E-Readers

[calipuffer]

I have a Kindle and just love it. I have always like to read, but holding open a paperback required two hands because I don't like to break bindings, and I read slow. In addition I get dry eyes so unless I read in the mornings it took an almost painful amount of time to read a novel. Then I was gifted a Kindle by my wife, and it has changed everything. I now read almost two novels a month (vs. ~4 a year) and can read anytime. Why? Well because of the ability to change font size, read one handed, and read in bed. Reading in bed is new because I'm lazy and don't like to hold the book, and with my Kindle (the one with the keyboard) I can rest on a pillow without any of the text getting covered or lift to change pages; hopefully that makes sense. And it is a great form factor. I take it everywhere, waiting at airports, on planes, in line anywhere, and waiting in theaters. It isn't backlit, but if you enlarge the font enough you can read in pretty dim light. And the battery life is amazing. I charge about every two books (so once a month). And when it "warns" you of low battery, you still have about a day... so if you didn't think, and get that warning while out for the day you aren't without a book.

What an eInk device is good for is book and some magazine content. It isn't a web browser or good for graphical content. As a person that can't remember to plug in my phone enough, the Kindle works well for me. The downside is cost of content... it irks me to see the paper version with shipping is less than the digital version... I mean really!!??

 

[WaydeG]

I'm interested in buying one. Do you have a recommendation? Are they convenient to read while pipe smoking?

Thanks

Doing that just that right now.... iPad2
But to PB's point, you just can't beat a $1 clearance paper back from Half Price Books. Ancient history and cooking, not coding is my thing.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

My mother-in-law have me a kindle last Christmas. I love it. Particularly now that you can borrow kindle books from the library.

 

[murfman]

I have read an ereader almost exclusively for about four years and I love it. I very rarely read anything else, and I tend to only buy special edition/rare & sentimental books in paper now. I read a lot, like 60 books a year, that is a lot for a guy with 4 little kids.

I am on my second Sony eReader now and love them. I did just buy two of my kids a pair of Amazon's Kindle Fires, but more because they are a really nice cheap tablet than for the ereader aspect.

I don't think I will actually move away from e-books at all tbh. I love them.

 

[user 2031]

I'm also an ereader fan. I was an early adopter with the first Kindle and it is still in excellent condition after all of this time. Recently I also purchased the Kindle 3. There still was not anything wrong with the original, but 3 had enough new improvements that I thought it was worth buying.

There are several things I love about ereaders, for instance the other day I left for work in a hurry and grabbed the Kindle but forgot my glasses. With a book I would have been out of luck, but with the Kindle I was able to select the next to the largest font and go right ahead and read. Also, I can take an entire library with me on the one device. I don't know if y'all are like me, but I often read up to three books and a few periodicals at the same time, so it is really nice to have them all on one device.

Plus, I like the option of being able to book shop even at work, which for me is at a quarry in the middle of nowhere. I can flip on the wireless and shop or buy right there. I get updates from pipesmagazine.com's blog right out there in the wilderness... I also enjoy the fact that I have classical music on my Kindle and can listen to it while I read; no matter where I am.

And as someone has already said on the forum, pipe reading and ereaders just go together so nicely since page turning is just a touch of the thumb.

I still have some very nice paper books that I would never do away with, but for my everyday reading Kindle wins big time.

Jack

 

[ericpaulson]

I love my Kindle, and recommend "My Lady Nicotine" free from Project Gutenberg.

 

[roogles]

In 2010 I read 234 novels.

I shirked a bit in 2011 and only read around 170.

I do almost all of my reading on my iPad using a combination of the iBooks app or the Amazon Kindle app.

I think an actual Kindle would be easier on the eyes.

I agree that some books are just better in paper and leather because of sentimental value, but for someone who reads a lot I just can't justify carting that number of books around with me.

I used a Sony e-reader for a few years before I got my first iPad, and it was OK. I hear that the kindles are a big improvement.

 

[murfman]

In 2010 I read 234 novels.

I shirked a bit in 2011 and only read around 170.[\quote]

You shirked and hit 170? I tried and made less than a third of that.

What do you read primarily?

 

[roogles]

In 2010 I read 234 novels.

I shirked a bit in 2011 and only read around 170.[\quote]

You shirked and hit 170? I tried and made less than a third of that.

What do you read primarily?

I read a lot of fiction. Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Comedy, Action.

I try to mix in some non-fiction, but most of that is related to church/spirituality type of stuff.

I'm also a big re-reader for things that I enjoyed the first time. There are a few series that I read once a year or so...

In 2011 I read the Harry Potter Series, the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paloni, The Hitchiker's Trilogy by Douglas Adams, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Hobbit, the Chronicles of Narnia series, about a dozen Christopher Moore novels, The Gunslinger/Dark Tower series by Stephen King, The Myst Series by Robyn Miller, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, three of Rob Bell's books (Velvet Elvis, Sex God, and Love Wins), Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconnelli, two books by AJ JAcobs, The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose, The Undertaking by Thomas Lynch, some Peter Rollins, some Tony Jones, and a dozen or so Youth Ministry related books...

