My first Kindle Read (a review for novices of the format)

[Milo MInderbinder]

I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ages ago so this is a re-read for me. But as this was my first foray into this Kindle business so I thought I’d go with a book and author whose style I know. Liken it if you will to taking an old and trusted friend to an awkward hospital appointment.

 

First things first. TAOTS is the joy of a tale that I remember. Accessible for any adult who has ever been a kid (that’ll be everyone then). Mark Twain is razor sharp when it comes to wit, sarcasm, and a keen eye for the human condition and uses this with full force in this excellent book. The hopes, fears, and joys of being a kid fill every page and the conversations between its supremo scallywag Tom and his partners in crime Huck Finn and Joe Harper are brilliantly told and are the like of which we have all had as junior naïve dreamers. A book that could be related to and enjoyed by readers in Warsaw, Sao Paulo, Inverness or anywhere else on the planet. A universal and timeless classic.

 

Now on to this Kindle business. The current Mrs. M got one of the first ones that was available to buy but I in my blissful Ludditeness have shunned it and have defended my beloved print and paperbacks against this digital satan but this year as I read more and more positive things about kindles I thought I should at least give it a go. Know thy enemy and all that. With many out-of-copyright titles available to download for nothing there was really no reason not to take a leap of faith into the world of the ebook.

 

As I started reading on the kindle it felt a bit like reading a text message, but after a few pages it became very natural. The font was of a very readable style and size and the screen has no glare. One of my fears had been that it would be a strain on the eyes but this is not the case and I found I would read more in a sitting than I would with a printed paperback. The design and shape of the kindle make it easier to read than a paperback because you don’t need as much elbow room so its ideal on a bus or train. One of the big advantages of it for me personally, because I spend all of my dinner hour reading, is that you can lay it flat on a table and read whilst you eat which can be a bit of a pain when you are trying to eat a sandwich and are simultaneously wrestling with a 600 pager of a paperback.

 

So to sum up, even though I enjoyed the reading experience of a kindle and will be treating myself to one in the new year, I fundamentally believe that there is room for both print and ebooks. One of the downsides to the Kindle is that a lot of new books still cost more or less the same as their printed versions but you are only getting a download instead of the physical product of a paperback which is a bit of a rip off in my opinion. Also for me, the printed novel is one of the greatest things in the history of the human race, and the feel of a weighty book and the crease of the spine has a charm that can’t be quantified. Both formats will be a part of my future reading habits so here’s a toast to both the old and the new. Cheers!

 

Kindle titles I have downloaded for my next ebook adventures:

 

The American – Henry James

 

Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

 

A Popular History of Ireland : from the Earliest Period to the Emancipation of the Catholics - Volume 2 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee*

 

*Then again I might not bother to read that last one and just wait for the Hollywood blockbuster of it to hit the big screen.

[pontalba]

I am one that looked down my nose at the Kindle in the beginning. What!? A machine to read a Book?, I don't think so pal! And...buy one with adverts? Hah, not likely.

I have eaten my words with appropriate seasoning.

 

I have the Kindle with adverts, hardly noticed, and occasionally even informative.

 

I've even doubled up on 2 books so far. 1Q84 and Reamde. Both thousand pagers that were simply too heavy and awkward to bring out to read. Yes, they were too expensive in the Kindle form IMO, but still worth it to my wrists. The other 70-odd books I have on my Kindle are mostly of the .99 cent to 2.99 USD variety.

 

I still miss being able to flip back pages to check out a name or incident, but can live with that with a limited number of books.

[Karsa Orlong]

One of the big advantages of it for me personally, because I spend all of my dinner hour reading, is that you can lay it flat on a table and read whilst you eat which can be a bit of a pain when you are trying to eat a sandwich and are simultaneously wrestling with a 600 pager of a paperback.

This! Also, it's a distinct bonus not having to scramble about for my bookmark if I need to blow my nose

 

I totally agree that there is room for both formats. I think I've read about a 50/50 split between ebooks and treebooks since I got my Kindle last Christmas. I've found the Kindle's great for trying out authors I haven't read before, or for books that I am uncertain about or don't want taking up my limited shelf-space.

 

If it's an author I like, or a series I want to collect, or even just a book with a cover I like, I'll still buy the paperback. Also, as I read a lot of fantasy and historical novels, the Kindle is not great where maps are involved, so I invariably go for the paperback in those cases as well.

[bobblybear]

Great comments on the Kindle (and on Tom Sawyer, which I hope to read in the near future). I ummed-and-ahhed for quite a while before getting a Kindle, but I have to say it's one of the best purchases I have made. I use it pretty much every day, and for some reason I am reading more now, that when I was just reading tree-books. It's just the convenience of having such a wide choice of books to read at your fingertips, without having to lug around a personal library. I also love the fact that you can change font size to make it a bit easier on the eyes.

 

My local library has started lending books for the Kindle as well, though I haven't tried it out as their selection is limited. I'm not fussy at all about paper-book or e-book, it's the content that counts for me.

[vodkafan]

Well done Milo! I am a total kindle convert. Although I read tree books too if they come my way. Having the kindle has freed me from being precious about keeping books, which take up a lot of space. It is very nice to see a shelf full of books in a house, but how often do you pick up even your most favourite book to re-read? Two or three times a year? And some on that shelf you may never pick up again. That is not enough to justify the space it takes up in my opinion, and the trees it used up.

Edited December 5, 2011 by vodkafan

[tunn300]

Great thoughts about the Kindle Milo and I thoroughly enjoy using mine. One thing I think people now need to think about though is the cost of ebooks.

