The Book Vipers discussion

How many of you use e-readers to read your books? If you do, what sort do you have?

I have got a Kindle, and a Kindle Fire (my birthday present this year!) and I also have a Kobo mini reader so that I can borrow books from the library.

I also have the Kindle app on my phone, so that I can sync between it and the kindle, as I don't always want to take my kindle with me when out.

My husband has a Kindle Paperwhite, which he loves as it is back-lit and has touch screen.

I think we might be becoming a bit obsessed in this house!

We have an iPad and two samsung tablets! all have got the Kindle app on

I have a Kindle Keyboard (don't think they make them any more!) and have loaded it up all ready for my holiday in a few weeks.

I rarely pay for books for it though..!

I have been thinking about upgrading to a paperwhite, can you read them in the dark?

I really hope they do library loans on the kindle eventually though.

The paperwhite is good enough to read in the dark, according to my husband!

The Kobo mini reader is apparently now under £30 in WH Smiths and you can get library books onto it by the Overdrive software.

I also have a kindle keyboard with light so I can read in the dark. My son gave it to me and I love it. Free 3g for life and online access.

I get a free book list everyday from bookbub.com.

Kindle (one of the old ones) and occassionally Kindle App.

I use cool reader app, kobo app and kindle app(for pdf files) for android and Adobe Digital Editions on my computer

I bought my husband a Kindle Keyboard almost 2 years ago. He still loves it and I use it sometimes. But mostly I read on my netbook using the Kindle for PC application software. I've never had trouble with eye-strain on the netbook, but my husband gets eye-strain even from paper. So the Kindle eInk technology is great for him. Before the Kindle, he wasn't able to read for more than half an hour at a time, but now he can read for hours.

I started with a kindle keyboard and then upgraded to a kindle touch. Have brought all the family a kindle and even my sister has started reading which she hasn't done for years. I also have the kindle app on all my apple gadgets so I can read and sync bookmarks

Not sure I would like the white background of the kindle paper though don't normally like reading black on white

I have got a basic kindle and I love it! I still buy cheap second hand paperbacks though and get books out of the library, so much to my husbands dismay it hasn't cut down on the amount of books in the house! I especially love it for holidays.

I have Rheumatoid athritis and cannot hold books for long enough (I'm not a five minute sit and read - more a 5 hour lol)so about 3 christmases ago my hubby bought me a Sony E Reader and I can truly say it is the best present anyone has ever ever bought me I would be lost without i, it goes everywhere with me and I can't imagine life without it - I once couldn't imagine life without physical books (and shh don't let on but I still have quite a few "real" books too even if i have to sit at the kitchen table to read them).

I would, in all honesty be too scared to get e-reader, being accident prone and generally cursed when it comes to electrical equipment. I read in the bath, so with a book I don't have to worry about dropping it in or getting splashed, as on the whole it will dry off and be readable. I take books to work to read at lunch, I throw it in my bag and if it gets tossed about and bashed up a bit it isn't a problem. I always read around the pool on hols and leave the book on the sun lounger when I swim, because no body is going to steal a book, and if they do I’ve lost £7.99 or something, which is only a mild annoyance. I can guarantee within a few months of me buying an e-reader it would be smashed, water logged, stolen or all three.

I have a regular Kindle - about 18 months old version. I absolutely love it, but cannot resist the lure of a good old paperback.... if it's cheap on Kindle, then I get it on there. Otherwise, I source second hand paperbacks on ebay/charity bookshop/amazon and also borrow quite a bit from my library.

I do use the Kindle app on both my iPad and iPhone too.

I lost many books before, I left them in planes, doctor' office, you name it. I have a Nook for over 2 years and is with me all the time, fits perfect in my purse, has a cover, never left it anywhere and I LOVE IT! Soon I will buy the new with the light, I already went to look at it. But I still read a lot of books in paper, I like to smell the paper, and when I get then used or from the library I always wonder about how other people like it. Maybe I am a romantic...

I have a kindle question - on kobo etc when you turn the page the screen flashes black/white reversed (does that even make sense!!)

I love books in paper so much, for the same reason as you Beatriz, but I am umming and ahhing over a kindle...

