Flights of Fantasy discussion

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message 3251: by Spacechik (new)

Spacechik | 47 comments Wow. I thought it was just me. I have never been happy reading books on my Kindle. I find myself skipping pages more than I would a real book. I don't buy books for my Kindle and the ones I have are the freebies anyway. Mostly badly written drivel. The Harry Potter books are a fun read and I think maybe the cover art has a lot to do with them as well. Eye candy? dunno. But I agree with you.


message 3252: by Nyssa (new)

Nyssa | 2023 comments I absolutely love my Kindle, and have enjoyed reading with it. This does not mean that I no longer love paper books, but I will choose e-format first.
The exceptions:
1. If I start a series in paper I have to finish in paper. However, the same goes for e-books.
2. I've read or am reading a collection worthy series. In that case I don't mind having both electronic and physical copies.
3. Saving for later generations. My husband and I started the Potter series, in paperback, when our babies were too young to read them. We went back and repurchased the first two in hardcover, then preorder the rest, all in anticipation of our children reading them as well. I was thrilled when the twins finally started reading them.


message 3253: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments I got to thinking about this when i commented on a series I own only in E or Audio form. When my kids were young the Harry Potter series started and I bought them in Hard Cover. We have them also in CD form. that to is something that may be handed down, has a physical presence.

The E format...I suspect that these books may have a better chance of fading away than the books people can see on a shelf and touch.

I don't know. E books can be altered at the touch of a key and vanish with the loss of battery power or an EMP. Guess time will tell.


message 3254: by [deleted user] (last edited Nov 26, 2015 05:26PM) (new)

Ebooks will never replace printed books, but they have some small advantages. For example, you don't have to wait for a book to be delivered to you or even shipped from overseas. The prices are another aspect, but while some books I've bought did cost only about 25% of the print version or sometimes even less than 99 cent, other books where only about two bucks cheaper than the printed versions, so this might not be a general argument.

On the other side, you have disadvantages, of course. For example, you can't lend or borrow Kindle books the way you could do it with a printed book. In the United States it seems to be possible to lend Kindle books, but that's still experimental and restricted, and book borrowing is in my opinion an essential part of the whole reading experience.


message 3255: by Becky (new)

Becky (beckyofthe19and9) I read ebooks interchangeably with physical books, but much prefer ebooks for the convenience. For me, the reading experience is only hurt when the ebook is poorly formatted - like line breaks are awkward or the ebook was made from a scan of previously printed books and the text recognition software didn't do a good job. Otherwise, it doesn't matter to me how I read it - ebook or print - the content is what matters. If it's good, it's good. If it's not, then it's not. I don't think that the WAY I'm reading it has anything to do with that.

Right now I'm reading my trade paperback omnibus edition of The Lord of the Rings, and I wish that I had it on my Kindle. (I do have an ebook edition, but it is epub, and I have been having computer issues so I can't convert it to read on my Kindle, since I got rid of my Nook.) This freaking book weighs a ton, and is SUCH a pain to hold. My kindle is lightweight, doesn't strain my wrist and hands, has an internal light, and won't break a toe if I drop it. Plus I can have lots and lots and lots of books on that one little device.

To me, owning a book means owning it in physical form. I don't "own" ebooks (and Amazon's ebook TOS makes it clear that Kindle owners "use" their books, not own them), I just prefer to read in ebook form. If I read an ebook and love it, then I will buy a physical copy of the book. If I own a physical copy of the book and can find an ebook edition, then I would rather read that.


message 3256: by [deleted user] (new)

Becky wrote: "I don't "own" ebooks (and Amazon's ebook TOS makes it clear that Kindle owners "use" their books, not own them)"

Yes, that's another important point about(commercial)Ebooks. The Kindle app for personal computers also downloads and saves books to the computer hard drive. I guess it should be possible to redownload them automatically if the pc memory is lost, since you cannot buy the same book a second time anyway, but it could get really tricky if the book in questions has been deleted from Kindle's range of goods in the meantime.


message 3257: by Nyssa (new)

Nyssa | 2023 comments Actually your copy never goes away. You can always look it up on your Amazon account under Digital
content, even if the book is no longer available through Amazon for purchase.
I've redownloaded quite a few books that have otherwise disappeared.