 

One of the downsides to the Kindle is that a lot of new books still cost more or less the same as their printed versions but you are only getting a download instead of the physical product of a paperback which is a bit of a rip off in my opinion.

 

Whilst it is true that there are no production costs as such in producing an e-book compared to a print version there are also many other benefits. Your e-book for instance will not degrade or become damaged over time. You cannot lose it like a real book, should you delete it from your kindle it is stored in the cloud by Amazon and can be re-downloaded as often as you like to any device you own that supports kindle (most phones, computers, tablets and of course kindles). The book can be changed to suit your needs, as you grow older and possibly need a larger font you can change this in a click of a button. I think people are very much still in the habit of wanting something physical for their money and the perception is if you don't get that then it should be massively cheaper.

 

I fully agree Kindle books should be at most the same price as paperbacks but remember one thing that is hampering that cost too is the fact that digital books have VAT paid on them and printed books do not.

 

I really hope you enjoy your kindle and continue to keep reading on it.

[Talisman]

Actually it is not really true when people say that e-books do not require the same amount of production costs - the only thing that differs is that they do not have to be printed. They still need proof reading, indexing (if non fiction), editing, to have a cover designed (although this is less important) and of course marketing. Plus it also costs a lot of money for the author to actually write them (research for example - I went to France and Egypt in order to research aspects of my own work). It is then only the printing stage that is left out. They have to of course be digitised instead though and this in itself can be quite time consuming. It took me almost 2 weeks to do mine, by the time I removed the index, reformatted the table of contents and took out all the field codes and so on. I don't expect the average reader though to understand most of this!

 

Bearing this in mind though, plus the fact that as Turn300 points out, e-books in ths counry at least are VATable, they should not cost that much less than paper books. The fact that most do is down to market forces, and is not a true reflection of the costs involved in producing them - bear in mind that most books are issued in both formats anyway - both paper and e-book. Personally apart from certain types of non fiction, I prefer e-books, as they are more portable and therefore more convenient, but that is just my preference. There are pros and cons associated with both and everyone will doubtless have their own opinion.

[Milo MInderbinder]

Thanks for the insights Tunn and Talis (If that isn't a great name for a publishers I don't know what is). Very intersting points. I'm enjoying learning about the pro's and cons of the Kindle as a format as much as the stuff I have been reading on it.

 

PS Can I wish all on BCF a very Merry Christmas!

[dawnbirduk]

On Monday I had a kindle for my birthday, I have to confess to being anti e readers, as I do like the feel and texture of real books, but I carry a book everywhere with me which can occasionally cause problems, ie too heavy, get crushed in my bag etc.

 

I gradually decided I would like one, but felt they were a bit pricey to 'have a go', then hubby took control and bought one for me, he also bought me loads of books as well as conversion package calibre.

 

I can foresee me using the kindle day time, and paper book in the evening and early morning, which will take some getting used to because I have never read more than 1 book at a time, as I get quite involved in the story.

 

The text is clearer and better than I expected, it is easy to hold and read, I am afraid the kindle may just take over, the downside, is that I can't seem to get library digital books converted to the kindle.

 

I did have a minor hiccup early on, as I ended up with a completely white screen, and we had to do a hard reset, we now think I unplugged it without making it safe to unplug, typical me, too impatient.

 

I have so many e books, it could be a problem finding a particular book, I need to think of a way to organise them but that could be very time consuming.

 

Needless to say I am now officially hooked.

[vodkafan]

It's been a couple of weeks Dawn how have you been getting on with your kindle?

[dawnbirduk]

Hi VF, I am doing great with my kindle I love it, I have an external hard disk which I back up laptops on and put all my ebooks on their, it took me ages to sort them, I put them in categories and alphabetical order, got rid of duplicates so I have a pretty good ebook library now.

 

I always said I would never have a kindle because I like the texture and feel of books, but I must say I might eat my words , it could well take over my reading life.

[Milo MInderbinder]

I have only had my Kindle for less than a month but it is becoming like an extra limb. I think my Kindle will be more revolutionary for me personally than my mobile phone.

[vodkafan]

That's so great you two!!

[julie]

Interesting to read some updates in here on people and their kindles . I was going to suggest to Dawn ,making categories for her books so they are easier to locate . I didn't do that in the beginning,and it got very confusing for me to keep track of what I had ,so now I have them divided kinda like the library does,so if I want history, there it is, mystery,click on it and there's my list .

I also have the kindle app thing on my laptop,so I can start a book on my kindle,then update my computer to the page I'm on ,and keep reading on here,so it works well for me like that if I keep the same book going in 2 places .

[Milo MInderbinder]

I started some category folders from day one. So far I have:

 

# To be read pile.

# British Classics.

# American Classics.

 

I need to get out more don't I.

[Talisman]

I really ought to try and categorise my books as there are quite a few of them on there now. There must be at least 30 I would have thought. Since I am doing the Around the World Reading Challenge, I will probably sort mine according to country, or at least continent.

[Milo MInderbinder]

I have just read the introduction to the Around the World Challenge thread by Nollaig. Great idea, a real horizon broadener. Good luck with it Tal. Until I read that intro I didn't know there was such a country as Benin. You learn something new everyday on BCF!

[LittleW]

I downloaded some English classics on my Kindle and I found, that the greatest advantage for me was the additional download of the Oxford Dictionary.

It makes things a whole lot easier when there are so many "archaic" words in the text.

Just mark the word and get the definition. Instead of flipping through the printed dictionary only to see that the word isn't listed there.

[Milo MInderbinder]

I have to agree Little W. The instant dictionary is a great feature. If any Kindle veterans are reading this they must find our discovery of the joys of Kindle very tedious ha ha!