My husband is an avid and fast reader. He loves books. However, he does not like to part with ones that do not come from a library though.
In recent years, he only buys books to read when he travels for work. Unfortunately, he has been traveling more recently.
A trans-Atlantic trip means he reads a couple books at the on the planes and during layovers. Unfortunately, he has been buying his books at the airports thus, (GASP!) paying retail.
One of the big problems with having a lot of books is storage. Just where do you put them all? Shelves eventually become full. Adding more and more shelving is just not practical. Plus, it can get costly to have too many books to store.
I think it is a good idea to pass along the books to someone else to enjoy. They can be sold or just given away.
Even so, books are quick to accumulate when you buy them. (The library is a nice free solution, but not always practical for us.) Thus, I have been thinking a lot about a Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, 6″ Display, Graphite – Latest Generation
Actually, I never considered a Kindle until Amazon announced they were lowering the price of the Kindle and the new version received such good reviews.
Book readers have been an emerging technology that I was not sure would have staying power. I think it has grown into its own enough to be considered.
The positives about buying a Kindle include:
- small size
- light weight
- wireless downloads/purchases
- millions of books now available for free
- thousands of books are as inexpensive as the used book store
- easy on eyes compared to computer screen
- long battery life
- can store over 3,000 books on the device
- if you spring for the $189 version, you can download books with a free 3G connection increasing the places to buy books via Kindle all over the world
- Newspapers, magazines, and blogs can be read on it
The negatives about buying a Kindle:
- Tech is changing and becoming cheaper (this Kindle is cheaper than the last)
- It is $139 for the device, books are extra
- It is $189 for the 3 G access version
- Newspapers, magazines, and blogs all cost extra
- Popular new books can be as much as $14.99 (although, that is still cheaper than full retail)
- It is an electronic device, not a book that can be easily shared
I have not bought him one yet. With a birthday and Christmas in the near future. I am seriously considering it.
I calculated that if he has 6 trips in a year with at least 4 hours air travel/layovers each direction, the device could theoretically pay for itself a year. If I had purchased one last year at this time, it would have paid for itself by the end of next month.
Of course, if he would stop traveling for work this would not be an issue, but based upon the news I received as I am writing this post, that is not going to happen today. He is flying out at the last minute tonight to another destination instead of driving Wednesday to a seminar that was planned months in advance. I guess it would have paid for itself by the end of this month instead 🙁
Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate.
I purchased a Kindle this semester since the vast majority of my reading is technical papers (PDFs with lots of math.) Its wonderful, I can sit outside on my deck in the sun and do my reading. Although, it really isn’t the same as a book. That said, it’s great for the “I need/want to read this, and once I understand or have finished it, it’s unlikely I’ll be pining to stare at it on my shelf”
Also, most of the old classics are available for free online (I believe Amazon even has an interface into them, but if not check out Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page )
Do you find that it is easier on your eyes than reading on the computer screen? I think a small, easy to read device would be nice for PDFs. I never thought about them until now. Thanks!
Don’t know if you have made a decision yet but I love my kindle. I bought, I think, the second version that came out which was much more expensive than the one now. Still ok with it, though. I was skeptical at first because I have always loved holding the paper copy in my hands. But my house is small and I don’t want to buy more bookshelves. It’s wonderful when traveling and you never have to worry about going out in bad weather to get a book. And it saves a tree. Really enjoy the classics you can get free, too.
Thank you. No, I have not made any decision about the Kindle. I appreciate the input from another owner!