message 3258: by [deleted user] (new)

Nyssa wrote: "Actually your copy never goes away. You can always look it up on your Amazon account under Digital
content, even if the book is no longer available through Amazon for purchase.
I've redownloaded quite a few books that have otherwise disappeared. "


Thanks, that's quite reassuring. I'm rather new to Kindle.


message 3259: by Nyssa (new)

Nyssa | 2023 comments Ekel wrote: "Nyssa wrote: "Actually your copy never goes away. You can always look it up on your Amazon account under Digital
content, even if the book is no longer available through Amazon for purchase.
I've ..."


You're very welcome.

Whether you're redownloading to your device, wanting to save a copy to your machine, or send a book to another device attached to your account you:

1. Hover over "Your Account" which is right beneath the "Hello" greeting on the upper right side.
2. Click on "Manage Your Content and Devices" which is about half way down the list of options.
3. Scroll to or search for the book in question.
4. Click on the ellipses (...) button to the left of the title.
5. Choose "Deliver" to send it to a device or "Download and transfer via USB" to keep a copy on your machine, and eventually side load it onto your Kindle.
I suggest the program Calibre for sideloading, but I know there are other programs out there as well.

I hope you enjoy your Kindle as much as I enjoy mine. I loved my K3 (aka Kindle Keyboard) and I love my Paperwhite even more.


message 3260: by Becky (new)

Becky (beckyofthe19and9) So I finally got my Lord of the Rings ebooks on my Kindle last night, and ahhhhh... so much better! :D


message 3261: by [deleted user] (new)

Nyssa wrote: "I hope you enjoy your Kindle as much as I enjoy mine. I loved my K3 (aka Kindle Keyboard) and I love my Paperwhite even more"

Thanks. I don't own a physical Kindle reader yet, but use the pc app instead. I wonder if I should get myself one, however. Somehow I think Ebooks are perfect for reading at home, while I prefer hardcover and paperbacks for outdoors, but a Kindle reader might help me to reduce my electricity bill a bit, I guess.


message 3262: by Becky (new)

Becky (beckyofthe19and9) I can't read books on the computer, so the PC app was like torture for me. I think you're really enjoy the Kindle, Ekel, and if you get the e-ink kind, you can read it outside with no glare as well. :)


message 3263: by colleen the convivial curmudgeon, Not a book hipster! (new)

colleen the convivial curmudgeon (blackrose13) | 2976 comments I prefer paper to ebooks, in general, though I find ebooks useful for very large books, or group books.

I have found the reading on paper just absorbs me more than reading on a screen. I don't really know why that is, but maybe if I had an e-ink reader it would be different.

I just got a new Fire for my birthday, though. I think I prefer my Nook, still, for reading books... but I wanted to get the Fire for reading comics, and that seems to work fairly well from the little I tested of it this morning.


message 3264: by HomeInMyShoes (new)

HomeInMyShoes ^I love my K3 on the bus, but living in this frozen wasteland makes me leave it at home for a good five months of the year. I read a lot of paper and quite a bit on my phone during those months.

My ratio of paper to electronic this year is 51/17 this year and 254/95 since I got my K3.

Lack of Overdrive support for Kindle in Canada library lending is the main reason I read way more paper. Yes I know I can work around that, but I'm lazy and not prone to want to do things that are ethically questionable to the authorities.


message 3265: by Nyssa (new)

Nyssa | 2023 comments Becky wrote: "I can't read books on the computer, so the PC app was like torture for me. I think you're really enjoy the Kindle, Ekel, and if you get the e-ink kind, you can read it outside with no glare as well."

What she said!!


message 3266: by colleen the convivial curmudgeon, Not a book hipster! (new)

colleen the convivial curmudgeon (blackrose13) | 2976 comments I'm a bit annoyed with the Fire, though, because you get ads on your Lockscreen and the only way to turn them off is to pay an extra $15.

