Cozy Mysteries discussion

I am considering asking for a Kindle for my birthday, but have no experience with one or know anyone who has one. Suggestions/Commets? Please.

There are a number of people on my M/T board who have them (one has a Nook) and they are all very happy with them. I've known most of them for years, so trust their opinions, but I have no interest in an e-reader myself.

I got a nook last month and I absolutely love it! I borrow the majority of my books from the library, and unfortunately, the kindle does not support ebook lending. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble (as well as others) offer a lot of free books. You really can't go wrong.

This is my first post here. I'm kinda shy, but ereaders are my favorite topic these days!

I have a Kindle and love it. I could never take enough books when I traveled. Now I never get stuck in a hotel with nothing to read.

I have a Nook for the exact same reason Dixie bought one. I download almost all of my ebooks from my library's database and while the Kindle now has an update for PDF books it still doesn't support the ePub book format which is the majority of what my library's database offers.

I am in love with the Nook.

I've had my Kindle for a while (had a Kindle 1 and now have a K2 - K1 went to Mom). Anyway, I love my Kindle. When I went was buying my new one I looked at both the Nook and the K2. The library book thing is one downside to the Kindle but honestly, my library doesn't have a great e-book selection so it didn't factor too much for me. I think they are both good e-readers. It really came down to book pricing for me. I was disappointed in B&N that they weren't giving member discounts on e-books. That made it cheaper for me to go to the store and buy a paperback instead of the B&N e-book in many cases. Add in taxes, and Amazon became the cheaper option considering how many books I go through.

Anyway, outside of all my wacky pricing issues (I had a spreadsheet going at one point!) I do love my Kindle. I love to take all my books with me and I love (and hate) how easy it is to find/buy new books either on Amazon or from the Kindle itself.

Wow! Thanks for all the great information. I have never heard of a Nook, so will look into that. As well as, checking out my library's ebook selection. I am usually reading 2-3 books at a time and would love to have them all with me when I travel. I have tried to keep the book buying down a bit. Usually, I check it out from the library and if I LOVE it then buy it. Weird, I know.

Thank you all again for the excellent info and things to think about!

You really do sound like you love your Kindle. I've always sworn I would never abandon paper books because I like the way they look, feel, and even smell, but when I hear your enthusiasm, I slip closer and closer to trying one. Last month my Kindle sales on Amazon exceeded paper book sales for the first time...I know it's coming.
Nancy Lynn Jarvis

I want either a Kindle or Nook (not sure how B&N being for sale will affect the Nook). A good friend & her husband did extensive research & settled on the Nook ... they each bought one. Another couple I know each have their own Kindle plus carrying cases & lights. I think that the Kindle is not backlit, but am not sure. I was on the verge of buying one, then took a look around & decided I needed to make a dent in the huge stacks of books I have crowded in my small home before buying another device that will allow me to buy yet more books. :-) However, I have carpal tunnel & sometimes it's difficult to hold a book, especially a hardback. I listen to books on an MP3 player & my iPhone which I also use for ebooks. I am NEVER without a book now.

Nancy, my maiden name is Jarvis. It's always nice to see another Jarvis.

Yeah, for Nancy's comments. If I oouldn't "hold" my book when I read it would be like just talking to my daughter on the phone. Books are my children - they give me love and never talk back! I hadn't heard of a "Nook" either so I'm glad this post came up. Good idea while traveling though to have a Kindle - guess I don't do enough traveling to consider leaving my books at home. It will definitely give me something to think about. Love you all!

I was resistant to buying an e-reader for the same reasons mentioned above - I love books and couldn't imagine not holding one as I read. What pushed me over the edge is the print factor. I have some difficulty reading some of the paperbacks that come out. I can load the book on my Nook and blow it up to extra large text. Very easy on the eyes. Since I broke down and bought one, I have come to love it more and more! I went with the Nook for the library factor as well as being able to walk into the store and get help any time I need. But, I've heard nothing but good about both the Nook and the Kindle.

One drawback I've noticed is that you can't get older books for the e-readers. Nook supposedly has more books available than Kindle, but sometimes you can't get a book you might want. Not that this has diminished my fondness for my nook.........

