What are we reading?

Staggerwing · June 24, 2014, 05:52:21 AM

MD,
If you can swing the cost of an e-reader you will find that there is enough free content out there, between the flash $0.00 sales on Amazon that folks post links to, the Baen Free Library, and project gutenberg just to name a few, that you may never have to buy an actual book for money in a long time. Check eBay for used kindles if you want to get a lower price. They also go on sale around holidays, making the basic ones more affordable. I've seen them as low as $49 new at those times. And there is free software out there to convert every form of ebook to just about every other so almost any e-reader can work for you.

MetalDog · June 24, 2014, 06:07:27 AM

That's what I love about this place, everyone looks out after everyone else. Thanks for the tips, fellas. :)

GDS_Starfury · June 24, 2014, 07:34:28 AM

the catch is that almost all of the books Ive gotten for free are the first book of a series.

mirth · June 24, 2014, 10:05:02 AM

Quote from: GDS_Starfury on June 23, 2014, 10:57:02 PM
I just finished Mirth's diary chapter named "I am the walrus".

2 choo's out of 5. I just didn't see the need for a Godzilla costume when the core of the story was the waitress's daily drama.

You entirely missed the symbolism of the Godzilla costume and how it relates to the futility of human interaction in today's digitized, material driven society.

Neanderthal.

Staggerwing · June 24, 2014, 06:07:23 PM

Quote from: mirth on June 24, 2014, 10:05:02 AM
You entirely missed the symbolism of the Godzilla costume and how it relates to the futility of human interaction in today's digitized, material driven society.

Neanderthal.

Did you just reconceptualize a quote from the Blue Oyster Cult there?

Gusington · June 24, 2014, 07:33:41 PM

Go go Mirthzilla!

Am I really missing out by not getting an e-reader? I love me some 'real' books - the feel, the smell, no need for a charge...is it just me?

undercovergeek · June 24, 2014, 07:41:18 PM

same here - love me a fully stacked book case with all my reads in

Gusington · June 24, 2014, 08:11:06 PM

Library constructed of rich mahogany as well?

MetalDog · June 24, 2014, 08:19:45 PM

Corinthian leather chairs

Gusington · June 24, 2014, 08:31:31 PM

Of course!

vyshka · June 24, 2014, 08:52:19 PM

Quote from: Gusington on June 24, 2014, 07:33:41 PM
Go go Mirthzilla!

Am I really missing out by not getting an e-reader? I love me some 'real' books - the feel, the smell, no need for a charge...is it just me?

I'm surprised at how quick I became a convert when I got the paperwhite last December. I have tons of physical books, but the paperwhite is now my preferred format. I guess the real test will be the next time I read the Wheel of Time series. I currently have the entire set plus the new spring book in hardcover.

Gusington · June 24, 2014, 08:55:57 PM

What made you take the plunge in the first place?

vyshka · June 24, 2014, 09:30:06 PM

Quote from: Gusington on June 24, 2014, 08:55:57 PM
What made you take the plunge in the first place?

With the paperwhite it solved the problem of reading in bed at night while my wife is asleep. Book lights have always been a pain to use. I also needed to come up with an idea for a gift for me.

Toonces · June 24, 2014, 11:28:10 PM

^ This. I like to read in bed at night before I go to sleep. While it's easy enough to rest a book on a pillow on my belly, I like the ease of the Kindle because I can lay on my side, on my back, whatever and don't have to worry about blocking the light. It's also very light and convenient.

Perhaps the biggest reason I enjoy my Kindle, though, is that it allows me to have a full library of books on me at any given time. I typically am reading 3-4 books at the same time. A lot of times I'm not sure what I want to read and having a whole collection available means I don't have to choose until I'm actually ready to read. I can take it with me lunch and read while I eat, take it to the beach, whatever. Going on a trip? On a plane? No need to lug around a heavy book, you can take 100 with you for the weight of the Kindle!

Finally, like I said before, there are so many books available for free for Kindle that it is just absurd. Any book pre-1923 is in the public domain so most of the classics are available for free download- things like Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Three Musketeers, Frankenstein, and so on and so on. Most libraries have ebooks available to check out as well. In my case, the Navy has an electronic library that is pretty well stocked and I'm always downloading free books from there. And, don't forget that Amazon is always giving away books...I must have 20 free books that Peaceflower posted a while back.

For the most part, I rarely buy books for my Kindle. There is just so much available for free either at the library or just free that there's no point. I do prefer to buy real books if I'm going to actually spend money, but I rarely do anymore.

Of course if you get the Kindle Fire you also have just opened up the app world. I use my Fire to listen to Howard Stern in the morning while I shower and get ready. I don't think the Fire is necessarily the best android device for app-ing, but that's a whole other story.

Silent Disapproval Robot · June 25, 2014, 12:03:53 AM

I was skeptical about the Kindle at first as well but for fiction, it's now my preferred format. Great for reading at night and even better for long trips. Nice and compact and holds a charge for a month.

I don't like it for non-fiction as much as I like to be able to flip between appendices, maps, references, and the text and the Kindle doesn't do that as well as a physical book.