Chicks On Lit discussion

I have an iPad and would consider getting a Kindle if I decided I was into the whole e-book thing. What is everyone's opinion on these?

Here are my concerns:

(*) I have books from 10+ years ago. I am not sure that I like the idea of not being able to re-read books later if I decide I don't want to keep buying whatever e-reader I'm locked into or if the service shuts down and suddenly my books can't open or whatever.
(*) I've heard the e-ink screens are wonderful to read, but I'm not sure about the format... I think there is something to be said for flipping through a book, knowing how far along you are, etc.
(*) Books don't need batteries.

I think these are probably pretty common questions... who better to answer than a bunch of readers! Does anyone have opinions on this? Thanks!

Well, I now have a Sony that I just bought and I love it. Am still learning how to maneuver on it but it is worth the money. Also use my IPod Touch for Kindle and the Nook. Have an ebook reader on there also but have not used it as of yet. Love the feel of paper but also love ebooks. There are some authors that I like to read that are not in paper form so they are on my readers. Love them all.

I have sony touchscreen and Infibeam Pi ( an Indian non touch screen E Reader) and I love them both. The pros are you can store as much books as you like - I download quite a lot of ebooks from the net for free, it is quite cost effective. You can carry your collection everywhere.
Cons as you well know are the initial cost, constant recharging (atleast once in 3-4 days for me), fragility of the devices ( one got broken due to my carelessness and had to replace it, and both occasionally do get 'stuck' as any other electronic device like mobile phones).
But I do feel owning an E Reader can boost up your reading, though I had to sacrifice my book buying spree. Past one year I have bought around a dozen books or so for myself, whereas the preceding year I had bought nearly 200 new books.

Kate, since you have an iPad, why don't you just get the free kindle app for iPads?
One of the things that has keep me from getting a Kindle is the fact that it is a spendy piece of electronic equipment, that will break down and become outdated, that only reads books. The idea of a e-book reader that is also a computer would make me happier, since it would have multiple uses. So I think having an iPad (which sound neat, though I don't own one) with the kindle app on it to read books, would be a nice compromise.

Sheila, I do have the kindle app for the iPad, and I've used it to read some free books (books out of copyright). It's not that the experience is not enjoyable, I am just uncertain how tenable the entire idea is because of the reasons I outlined. In 10 years, will I still want to own something that can read Kindle's format? Will the Kindle format even exist? If not, can I still read all the books I bought under that format? I do very much love the idea of always having all of books with me (especially those heavy books I reference for work!); I suppose what I am most concerned about is: are these books "mine"? Can I access them whenever I need them and how I want to?

Thank you all for the replies so far! It sounds like people love their e-readers :)

Is the Kindle app the same as the eBooks app for iPad? I thought Apple had its own e-reader app. I would trust that anything in Apple's format would be more tenable than the Kindle format.

Amazon currently holds 80%+ of the ebook market and, as a company, isn't going anywhere any time soon. And their ebook sales have surpassed hardback sales. It's stock is high and the company is in very good shape, while companies like Barnes & Noble have been struggling in the red for a while. Apple is doing well, but isn't really in the book business and I don't like reading on backlit screens because I get migraines.
Anyway, I don't think you have to worry about the companies caving. Even though B&N is struggling, they would close under performing stores or get rid of unnecessary positions in the corporation before they would give up on a booming ebook business. (Ebook sales in general are up something like 210% in the last quarter.)

I would think that if Amazon upgraded ebooks to a different format, that they would also upgrade your purchased library to work with a new format, or that the future versions of the Kindle would be backwards compatible.

Of course, with any technology, the potential for becoming obsolete is there. It is most likely going to be quite a while before anything comes along that could make the current ebook formats obsolete. It didn't stop me from buying DVD's and it won't stop me from buying Blu-ray discs, video games, or Kindle books.

Some benefits of ereaders:
E-ink is easy on the eyes and looks the same as a regular book
Lightweight
Books are almost always cheaper, classics are free
Easier access to indie authors
Samples!! (try the first few chapters of a book for free before you decide to buy)
Saving trees
Saving shelf space
Buying books on the go from anywhere at anytime and receiving them instantly!
Take an entire library with you in your purse and on trips


I prefer the Kindle. Like I said before the iPads are backlit which cause eye strain and give me migraines, and if you've ever tried to mess with an iPhone or iPad outdoors, you know about the problem with glare making it almost impossible to see. Eink screens like the ones on Kindle or Nook don't have that issue. No glare is good. :)

I love my ereader. Nothing like being able to carry a whole series around in your purse.

I love my Kindle! I currently have 90 books on it. How else can I carry 90 books with me at one time?!?!? :-)

I am kind of tempted by the ereaders... but on the other hand, I dislike the whole idea of them. There is something special about an actual book with a cover, pages, etc. And I hate that everything these days is computerized and digitized. But as a reader, of course I'm curious by these ereaders and I can see the perks - bringing a lot of books with me everywhere, downloading instantly books that I want, fun to play with, etc.

I have to say that to me, the cons outweigh the pros of an ereader, at least for now. Sure I can bring a ton of "books" with me where ever I go, but no machine lasts forever and eventually there will be some technical issue. And I kind of like having a book with me in my purse until I finish it, going home and picking up the next one. Why carry 50 books around with you if you're only reading one or two at a time?