My husband and I bought a Nook because it allows you to add extra storage space using a micro SD card as well as downloading from our library. We love it and have downloaded a bunch of free books.

I also bought a Nook and love it! You can also add music on them and listen while reading. I also like how you can lend books on the Nook.

I love the feel of a book in my hands, I like to turn the pages and I even like the smell of books; so I am very hesitant about even considering an e-reader. However, I live a hectic life and travel a little and after reading so many favorable posts I am beginning (only beginning) to change my mind a little (and that's very little). But, I am going to keep an open mind and continue to ponder and consider the idea of an e-reader.........I could ask my family for one for Christmas. Couldn't I? Well, I'll be thinking about it and you kind folks just keep posting and commenting to help me make up my mind for sure.

Happy Reading Everyone - whether by physically holding a book or by electronic device :)

Tammy-I was totally against it until I got one. Now, I like both. My e-reader is awesome for travel and from bringing to/from work and other places because it is so light. But, I still love to sit and read actual books at home. Now, I figure I have the best of both worlds.

I was going to get a Nook until I heard about the B&N sale. Has anyone heard how they will address this? Are they promising you will still be able to get books, what about all of the books that you already purchased?

I have yet to find an argument that has persuaded me to even consider an e-reader. My husband told me he'd get me one for Christmas if I want one, but I just don't. I love my books and the idea of these things just totally turns me off. Maybe I'll change my mind at some point, but right now I don't see that happening unless "real" books become unavailable.

Shay wrote: "I was going to get a Nook until I heard about the B&N sale. Has anyone heard how they will address this? Are they promising you will still be able to get books, what about all of the books that you..."

What?! I live under a rock sometimes - what's going on with Barnes & Noble??

Barnes & Noble Puts Out 'For Sale' Sign

Also, in case you guys have not heard, Dorchester Publishing has announced that it has "decided to leave the mass-market paperback business, moving to an eBook-first model followed by a print-on-demand run of trade paperbacks." This is effective imediately. Which irritates me no end as book two in a series I like was to be out later this month, and now I'll have to wait almost a year. Especially sucks for the author (Who I know from another site), who stands to lose some sales with this move. Guess what, Dorchester? I probably won't buy that book now. Thanks. Really.

link to Dorchester story

A post from an admin on the Barnes & Noble forums relates the following:

"We would like to assure our valued customers that yesterday’s announcement has absolutely no effect on Barnes & Noble’s bookstores, our customers and our valued Members. Our company is financially strong and the decision to explore strategic alternatives for the company is based on our undervalued stock price. We remain excited about the growth of our digital book businesses and think we are well positioned to gain a significant share of this new market. We will continue to deliver best-in-class innovation through our technology and retail stores and will remain focused on adding value to our customers’ book-buying and reading experience. Customer service has always been a hallmark of our company. And as the nation’s top bookseller, we remain committed to our customers and our business and to the quality of our products, our services and the Barnes & Noble brand."

I am so happy with my nook. I would hate to see things change with B&N.

Tammy wrote: "I love the feel of a book in my hands, I like to turn the pages and I even like the smell of books; so I am very hesitant about even considering an e-reader.
Tammy I know what you mean! I use to manage a bookstore and one of my favorite things was opening the door to that smell. I love it too.

Everyone has left such good info about the e-readers. I have an app on my iphone that is an "reader" app. I have books on it if I get caught waiting an do not have my "hard copy" with me.

Great discussion.

I want a Kindle so much but I work in a library and am having a hard time justifying the purchase. The new wi-fi only has just about killed me. And it stores up to 3500 books. I don't think I will get past christmas without one.

Wow, thanks for the scoop Heather and Dixie!

The one thing I like about the Nook is the fact that the battery is replaceable by the owner. You don't have to send it off to Amazon to have the battery replaced like you do with the Kindle. I don't own a Nook yet but it is definitely in my future by the end of the year. We went to B&N for a demonstration and I like the fact that you can go to B&N and read new books for an hour a day for free and every week it seems they have free downloads.

The battery thing is huge for me too because I've never had a great experience with things that require someone else to replace the battery for me :)

How weird that you cannot replace the battery yourself. That would be a huge strike against Kindle, IMO.

