Thanks for the biggest point, Lady B, which I have become so used to that I didn't even mention it. I can afford more books! I have downloaded hundreds of classics for a pittance (learned the hard way to get the 99 cents version instead of those free anthologies, because it's worth it to have the thing indexed) and with current novels, the e-book version is almost always cheaper than the p-book version.
Here's another reason I love ebooks: the author gets more $$ to help them keep writing more content. And if the book is from a midlist author re-issuing an out-of-print title, he/she gets MUCH more of the cut.
I can sift through indie authors and find good ones, like Lousia Locke, and if the writer turns out to be 'not yet ready for prime time', I delete it and no harm done. The free sample hasn't cost either of us anything.
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Reasons real books are better...
- MLE (Emily Cotton)
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 3562
- Joined: August 2008
- Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
- Favourite HF book: Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger
- Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
- Location: California Bay Area
[quote=""MLE""]
Kindles have 'airplane mode'. You can read them even when the crew have asked that electronic devices with internet be turned off.
[/quote]
I always found this one to be a frivolous complaint. Even if they try to enforce it, you usually only have 5 or 10 minutes of flight time left. It's not like you're going to cram that much more reading in!
As for reading in the bath or at the beach, I don't trust myself to take the kindle near water. Even enclosed in a baggie, leakage is still a concern (Murphy's law and all). I do still prefer print books in those situations.
All that said, I love my kindle for reasons already mentioned by previous posters.
Kindles have 'airplane mode'. You can read them even when the crew have asked that electronic devices with internet be turned off.
[/quote]
I always found this one to be a frivolous complaint. Even if they try to enforce it, you usually only have 5 or 10 minutes of flight time left. It's not like you're going to cram that much more reading in!
As for reading in the bath or at the beach, I don't trust myself to take the kindle near water. Even enclosed in a baggie, leakage is still a concern (Murphy's law and all). I do still prefer print books in those situations.
All that said, I love my kindle for reasons already mentioned by previous posters.
- Mythica
- Bibliophile
- Posts: 1095
- Joined: November 2010
- Preferred HF: European and American (mostly pre-20th century)
- Location: Colorado
- Contact:
[quote=""Ludmilla""]I always found this one to be a frivolous complaint. Even if they try to enforce it, you usually only have 5 or 10 minutes of flight time left. It's not like you're going to cram that much more reading in! [/quote]
Well, that time usually includes taxiing, which can make it more like half an hour or longer, especially if they're waiting for a gate. Equally, during take off, if the plane gets caught between the gate and runway waiting for a take off slot, it can be just as long before they turn off the no electronic devices sign. I've waited as long as 45 mins for a take off slot and arrival gate. I once heard from someone who got caught waiting for take off for two hours and the airline insisted all devices be turned off completely, not just in airplane mode/wifi off. The person was going nuts with nothing to read. That's why I always take a magazine or two, just in case.
Well, that time usually includes taxiing, which can make it more like half an hour or longer, especially if they're waiting for a gate. Equally, during take off, if the plane gets caught between the gate and runway waiting for a take off slot, it can be just as long before they turn off the no electronic devices sign. I've waited as long as 45 mins for a take off slot and arrival gate. I once heard from someone who got caught waiting for take off for two hours and the airline insisted all devices be turned off completely, not just in airplane mode/wifi off. The person was going nuts with nothing to read. That's why I always take a magazine or two, just in case.
- Nefret
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 2977
- Joined: February 2009
- Favourite HF book: Welsh Princes trilogy
- Preferred HF: The Middle Ages (England), New Kingdom Egypt, Medieval France
- Location: Temple of Isis
For traveling, I'd probably bring an ebook for the airport and such. Then I'd have a real book for the flight. That way I won't lack reading material.
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}
- MLE (Emily Cotton)
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 3562
- Joined: August 2008
- Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
- Favourite HF book: Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger
- Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
- Location: California Bay Area
- Nefret
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 2977
- Joined: February 2009
- Favourite HF book: Welsh Princes trilogy
- Preferred HF: The Middle Ages (England), New Kingdom Egypt, Medieval France
- Location: Temple of Isis
[quote=""MLE""]You DO have one, Nefret! you can put the kindle app on your computer.[/quote]
I can do what now? Does need to be downloaded/ take up a lot of memory?
I can do what now? Does need to be downloaded/ take up a lot of memory?
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}
I have a new iPad mini and it's transformed my reading life- backlighting and adjustable text size mean I'm back devouring books like I used to when I had young eyes
Love it, love it, and choose it over "real" books or my Kindle whenever possible. I can nab books from friends via Dropbox or read my Kindle books via Kindle app. BTW, you can store everything in the "cloud" and only draw down books to read when you want if you're worried about memory.
I'm a librarian, but I don't have a sentimental attachment to actual books, only see them as a medium, and if there's a better one I'm all for it. Only exception is books which are artefacts in themselves.
Have never been able to understand why anyone would want to read in the bath, but obviously lots of people do it
They're the ones I send out replacement book accounts to
Contrary to what the writer of the article believes, once a book has been soaked it's stuffed - no amount of blow drying will save it!