I'm forgetting a lot, but I'd have to get my iPad out to see what I missed.

Currently I'm reading the Steve Jobs biography and another Christopher Moore novel (The Stupidest Angel) for Christmas.

 

[Foxfire]

I've always been an avid reader and have been accused, in the past, of having some slightly Luddite tendencies.

Contrary to this, I recently purchased a Kindle Fire and promptly downloaded the "A Song of Ice & Fire" series (which I have thoroughly enjoyed so far).

I know it's just an echo of what others have said, but I really love sitting outside and smoking a pipe and reading, while listening to the "99 Must-Have Mozart Masterpieces" (which I got for, I think, $2. Hard to beat.). I also like the "reading in bed" aspect, which I have never enjoyed until now.

Also as others have said, I just love books for some things. I enjoy looking at the entire Wheel of Time series sitting on my bookshelf. I like how several of my books smell strongly of past tobaccos, and how they feel in my hand.

Besides for reading, the Kindle is fun for watching netflix videos while, ahem, "using the facilities".

 

[JM]

I did search on Gutenberg for tobacco and found a bunch of free reading material.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/

 

[riff raff]

Ok, after a week using a first Gen Kindle 1, I'm an e-book believer, for certain items. A buddy gave me his first Gen Kindle last week. I was reading Stephen Kings 11-23-63, which is just over 900 pages long. It was like holding a brick in each hand. I switched to the Kindle half-way through and never looked back. For books, the Kindle with a one-button page turn is just more convenient. I bought two Kindle Fires this Christmas, one for each daughter. Those are color and have a lot more bells & whistles (function much like a pad). I can see reading a magazine on these, but I'd still prefer the print versions for that format. Books, hands down the Kindle is the champ.

I'll still buy reference books on print and just added four pipe/tobacco titles to my library:
- Confessions of a Pipe Man
- All About Tobacco (Sherman)
- Pipe (Crole)
- The Ultimate Cigar Book.
The last three were used, via Amazon for $10 delivered (each).

 

[CareyBlueBoar]

I use my Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 for ereading. You can download almost any ereader software(Nook, Amazon, etc) onto the tablet. I like the Samsung, but also like the tactile feel of regular books..

 

[bosun1]

I use an inexpensive Kobo. Not backlit so you need light to read it. Nicest thing about these e-readers is the adjustable font. Hardcover books are OK but paperbacks just remind me I no longer have the eyes of a fifty year old..

 

[petertschantz]

I got myself a Kindle paperwhite for my bday. Don't want to do anything but read on it, so the paperwhite was my choice.

I still prefer a tangible book, in theory. But having said that, the convenience factor of the reader is very high. I already have bookcases full of books, and not much room for more cases. I also read quite quickly, so being able to take the kindle on a trip vs. having to carry actual books means I can actually read all I want.

my 2 cents anyway

 

[friar_jay]

I have a Kindle Fire; however, I'm finding it hard to really make the transition from holding the actually book to a digital representation of it.

 

[riff raff]

My wife bought me a Kindle Fire for my birthday and I've been using it since August. It is slightly more convenient than the First Gen Kindle. It still doesn't allow for easy filing, even with a program I bought from the Kindle Store. I use it 99.9% of the time for simply reading books. I get "The Pipe Collector" in PDF, but it doesn't transfer well to the Kindle because of the formatting. I've picked up a few free auto magazine subscriptions but find reading them on the Fire is a bit tedious. It does have web access, but typing via touchscreen is also tedious (I can type 80 wpm on a keyboard). In a pinch, it can be used for web surfing, but the laptop is a far better choice for me.

 

[Buckshot]

I started with a Nook Simple Touch that was a Christmas gift last year, and this year I switched to the Nook Color, and it is a much better e-reader. It has a lot more features, is easier to use and of course has color, which makes for a much brighter screen.

 

[riff raff]

The Fire is also back-lit, so I don' t need a light. This past summer, at hotels I've sat in a bag chair, with my pipe and Kindle and some very enjoyable reads. Which sure beats getting stuck in a hotel room watching television. I was also able to remove the interrogation spotlight I had mounted on our bed headboard, the wife was pretty appreciative to lose that!

 

[serif365]

I started with a first generation Nook and when I bought my Mom a Nook "Glow" I bought one for myself. My mother is 81 and I was pleasantly surprised to find she loves hers as well as I do mine. We've both read more than 20 titles apiece in the last year and I carry mine wherever I go. The screen/script is very easy on the eye and the backlight "glow" makes it perfect for reading in the dark... especially when I'm on the porch enjoying an evening pipe.

I highly recommend this technology and still enjoy the feel of a real book in my hand.