

Get a Kobo ereader instead of Kindle.
Much more flexible usage than Kindle.
You can the use Borrowbox or similar app to borrow ebooks from your local library service. To use on an ereader you need to download them via a PC though, and transfer to the ereader.
Or they can be downloaded directly to phones and tablets, including Kindle Fire.

 

[a.twiddler]

I second that. I've had a Kobo Glo for years and though I don't use it as often as I might the battery still lasts for months once charged. There is something very enjoyable about the black on white display. A useful thing to take on holiday, though a bit more complicated to borrow books for than just going to the library and picking up an actual book. Although I buy books occasionally, I'm still a bit averse to paying for downloads if I can get the same one from the library for free. I have no objection to books. I enjoy the weight, the feel, the smell of a new one. The rustle of the pages and knowing how far I've got by the progress of the bookmark. Apart from the page number, there isn't much instant indication of your progress with an e reader. I don't read much on the phone, but I do read stuff on the laptop. Books are great though, you don't have that feel of using up electricity and as long as there is enough light to see, you can read anywhere.

I went for the Kobo rather than the Kindle because I think that Amazon is just too omnipresent in everything these days and I favour the underdog. That, and Amazon's employment and tax practices.

 

[ColinJ]

I don't think the look inside works for fiction. Certainly looking at books on kindle tonight no fiction book that I had look at had look inside.

Very odd...

I tried 6 Kindle novels at random... 3 old ones: 1984, Sons and Lovers, Oliver Twist; 3 more modern ones: Harry Potter complete set, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Runaway Jury. Every single one of them had 'Look inside'!

 

[Time Waster]

Nope osman murder club no lol inside. Others too just checked. However look again when I've used it generally wastes the free pages on the useless pages at the front of the book. The title page, acknowledgement page, copyright page, etc. By the time you've got to the end of the preface you've run out of free pages in many cases.

I have no idea how they chose which books yet look inside but when I've been looking lately its not on the books I'm looking at.

 

[Time Waster]

I like the idea of kobe and I heard there's good ereaders from Sony too. However amazon and kindle is easier since I'm already into the amazon ecosystem with prime.

With kobe, are they linked to Barnes and Noble in America? Can you load kindle books or is it a complete break? If tied in to B&N is that much different to kindle in that even kindle can display other formats such as free to access pdf books.

Borrow box is annoying with the kindle though. If or when my kindle goes again I might look at other ereaders. Mind you I do have some expensive books on kindle that I really don't want to have to buy again so perhaps the benefits need to be greater.

BTW with prime you get free books and some are actually best sellers too

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You can borrow e books from your local library. You just need to register.

 

[annedonnelly]

I'm in the Kobo camp originally to get ebooks from the library when it was difficult to get there. I was brought up using the library and have probably been a member for best part of 50 years. I don't like Amazon so I wouldn't have a Kindle.

I like to pick up books in charity shops. I read so many that I don't want to pay full price for them

One thing that's been good over the last two years is a free book swap shelf in the local co-op. I've picked up books there that I'd never thought to try otherwise. Read a few Ken Follet after getting one there.

I'm back using the Kobo while I'm stuck indoors. I do have a few charity shop finds unread but I'm leaving them as a treat when life gets a bit more normal.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

We have books to read in bus shelters and old phone boxes in local villages. Go for a bike ride, stop and read a few pages, mark your spot, and hide the book for next time.