What a scam.


message 3267: by Nyssa (new)

Nyssa | 2023 comments I don't even know where my Fire is ...which makes me feel very guilty for wasting money. I'm not a huge tablet user. I thought, with the Fire being smaller than my husband's iPad (therefore easier to handle) that I would use it more. I do love seeing things in color, and I had started to read a few more manga titles. But the joy didn't last.


message 3268: by colleen the convivial curmudgeon, Not a book hipster! (new)

colleen the convivial curmudgeon (blackrose13) | 2976 comments I'm just glad I got it mostly for reading (comics) and not for browsing, 'cause it's sooo much slower than my phone...


message 3269: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments This is interesting but I wasn't arguing the merits of Ebook vs. print book. I just had a single issue in mind about how more and more books being owned "only" in E format may change the dynamics of the staying power of given novels and the books being discovered by later generation.

I know a lot of you prefer an Ebook format and that's cool. I'm not arguing that there is some virtue in preferring on format over another.

I just had a memory of going through shelves of old books at my grandparents house and wandering through musty used book stores. I simply asked if the fact that later generations may not have the shelves and shelves of old books might shorten the staying power of a given novel.

E books can vanish into the ether so to speak. New generations of Ereader may not get older books downloaded. There's no guarantee that Amazon or Audible will still be there with our purchased libraries 50 years or 75 years from now.

Anyway, not trying to convince anyone of one format's superiority, we'll have our favorites. Just how it may effect life span of books.


message 3270: by Nyssa (new)

Nyssa | 2023 comments No one was arguing, just discussing how we feel about the various formats.
I understand your concerns about the "dangers" of e-books only, however, I don't see true readers/book lovers ever moving solely in that direction.

I also believe that those who do have an extensive electronic library either have or will find ways to protect and preserve them just like physical books/libraries.


message 3271: by Sarah (new)

Sarah colleen the fabulous fabulaphile wrote: "I'm a bit annoyed with the Fire, though, because you get ads on your Lockscreen and the only way to turn them off is to pay an extra $15.

What a scam."


You get to choose which option you want when you check out. I've opted out both times and I think it's worth the $15. They actually sell their Kindles for cheaper than the cost of making it so it makes sense that they have to make the money up somehow.

I have a combo of ebooks and paper books. I prefer to use ebooks for the unimportant stuff and save the paper ones for important stuff. The reason I chose to go electronic in the first place was to save all of those trees that are being mown down to create personal libraries. It's wasteful for something I'm going to read once.


message 3272: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments I'm not arguing here so don't get ticked please. Just an information post. Most book paper is made from scrub wood and not really trees. Some of the chips etc. get used but trees aren't really cut just for paper in most cases. You can use wood fiber that won't make lumber etc. for paper. That of course doesn't count recycled and rag paper.


message 3273: by Sarah (new)

Sarah Well, that makes me feel a whole lot better over my love of using paper books for classics and literary fiction. Now there's just that storage problem... Thanks Mike :)


message 3274: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments Yeah I have double and triple loaded shelves.


message 3275: by Sarah (new)

Sarah And here it is Black Friday... The perfect time to buy more crates of books.


message 3276: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments Like every day...


message 3277: by Sarah (new)

Sarah Pretty much :)


message 3278: by Mike (the Paladin) (last edited Nov 28, 2015 09:30AM) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments I'm a collector...that means I'm just this side of being a hoarder. I think I'm a bit OCD and it comes out in my need/obsession to have every book in a series or 50 graphic T-shirts or whatever...


message 3279: by Sarah (new)

Sarah I think that's perfectly rational :)


message 3280: by Mike (the Paladin) (last edited Nov 28, 2015 09:33AM) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments That was supposed to be "or" 50 graphic T-shirts...oops.

I have several "collections", some of them have migrated to the attic. I hope when I "shuffle off this coil" someone who can enjoy them gets them and they don't just end up in a yard sale.


message 3281: by Sarah (new)

Sarah I didn't even know they had graphic T-shirt series. That would be terrible to just have them end up with people who don't care. Cast to the four winds instead of as a set.


message 3282: by Mike (the Paladin) (last edited Nov 28, 2015 11:14AM) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments Well, that was a typo...that said I have graphic Ts from Firefly, Babylon 5, Star Trek, Marvel comics (a couple of Captain America and a Punisher), Harry Dresden, and of course my Man From U.N.C.L.E. Ts which are from the TV series not the movie.