I have a kindle keyboard (had it for about 2 1/2 years) and I LOVE it!! I was skeptical but having gone travelling round Australia it was breaking my heart to buy a book (new ones are between $30-40!!) finish it in a week then have to leave it because I didn't have room for it in my backpack. So the kindle is perfect for me. IO do sometimes miss the feeling a holding a book but soon get over it-and pretty much all books are so much cheaper on kindle...its win-win situation! I even broke it on a boat in the Whitsundays and amazon sent me a new one for free!!

i love my kindle. i like going to the cheap books and finding awesome books that are not well known for $1

I started with a Kindle Keyboard then gave it away to get a Kindle Fire. But I missed reading on the eink screen so I bought a Kindle Paperwhite. Paperwhite is my favorite! I love the backlit screen. I also like that it keeps track of reading speed and estimates the time it will take to read a chapter. That is motivating while reading a slower paced book.

I prefer real books but I do have a kindle for those books that are just for out on ebook. My kindle is the Kindle touch

I have recently got a Kindle Fire. Am still finding my way round it so can I ask anyone who has one how on earth do you delete apps or books when you have finished with them? Have been through all the menus and can't find how to do this. Thanks.

Linda wrote: "I have recently got a Kindle Fire. Am still finding my way round it so can I ask anyone who has one how on earth do you delete apps or books when you have finished with them? Have been through all ..."

I've got a Kindle Fire, but haven't had it very long. I'll have a look and see if I can find out what to do, unless someone else comes along before I get round to it! I think there's several KF owners on here.

I have a regular Kindle, one without the keyboard. I sometimes try to do "touch screen" on it, because I am so used to iPhone and iPad! But other than that, I love it. My next move will be to a Paperwhite (deep envy of you Bobbi Jo) as I would like the backlit screen ideally.

I have the, now extinct;-), kindle keyboard. I love it, but being a gadget fan, I'm starting to get an itch that only a kindle paperwhite could scratch! I've had my kindle for nearly two years now, and recently the screen has been playing tricks on me, so I'm kind of hoping that if it does go bad, it will be just in time for my birthday in October!

Thank you Elizabeth, would appreciate the help. Thanks.

Linda wrote: "Thank you Elizabeth, would appreciate the help. Thanks."

Hopefully will get back to you within the hour or so!

Right, I have my Kindle Fire in front of me now!

To remove a book from the Carousel you need to press and hold the book cover and you get a choice of three - add to favourites, remove from carousel or remove from device. Select remove from device to delete it. Same method for an app.

Does that work on your Kindle Fire, Linda?

Thank you Elizabeth, that worked fine.

I have a basic Kindle (no keyboard, no paperwhite) and I love it. I use it with a lighted cover for whenever lighting conditions aren't ideal for reading.

I have one of the amazon ones with the keyboard, plus I've occasionally used apps on my mobile and tablet, but I don't use them a lot as I prefer to read paper books - they're handy for classics and freebies, and for reading when I might not otherwise have a book to hand.

I bought the ereader partly as a gadget and partly to try to reinvigorate my interest in reading, which was hugely successful even if I only use the thing occasionally!

I swore blind that I would never get an E-Reader. Had to have a real book.

Then I got an iPad, and started to discover the convenience of having my favourite newspaper and magazines on it. Then it was a small step to try out iBooks. And then the Kindle app....

And then I got the Kindle Paperwhite.

I love e-books!

You used to be able to link your e-reader to Goodreads, apparently, so updates would ping through, but not any more alas. I use mine quite a bit (generally because I buy books on it when the prices drop and for classics which are often free or very cheap) so it would be a neat trick for it to update my Goodreads feed as well....

I did link my kindle when I first got it (2011), but it has never updated to goodreads no matter what I did :/

I was (secretly) horrified when my husband bought me a Kindle two years ago, as I've always been a huge book collector. However to be polite I gave it a go and found I loved it. Now I have a Kindle Fire too, which I like because of the screen light for reading in bed, but I still use the original one a lot because it's much less heavy. It's probably just as well I've moved to Kindle as we live in a small house and we were starting to trip over stacks of books!

My Kindle is really useful when going on holiday - I'm sure my stock of holiday reading added a couple of extra Kg's to the suitcase weight - now I can take extra T-bags or shoes!!