If I feel confident that B & N will continue on, I'm getting a Nook. It's $50 cheaper and considering that many new releases on it are $9.99, that's 5 books for "free". I like also that they have/had the Free Fridays where you can go in and get a code (?) or something and get an extra free book for the week.

Shay wrote: "If I feel confident that B & N will continue on, I'm getting a Nook. It's $50 cheaper and considering that many new releases on it are $9.99, that's 5 books for "free". I like also that they have/h..."

You don't even have to get a code! You can download the Free Friday books right from the nook or barnesandnoble.com.

My favorite feature of the nook is that I can borrow library ebooks! If only the selection would improve...

Dixie wrote: "Shay wrote: "If I feel confident that B & N will continue on, I'm getting a Nook. It's $50 cheaper and considering that many new releases on it are $9.99, that's 5 books for "free". I like also tha..."

At last check, about 3 weeks ago, you could get an additional book by going to a B&N store. (So, a different extra book + some excerpts. I think when I checked they were giving away a chapter/essay from Anthony Bourdain's new book + the free book+ 2 other shorts.) I found the info about the extra free weekly books in the forums- they have a topic devoted to the extra weekly giveaway.

Oh yeah, there is a more in store feature on the nook. The more in store seems to be comprised primarily of quick essays (4 pages or so). And, of course, you can read free in the store for an hour.

Dixie, I did notice that the book/magazine/newspaper subscriptions seemed better on the Kindle. But, I prefer reading actual books. So, I guess the Nook would mostly be for classics (because they're free) and new releases. I've been having a horrible time getting new releases from the library, they cut the amount of book copies by half so the wait time is just horrible. Glad to hear that you like the Nook, seems like it would serve my purposes well.

Shay wrote: "If I feel confident that B & N will continue on, I'm getting a Nook. It's $50 cheaper and considering that many new releases on it are $9.99, that's 5 books for "free". I like also that they have/h..."

Actually, I thought the kindle was cheaper. There is a version for $139 now. I have a kindle and I love it, but the nook looks really nice too. My favorite part about the Kindle is the many many free non-public domain books that I have been able to download. I have had my kindle for about 9 months and have almost 300 books on it, very few of which I have bought (probably 30 or so). The rest are all free downloads and are non-public domain.

Rachel How do you access all of those non-public domain books on your Kindle. I've never seen that. I love my Kindle because it is the larger size and in its cover it feel more like a hardback book. It is also easier on the eyes since it has more space to move into the larger font. Downloading books from archive is a challenge where I live though. I have to get in the car and drive down the hill for it show up on my home page whereas in St. Martin it took about 3 minutes!

Wow, they must have reduced it from when I checked it out the first time. I'll have to compare the features again. I still may go with the Nook because you can read for free in the store. (Which I'll never do or I'll spend more money on coffee than just buying the book, plus I'll buy more books that I won't have time to read.) Hmm, good marketing ploy because I want a feature (free reading in store) that I'll probably never use or will cost me more money, just because it's free.

google books on the knob. it is a blog that lists all the free non-public domain books that publishers release. they are usually the first of a series or a book by an author that is getting ready to release a new book. I usually get at least one every other day if not one or more a day.

I got a Kindle for Christmas and I love it. I check for free books every day. On Amazon, if you go into best sellers under Kindle books, it lists the top 100 free books.

I have a netbook and use Kindle for PC--LOVE it especially for travel. It's 7 inches, about the same size as a Nook or Kindle.

There's a goodreads group for e-readers for those of you who may not have decided which e-reader to get. Friendly group and lots of different e-readers represented. Not quite as active as the cozy group overall, but is any group???

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/3...

Maria

Another good website for bargain reads is:

DailyCheapReads.com

Some of the time the books listed there are also priced the same at B&N or Sony, but as always, you have to check!

Maria

I love my Kindle. I went with the Kindle because Consumer Reports listed it as the top e-reader, even after the iPad came out. I was one of those people who always said I would never give up "real" books. I travel to Europe every year, and it became too difficult to haul 6-8 books with me. That's the reason I bought the Kindle and I love it. I still buy the occasional paper book, but my Kindle is the best thing ever. It is several years old and I have never had a problem with it and if I ever upgrade, my books go with me. Before buying an e-reader, check out Consumer Reports and take a look at all the readers out there and pick the best one for you.