As for instantly downloading books, that's very cool if I'm stuck somewhere and need one ASAP. But I also love the bookstore experience, getting to go into a store among fellow booknerds and wandering the aisles until I make my purchases. And once they're purchased, they're MINE, not at the risk of an ereader company deleting them or losing them thanks to some malfunction.

The cost is also a bit high for me - hundreds of dollars just for the device, plus the price of the ebooks, when I could probably find the book I'm looking for at a used bookstore, or get it at a store with a 40% off coupon. But the standard price for really popular ebooks seem to be around $13, which seems like a lot of money for something not even tangible.

For me, I'm loyal to the actual books. I might cave some day and get an ereader if I'm going to travel a lot, which is the only instance I can really see it being worth it and beneficial.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for you :o)

oooh come to the dark side... get a reader. You'll like it.
No seriously, unless you have some extra money, don't drop two hundred bucks on something you might not like.
I love my reader but
I first read some books on my computer, then I bought a pocket pc on ebay for twenty-five dollars.
After that, I took the plunge to a real ereader.

Can you use one on an airplane? They don't want you using anything with an on/off switch for at least part of the flight.

You can turn the wireless off, but it depends on the flight. Sometimes they will make you turn off everything, and sometimes they only make you turn off wireless. At least that is what I've heard. I've never been on a flight that didn't let you use electronics at all. People usually have mp3 players, etc. on and an ereader with wireless turned off is no different than something like that.

No on/off is for about the first and last 10 minutes of each and every flight.

Yeah, that's how I thought it was too. But I've had numerous people tell me that on some flights, they were not allowed to turn their electronics on for the entire duration. I had never heard of such, and have never experienced it. Maybe they had some kind of wonky flight or one that was really short. I've never had a problem with using it on a flight though.

I've been debating as well.......thanks for this thread....

I have a kindle and I love it. I agree with the nice feeling of having a tangible book and turning the pages. I also am kind of frustrated by not knowing how far along I am but it does give you a percentage.

I am slightly scared that the money I put into these books will be wasted if e-readers go out of fashion, but I would not be scared of losing them. Amazon backs your books up on their site so in case you delete them, you still own them.

The e-ink screen is very nice and I like the feature of being able to make notes and bookmark pages. The best feature for me is that I can read my books on my computer, an iphone or my kindle and it will sync to the farthest page read. :)

On the other side of it though, I love to lend my books to my friends to read and this is impossible with ebooks. Also, if I know I will love a book (a book in a series for example) then I will want it in hardback/paperback to keep in my collection so in that case I will buy the actual book.

I like the kindle a lot and I'm happy I have it, but like others said, it's more cost effective to buy used books or spend <$5 more for a tangible item.

I love my Kindle. I was hesitant at first because I loved books so much. I thought that I would miss the feel of the hardbacks and the turning of the pages. However, this has not bothered me yet. I love the ease and the feel of being able to curl up and use one finger to turn the page. The e-ink is so easy on the eyes as well. I can read double on the Kindle what I can in real books.

I still frequent the bookstores, a lot! I will go in and hold the books and read the covers and make my lists. Then I will go over the coffee shop, sit down with the my Kindle, read the reviews of the ones I have noted and buy them instantly if I am so inclined. All of this while sipping my coffee! Plus, I cannot tell you how many free books I have downloaded and read on my Kindle. Authors that I now love, I would have never known about without the free give aways from Amazon.

I do not worry about losing my books. I have my books on my computer, on my iTouch, on my Blackberry, and on my Kindle. Usually once I read a book, I use it for trade credit or give it away so this does not matter to me.

I really do LOVE my Kindle!

Jenny wrote: "Yeah, that's how I thought it was too. But I've had numerous people tell me that on some flights, they were not allowed to turn their electronics on for the entire duration. I had never heard of su..."

I have been on flights where they will not allow electronics. These flights are the ones where you are not in the air long enough to get to 30,000 feet for more than a couple of minutes.

Since they only allow electronics (at least in the USA) above 30,000 feet-- if they don't reach it/only for a short time, you don't get to use them. ;)

For me, this has been flights from Cleveland to Toledo, Indianapolis to Evansville, etc. Regional jet flights.



Regarding the topic at hand, I have no interest in e-Readers and I never, ever, ever will. I like reading, holding, and collecting my physical books, and this will never change for me. :)

I have to agree that I don't think I would ever get an e-reader. You can never again call a book a page-turner!

I asked about the airplane, because the one reason to buy one seems to be to be able to carry several while traveling. But if I couldn't read when the plane isn't at 30k feet, it sure as heck wouldn't be worth it. What would I do during that time?

For traveling, I was thinking more for off-the-plane time. You know, downtime on a beach or in the hotel if you get the chance. I'm one of those people who likes to read whenever I get the chance, so if I was traveling I'd want a few books with me to read when I'm just relaxing. E-readers would elimate the problem of choosing and making space in your luggage for books, for me that really seems like the only perk to ereaders.

why dont we have both. Books for sentimental reasons as well as for their other unique properties (smell, feel, thrill of turning pages etc.) and ereaders for their convenience of storing umpteen number of titles in a single slim device.

I received a Kobo in a draw for a library course I was taking. I prefer physical books generally, but when I am traveling or on a long drive, I use an eReader.

I like be to read on my Nook iPad App and on my Nook! I usually never read a paper book anymore. It takes two hands and my Nook only takes one little touch of my finger!

I like my Kindle because I don't have to fall asleep with my light on at night.