Friday, September 2, 2011

Questions About Kindle Books


The Story Sisters: A Novel The Fairy Tale Fiction of Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie The Seas Black as Snow 

Answering a few questions concerning recent posts:

No, you do not need a Kindle to read these discounted ebooks. The Kindle reading software is available for many different devices, including your computer. I have the software reader on my Kindles, computer, and iPhone. My husband has it on his iPad. With my phone, I am never without reading material and my life is so much happier. I use it more for reading than anything else. Yes, we are a mixed family, I am a PC and he's a Mac. Somehow we've made it work for almost fifteen years. Although I concede that Mac has done the phones and tablets the best so far. Visit this page to download the free softwares for whichever device you prefer.

I do highly recommend a Kindle, too, if you are an avid reader. I was VERY reluctant and am a full convert. A month ago I special ordered a new book from the UK, paying extra because I didn't want to wait for its February 2012 release in the US. The hardcover book arrived almost a month ago and is just slightly smaller than The Goblet of Fire with fluffed font size and page margins. It's not really that long of a book for the size of the object. It is big and heavy and uncomfortable to read. I don't want to carry it around. So my enthusiasm waned and the book is still unread. I bought the special offers Kindle a few months ago and it has paid for itself about twice now in book discounts and other coupons. The ads are not distracting--they only appear at the bottom of the top menu page and on your screensavers. After a few years of looking at the humdrum screensaver on the original Kindles, it's actually fun to see the new ads crop up with different and interesting images.

That said, Amazon's Tablet is rumored for a new release and announcement any day now. I don't know if it will have e-ink tech or not or be more like the iPad and Color Nook. If not, I won't be very interested. The e-ink tech is excellent. No, it is not for color illustrations--there is no color--but for plain reading, nothing beats it technology wise. I still prefer art books and picture books in paper. I don't want interactive picture books too much--kids get enough interactive in other ways and deserve the simplicity of a picture book. But 90% of my reading is straight text and e-ink is the surefire winner for me.

Finally, in my experience with friends and acquaintances who own Kindles--about 20 of them now--only one isn't a complete convert. I meet people for lunches who have their Kindles at hand. All of them say that they read faster and easier with the Kindle since it disappears once you adjust to it. This reaction has ranged from a retired college English professor to several mom friends and even my dad. The most surprising converts were my mom-in-law and sister-in-law who were averaging perhaps 10 books a year and have already read at least that many books since acquiring their own Kindles six months ago. They love adjusting the font size, getting overall less expensive books, and the convenience of book shopping. My sister-in-law was schooling me a few days ago about the various Kindle lights she has used and preferred. That was unexpected.

My dad even joked a few weeks ago that he missed his Kindle when he got two paper cuts from reading a paper book he had. Not that papercuts are common but they happen! Believe it or not, you won't miss FEELING THE PAGES nearly as much as you think you will. I have only heard that from people who have not tried one. Those who have actually TRIED ereaders never mention missing a physical book again. The caps are because that is the number one excuse I hear for not trying an ereader in general--it was one of my own years ago--but these days sounds like someone saying they don't like chocolate when they've never tasted it, vanilla is good enough for them because they love it. Well, I love both. (And now I am craving a chocolate and vanilla twist cone. Hmmmm....)

And reading is much more anonymous. I read a lot of genre fiction for fun and some of those covers are downright embarrassing. I no longer care because my Kindle is quite innocuous. Although it is interesting to read what other people have highlighted in the same books which adds to the shared reading experience of ebooks.

And most books are allowed on five devices at the minimum at a time so you can buy one book and read it along with your spouse, parent or whoever shares your account. You can also lend books with most titles although you can't access them on your account while they are lent out. The lending library technology is still under development with Amazon and libraries, but that is supposed to be available by the end of the year, too.

Buying an ebook reduces used book sales in which authors receive no money for their work. My priority is the author getting paid and an ebook purchase is better than a used book purchase for the author.

The Kindle is hypoallergenic, too. No allergies with older, yellowing books or library books filled with smoke or perfume odors. I am extremely sensitive to all of these issues so I prefer my Kindle even more.

Overall, everyone loves having less book clutter, adjustable font size and the ability to read one handed which more than doubles your comfortable reading positions. Or even no handed actually. I prop up my Kindle quite frequently and also use it while exercising on my elliptical. I use books all day long--I am not foregoing books in my life--I am swimming in them with my research and other pursuits. They are my life and one of my main sources of happiness. But I love my Kindle for its lightweight, easy reading.

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