The last few cottages I stayed at on holidays had quite a few books so though I took an ereader I found books there to read, which was good.

I find that I end up fiddling with the gadget when using an ereader, which rather takes my concentration away from what I'm reading. I like the quick access to a dictionary but find it a far less satisfying experience compared to a paper book, even if some paper books can be a little unwieldy!

My daughter is a tree-book purist I'm afraid - I've tried to convert her but to no avail!

Nothing wrong with being a tree book purist T4 - surely no worse than being besotted by an electronic gizmo! ;-)

Oh I don't know Paul - I'm sure my Kindle loves me!!

Am on my 3rd kindle now, they seem to freeze after a year or so but keep buying replacements as cant imagine life without one! And saves books taking over the house! lol Cant beat the feel and smell of a real books though and thanks to free books on kindle now can treat myself to special editions of my fav books to read and treasure. Best of both worlds :-)

I'm wondering if mine's going wrong as when I reloaded it all the lists had disappeared! Can't really face splitting 200 books again if the groups are just going to get "lost" so maybe it's time for a new one.

@Jean - That happened to me once. After I spent time putting my 500+ books back into their collections, I found you can import collections if you have your books backed up by having "annotations backup" turned on in your settings.

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away is 56p today. Very highly rated on Amazon and on here.

Leslie - thanks for that. Checked, and it was on as a default. Phoned their helpline and they are completely mystified. "That shouldn't happen!" they said. So an unusual problem and no way out other than to regroup them all. *Sigh*

Since it baffled them I have done this, and am crossing my fingers that it was a once in a lifetime occurrence!

I've got an old style (!) kindle, and also have I-books on the iPad, which I've just read Oliver Twist on. I've found my eyes have been sore & dry from too much screen time, so I won't use it too much again, although it was ok with shorter reads. The kindle screen is superb for reading from, no 'screen eyes'. I confess, I really love a physical book & can't bear the thought of losing them! My kindle has sat in a drawer for a long time (now fired up again). I'm going to start using it more, any tips? Embarrassing admission of the day - It had been so long since I used it I had to google how to turn the pages :0. What a dummy!

Funny you should say that Chatterjak - I've got a "sticky notes" app that I keep on my desktop to remind me of things like this, so you are not alone!!

I use a 10" Samsung tablet and OverDrive Media app since it is the preferred reader for my library. I actually really like OverDrive Media: easy and straight forward reading and commands although I liked their interface better before their latest update. I also use Kindle sometimes but like OverDrive Media better.

I love my kindle I use it all the time. It accesses you to so many books. I have read a few free books lately which we're quite good (for a freebie) silence and 48 hrs

I have a kindle but still read regular books mostly and was reading a regular book the other day before going to sleep, when I needed to turn the page. I tapped the page twice before realising that was not how I was supposed to be doing it!

I have a Kindle Fire HD. To me it's kind of slow to start up and I don't care much for the battery. I still mainly read books, but do use it for free ebooks and arcs. Also have uploaded fanfiction on there :) Wish I could bookmark docs and stuff I put on there myself!

I have an old Kindle keyboard and a Kindle Paperwhite. I bought the Paperwhite because my Kindle keyboard was getting old, and I liked the idea of all the features on the Paperwhite. But now I kind of regret buying the Paperwhite - I know lots of people love it, but I find the text isn't so dark, and it's not spaced in the same regular way it is on the Kindle keyboard, so it's harder to read.

I thought it must be my eyes at first, but I looked at the same page of the same book on both devices, with the same text settings, and there was a marked difference. And the Paperwhite only has half the storage space of the Kindle keyboard too. If I want to read in the dark, I can just read on the Kindle app on my phone, but I don't normally have reason to read in the dark.

I have a Kindle Fire too, but I bought that more as a cheap tablet to take around with me and use the internet when I'm out and about. I don't really like reading on a backlit screen, but still, it's good for reading books with colour illustrations.

I'm thinking of buying a Kobo Mini, because they're on offer at £29 a the moment, and I'd quite like something bigger than my phone and smaller than my Kindles. I actually find the regular, non-lit e-readers easier on the eyes than paper books. I hardly ever read paper books nowadays - I find them quite hard to adjust to now!