Kelly wrote: "I love my Kindle. I went with the Kindle because Consumer Reports listed it as the top e-reader, even after the iPad came out. I was one of those people who always said I would never give up "real"..."

That's pretty much the way I felt when I traveled. These days with luggage restrictions...it's really great to be able to take hundreds of books. I wish that I had been able to load travel books onto a reader when I went to Europe. Some of the travel books are FINALLY coming out for e-readers. That's going to be a great thing when you can open a travel book and look for restaurants or the rules for taking the bus or train...!

I read on my Nintendo DS. Nothing beats the feel of a real book though; I'm with everyone else who loves the feel, the smell, the experience of having actual paper in your hand.
However,I received 100 classic books on Nintendo DS and it's awesome!!! I get to listen to background music at the same time. It's great.
I'm a library fanatic. I rarely buy books unless i LOVE them. If e-readers allow you to borrow books, vs having to buy them, thats an incentive.
That still doesn't justify the cost of the e-reader for me personally. Books don't need batteries!
That won't stop me from using my nintendo DS though..it's handy for those giant classic books I'd rather not lug around.

If you own an ereader you don't have to completely give up actual books. I often will read a couple ebooks, than read a couple regular books or have a regular book and an ebook going at the same time...but now I can do a lot of price comparing: sometimes the Kindle version is significantly cheaper than the print version. Nothing beats walking into a bookstore, picking up a print book and feeling the bulk within your hands, smelling the pages. But it is also nice because with my Kindle I can have multiple books going at a time and it only takes up a small space, so I can toss it in my purse and always be ready for a foray off into the written world.

I like it especially using the kindle because Amazon offers free books across all genres (and not just public domain ones) available all the time - I keep discovering new favorites that I wouldn't even think about getting but because they were free, thought I would try them out.

I just got an ereader, I felt like I would never get over my love of a real book. It's only been a few months, but I prefer ebooks. They never get old, musty smelling, etc. If ebooks came down a lot further in price, I probably would never buy another real book again. But, I can't resit used paperbacks just because of the price. I actually find myself annoyed when I can't borrow an ebook from the library and have to get a real book instead.

I love my Nook. Prefer shopping amazon though :-). I have mostly made the switch. I just wish old favorites were available. My Charlotte Macleods and Helen MacInnes are getting very tired and yellow, but so far there is no sign on them in e. However, Alistair Maclean is coming, so maybe there is hope.

I forgot to add, if you haven't been to Project Gutenberg you should visit. They have over 30,000 public domaine books available. http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

I guess I'm one of the die hard hold outs. :). I have kindle for my iPhone and iPad and I love it. I use it to try out new books I'm not sure about, or to purchase books I might like to read once, but not twice. Having it on my iPhone means never being without a book. But for me nothing will ever replace the printed page. I love the feel of real books and I love walking into my 'library' (who needs a guest room?? Lol) and seeing all my books - it's my favorite place to be. :)

Jennifer, can you view books in color on the iPad? I'm pretty sure I read that you can. Also, can you get children's books for the iPad that are in color? My two sons have major OCD and to have books that are permanently new and not smelly, gross, bent, would be wonderful. (Okay, I'll admit, I'm a gadget person and need an excuse to buy one.)

Shay wrote: "Jennifer, can you view books in color on the iPad? I'm pretty sure I read that you can. Also, can you get children's books for the iPad that are in color? My two sons have major OCD and to have boo..."

Kindle books show up in color on my netbook just fine. I'm sure they are in color on the iPAD as well!

Yes, you can see them in color on the iPad and on the iPhone, so good excuse :D

Shay wrote: "Jennifer, can you view books in color on the iPad? I'm pretty sure I read that you can. Also, can you get children's books for the iPad that are in color? My two sons have major OCD and to have boo..."

Shay - if the books are 'ripped' to digital in color, then they appear in full color. When I got my iPad and installed iBooks, the reader/bookstore that Apple offers, it came with a free winnie-the-pooh book that has beautiful full color illustrations. And they have tons of childrens books available from both the apple bookstore and amazon.

On a related off topic note, I LOVE my iPad for magazine subscriptions. Just like having the real thing, only easier to store. :)