This of course does not include the military or "snarky" T-shirts.


message 3283: by Sarah (new)

Sarah I take it you like t-shirts? I get mine from teefury. I mostly have Doctor Who but I have Star Trek, Harry Potter, and Firefly.


message 3284: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments I got my daughter several Doctor Who shirts for Christmas...and also some Walking Dead and Zombie Apocalypse shirts.

I wear mostly Ts and jeans around the house and whatever...of course I also have a number of neck ties. Like I said I tend to collect. I got started buying ties and then needed one of each color I wore and a striped one of all the color combinations and so on.

If I actually had money I'd need a large place.

o_O


message 3285: by Sarah (new)

Sarah Well, I can't say anything because I have like 35 bottles of perfume and two in my Christmas wish list. We neeeeeeed what we love :)


message 3286: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments LOL.


message 3287: by MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift (new)

MrsJoseph *grouchy* (mrsjoseph) | 5312 comments I like ebooks a lot. They are easy to carry, easy to get and easy to delete. But I don't feel like I own a book truly unless it's a DTB.

The other issue I have with ebooks are the way they can disappear into the stacks. I'm a FI,LO kind of reader and my bulk ebook purchases/freebies get lost in the ether.


message 3288: by colleen the convivial curmudgeon, Not a book hipster! (new)

colleen the convivial curmudgeon (blackrose13) | 2976 comments I found a place last night that has free manga stuff, and an app, which is much easier to read than the website ('cause the Fire I have loads slow as hell).

Super happy to have found this, since my library doesn't carry a lot of manga, and I didn't want to have to buy every title I wanted to sample.

It's not all there, of course, but I already found Vol. 2 of a series I was reading, so it's all good.


message 3289: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments And Goodreads changes it's look...again.


message 3290: by MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift (new)

MrsJoseph *grouchy* (mrsjoseph) | 5312 comments I hate it.


message 3291: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments I'm just bugged because it crashed on me again and seems to be loading slower.


message 3292: by MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift (new)

MrsJoseph *grouchy* (mrsjoseph) | 5312 comments Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I'm just bugged because it crashed on me again and seems to be loading slower."

Everything IS moving slower and I keep getting error pages.


message 3293: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 1381 comments Yeah, it wouldn't load a few minutes ago. I got an error message.

Well, it had been running okay for too long, they had to mess with it.


message 3294: by MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift (new)

MrsJoseph *grouchy* (mrsjoseph) | 5312 comments Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Yeah, it wouldn't load a few minutes ago. I got an error message.

Well, it had been running okay for too long, they had to mess with it."


^THIS


message 3295: by MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift (new)

MrsJoseph *grouchy* (mrsjoseph) | 5312 comments Nicki wrote: "Ditto. Maybe they're fixing some stuff...


Nope, couldn't type it with a straight face."


lmao!


message 3296: by Sinistmer (new)

Sinistmer | 212 comments I like the spacing of the layout, but I am having a terrible time with the font. It's hard for me to read, for some reason. As of yet, I haven't had trouble with loading speeds, but I tend to use Goodreads on a computer rather than a tablet or smartphone.


message 3297: by MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift (new)

MrsJoseph *grouchy* (mrsjoseph) | 5312 comments I downloaded Stylish for Firefox and used that code becky posted.

GOSH. Totally saved my eyes.

I'm sorta on the "don't care" boat now since I was able to do my own workaround.


message 3298: by Becky (new)

Becky (beckyofthe19and9) Yep. I've done the same. I knew as soon as it was released that it was here to stay though. They don't roll back releases anymore - they just tweak them and try to tell people they are better.


message 3299: by MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Bad Girls Deadlift (new)

MrsJoseph *grouchy* (mrsjoseph) | 5312 comments Becky wrote: "Yep. I've done the same. I knew as soon as it was released that it was here to stay though. They don't roll back releases anymore - they just tweak them and try to tell people they are better."

^This


message 3300: by HomeInMyShoes (new)

HomeInMyShoes Maybe if every post on the site includes a reminder.

Geez this font is terrible on this monitor.


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