(not one of my better photos)
I love it!
I’m great attached to books. I love the feel of the pages, the weight in my hand, the smell of them, the pleasingly large stacks they make which shout to the world “THIS PERSON IS A READER”
But oh I love my Kindle too.
It’s just like reading a book, without the weight or the page turning. Its so much like reading a book I sometimes find myself reaching for the upper right corner of it to turn the page. I have it in a cover which makes holding it just like holding a large sized paperback.
I currently have 7 Kindle books & have finished 3 of them so its seen some use in the past two weeks.
I love the samples you can download. I have about 24 samples currently & eventually will buy most of them.
But maybe not for the Kindle.
Right now I am way too cheap to buy books for it unless I was already planning to buy them new and that is maybe 10% of my reading.
A new paperback is $6.99 or $7.99. Most of the Kindle versions are $6.99. Hardbacks are $15-24 and the Kindle versions are $9.99-$14.99 due to publishers insisting on Amazon changing the pricing
Here’s the thing.
I can get a used paperback for $1.25 or less on half.com and a used hardback for anywhere from $2 to $7 and even after you figure in shipping, it’s still cheaper to buy the used book.
When it is one of my favorite authors like Lindsey Davis or Janet Evanovich & I am planning on buying the new hardback as soon as it hits the shelves, a Kindle version makes sense. But if it is a new to me paperback cozy mystery series that is 5 books long I’m going to half.com.
And the publisher & author don’t get a cent when I do that. Sooner or later I’m hoping the publishers realize they are competing against the used book market as well as the new book market and rearrange their pricing.
I gave up on expecting instant gratification of anything in my life when we moved out here to the boonies but I’d gladly pay that $4 I was going to give to half.com to Amazon in exchange for having the book as close to instantly as anything is here. But I’m not willing to give them $7 for it.
The reason not even the Kindle gives me instant gratification is their whispernet coverage is spotty where I live.
I know!
Who’d’ve guessed that? right?
I have to go outside & sit on the high point of the retaining wall & wait a few minutes for the connection which is fine when the weather is nice but was uncomfortable on those 104 degree days recently and I can’t imagine what it would be like with 20 inches of snow on the ground like in Feb or during a thunderstorm.
But as I mentioned previously – I no longer expect things instantly. If I can’t download a book for a day because of driving rain, well, there are certainly plenty of other things I can read in the house in the meantime.
However! 10 days after I got my Kindle Amazon released a new model with wifi! You can get it with whispernet & wifi or just with wifi ($50 cheaper) and since I cannot recall an occasion in the past 18 months where I was without wifi, apart from the river, nor can I imagine any situation in the future where I would be, apart from the river & cannot imagine why I would be at the river and suddenly HAVE to download a book, I’m exchanging my Kindle for a wifi only version (and buying $50 worth of Kindle books).
I have to return the Kindle by Aug 20 to be within their 30 day return policy and they don’t start shipping the new model until Aug 27 so I will be Kindle-less for over a week.
I don’t know how I am going to read.
I’ll have to turn pages!
13 comments:
I'm a 'turn the pages, feel the weight of the book in my hand' kinda person but so many people have talked positively about the Kindle that I may need to look into it. The biggest advantage I can see is for going on holiday - squeezing enough books for a 10-night stay into a weight-restricted case is not easy! The cost of the Kindle books does put me off though.
And so the argument inside my head continues.....
I'm such a book fanatic. And while I've always thought I'd never want a digital book, I did get to play with a Kindle last fall and really liked it. I hate the idea of leaving books behind and going all electronic. I just can't imagine that world. But Kindles fascinate me. There are tons of free books available for Kindle out there, I can hook you up if you need it.
And just think - you're doing the planet a HUGE favor by reading used books - we're recycling!!!
This is the same issue with portable gaming: the iPhone stuff doesn't count because at $0.99 per, there's little market for used games. However, Sony PSP games can run upwards of $40 for new name brand titles... and their new device is download only, so you can't resell your games, ever. It's lead to piracy and hacking and a lack of adoption of the new device.
I think the e-book market needs an adjustment; something that will allow people to transfer books from one reader to another (the old "loan a book" concept), or a third party system to enable used sales.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my Kindle, and while I burn through the Amazon freebies, I do buy one or two a month. I also have the 3G version and had I been smart, I would have bought the wi-fi version as well. Enjoy your new toy!
Aww!! so wish I had one! I love reading, that would be great to carrya round every day... Unfortunately here in Italy is still too expensive... :(
I love books. The real thing like you described. I can't decide if I like the idea of the new digital version? I get the conveniance of it all, totally! But, there's just someting nostalgic about the real thing!
I've been waiting for this post! I wanted an avid reader's opinion on the Kindle. I still don't know if I can do without the tactile sensation of an actual book but if I see enough people do fine without it, I might just be swayed!
Mine is a Nook and I LOVE it! :)
Stopped by from #31dbbb. Definitely planning to follow!
Found you over at Blog Frog. I love my Kindle too. Sometimes I miss the feel of a book and the turning of the pages but I like not having all those books laying around when I'm done.
Also, I am into digital scrapbooking. Have you tried Heritage Makers? It's pretty great.
Great minds think alike! I have a reading post today, too. I have the ipad where you can actually turn the pages!
It's new, but I like it so far.
Rinda
Hmmm, I think I'm like you and really into the stacks and the feel of books in hand but seeing how you seem to have made transition maybe I can do it too. lol
HA HA! My dad too! He just passed along his Kindle2 to me because he got the version with the global 3G. The day the global kindle arrived is the day they announced the wifi version. So he's already sent his back and has the wifi on order. He says it's funny right now because Amazon is showing 4 kindles on his account (2 are in my possession and he currently is without).
I absolutely love the kindle for traveling. I tend to browse Amazon online, buy the books there then just sync the kindle- saves battery over browsing the kindle store on the actual device.
Thank heavens you can still return it! I reeeeealy want one of those.....We have too many books and I only read most of them once. I like to read in the tub, though, so that's a worry. Also, I'm scared of buying it (like you did) and having a better version come out soon after.
I hope you don't get a blister from turning all those pages ;)
>cost
I know it's crazy...but the book still costs the same to "make"....because they have to pay all the people who help make it, too. The whole system needs to reboot.....*whistles innocently*
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