I'm a librarian, but I don't have a sentimental attachment to actual books, only see them as a medium, and if there's a better one I'm all for it. Only exception is books which are artefacts in themselves.
Have never been able to understand why anyone would want to read in the bath, but obviously lots of people do it


Last edited by annis on Tue August 6th, 2013, 8:23 am, edited 3 times in total.
- Madeleine
- Bibliomaniac
- Posts: 5727
- Joined: August 2008
- Currently reading: "The Darkest Evening" by Ann Cleeves
- Preferred HF: Plantagenets, Victorian, crime
- Location: Essex/London
I've never read in the bath - that's for relaxing and lying back!
And I don't have an e-reader either - not counting the computer as I spend all day looking at one, and the screen isn't very user-friendly for reading on my laptop - too much reflection. And even if I had a smartphone - I don't - that screen is way too small for reading anything other than text messages.
And I don't have an e-reader either - not counting the computer as I spend all day looking at one, and the screen isn't very user-friendly for reading on my laptop - too much reflection. And even if I had a smartphone - I don't - that screen is way too small for reading anything other than text messages.
Currently reading: "The Darkest Evening" by Ann Cleeves
- Lisa
- Bibliophile
- Posts: 1153
- Joined: August 2012
- Favourite HF book: Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
- Preferred HF: Any time period/location. Timeslip, usually prefer female POV. Also love Gothic melodrama.
- Location: Northeast Scotland
[quote=""Mythica""]Well, that time usually includes taxiing, which can make it more like half an hour or longer, especially if they're waiting for a gate. Equally, during take off, if the plane gets caught between the gate and runway waiting for a take off slot, it can be just as long before they turn off the no electronic devices sign. I've waited as long as 45 mins for a take off slot and arrival gate. I once heard from someone who got caught waiting for take off for two hours and the airline insisted all devices be turned off completely, not just in airplane mode/wifi off. The person was going nuts with nothing to read. That's why I always take a magazine or two, just in case.[/quote]
Yep, that's happened to me a couple of times. Not only did I nearly miss a connection in one case, but I was stuck with nothing to read. Seriously, what is an e-reader in flight mode going to do to a plane sitting between the runway and the arrival gate? But try to argue and you'll probably end up getting arrested
I used the free Kindle app on my laptop for a while, to be honest I didn't find it comfortable to read off the screen and so ended up buying a basic Kindle, but while I had the free app I was downloading all the free books while they were available (since some are only free for a day or two), and I just transferred them to my Kindle when I got it.
There's also an option to read the free (out of copyright) e-books from Project Gutenberg in your browser - no downloading of software required, but not sure how/if bookmarking would work.
Yep, that's happened to me a couple of times. Not only did I nearly miss a connection in one case, but I was stuck with nothing to read. Seriously, what is an e-reader in flight mode going to do to a plane sitting between the runway and the arrival gate? But try to argue and you'll probably end up getting arrested

Here's a link about it - you can download a free Kindle app onto your computer, tablet, smartphone or just to view in your browser. Not sure about how much memory/disk space it takes up, but as annis said you don't need to store all the books on your hard disk at once, just download them from the 'cloud' as you need them, then put them back again (like a bookshelf!).Nefret wrote:I can do what now? Does need to be downloaded/ take up a lot of memory?
I used the free Kindle app on my laptop for a while, to be honest I didn't find it comfortable to read off the screen and so ended up buying a basic Kindle, but while I had the free app I was downloading all the free books while they were available (since some are only free for a day or two), and I just transferred them to my Kindle when I got it.
There's also an option to read the free (out of copyright) e-books from Project Gutenberg in your browser - no downloading of software required, but not sure how/if bookmarking would work.