# Kindle users - do you buy books?



## RubyBlue (Sep 25, 2013)

I remember asking this 3 years ago but can't find my original thread - at the time most kindle users said they do not buy books anymore, I asked because I still did, and I liked reading printed versions - 3 years on I now never buy printed books! ? I much prefer the electronic version, although I prefer to read them on my iPad rather then kindle (except on holiday in the sun obviously).

Has anyone changed their views?


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## RubyBlue (Sep 25, 2013)

Oh and that's not to mention the array of books that I've bought from new authors (and old, loads that I've never heard of that I'm glad I've been able to try) at fantastic prices


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## Orang Utan (Sep 25, 2013)

I read and buy loads of books. 
My Kindle is now dusty and neglected and filed amongst the rest of my books.
I am reading The Coming Of The Third Reich on my phone Kindle app though. But that was cos I was desperate to read it and had no money to pay for it.
Going to buy it in paper form soon though.


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## white rabbit (Sep 25, 2013)

If there's a digital version available, I buy that. I'll still buy a physical book if not, but part of the thing is not knowing when I'm going to feel like reading it. Carrying a book (or books) around on the off chance is a chore. The other thing is impatience. Unless I pay extra for expedited shipping, I can wait weeks. Downloads happen instantly. I don't mind that so much. I can forget I've ordered it, so when it appears it's a little surprise. I was talking to my brother who said he likes that tactile feel of a book in his hands (and the smell, even). I don't find that.

I should add that I use the Kindle app on my iPad. I have more reason to carry that with me.


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## Greebo (Sep 25, 2013)

I buy books and borrow books. 

The e versions I've got are mainly things which are difficult to get hold of, or are needed within a few days instead of anything up to 2 months' time, or which would take up too much room (eg German contemporary fiction - subsection -  candyfloss).  I find the Kindle's useful for when I'm flitting from one book to another while waiting.  Unlike paperbacks, it doesn't tend to flip itself out of my hands if I get tired.

Edited to add:  Downloading's a chore for me as I have to either go out of my way to get WiFi (library is a long walk away, slow and cuts out - cafe is a longer walk away, unreliable but quick if a connection's possible, OTOH you still have to buy something there), or write off part of my mobile broadband data allowance for (if it's a download from project Gutenberg or similar).  Any way you look at it, even downloading a free e book isn't completely free.


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## Cid (Sep 26, 2013)

Kindle for stuff with just words (especially stuff from dead authors), paper for design books where pictures and decent print quality makes a difference.


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## marty21 (Sep 26, 2013)

yes, I still buy books


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## joustmaster (Sep 26, 2013)

i bought a book last week, as i was up to leeds for a weekend, and didn't want to take anything breakable or important with me. 
in fact, the book was the only thing I took with me.

I lost it within 6 hours of arriving.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Sep 26, 2013)

yes but not as many

when it's something i really want  and it's just come out i'll buy the hardback

i'm non paying the hardback premium on an ebook.  (90% of the time.  if it's a series i have exculsivly on ebook  i'll do it  but  for authors i already buy  i'll get the hardback)


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## Badgers (Sep 26, 2013)

yes, I still buy books


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## spanglechick (Sep 26, 2013)

yes.  

i opt for kindle by default but...

- I buy a lot of plays.  for some reason play scripts seem wrong on the kindle.
- I buy things i may want to photocopy for work. i suppose you can photocopy kindle pages? i've never tried.
- I buy things for work imagining i'll get round to claiming the money back (although i never do).
- I buy old, discontinued books which aren't available on kindle.


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## dessiato (Sep 26, 2013)

We have started buying more books since we got the kindle. What we find is that the kindle is great for fiction, but much less good for text books. With these you need to be able to flick through to find the specific reference, but with fiction you tend to start at the beginning and read steadily to the end, for this we find the kindle works well enough.

We also had the first kindle fail which apparently is typical. We had a heck of a job getting Tesco, from whom we bought it, to accept there was a problem and to replace it. They said that I'd broken it, and that I would need to send it to Amazon for them to assess the kindle before deciding what to do about it. I pointed out what the law says about this, and after an hour or so arguing about it the replaced it. We've not bothered to charge this one although that will change now and we'll start to use it again.


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## Orang Utan (Sep 26, 2013)

Greebo said:


> I buy books and borrow books.
> 
> The e versions I've got are mainly things which are difficult to get hold of, or are needed within a few days instead of anything up to 2 months' time, or which would take up too much room (eg German contemporary fiction - subsection -  candyfloss).  I find the Kindle's useful for when I'm flitting from one book to another while waiting.  Unlike paperbacks, it doesn't tend to flip itself out of my hands if I get tired.
> 
> Edited to add:  Downloading's a chore for me as I have to either go out of my way to get WiFi (library is a long walk away, slow and cuts out - cafe is a longer walk away, unreliable but quick if a connection's possible, OTOH you still have to buy something there), or write off part of my mobile broadband data allowance for (if it's a download from project Gutenberg or similar).  Any way you look at it, even downloading a free e book isn't completely free.


TIP: you can get free wifi if you stand outside the Ritzy. Many other places too. 
Also ebooks take up very little room, so don't worry about data allowance


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## RubyBlue (Sep 26, 2013)

Most of what I read comes from the library but I can't stop buying e-books and currently have around 300 waiting to be read - I used to be a book hoarder now I'm an ebook hoarder!


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## ChrisFilter (Sep 26, 2013)

I only buy books on Kindle now.


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## miss direct (Sep 26, 2013)

I don't buy books anymore apart from travel guides. I'd still rather have a physical book for that. 

The reason I no longer buy books is that there is only a limited variety of English books here in Turkey, and they are vastly overpriced. My kindle brought me back to reading. (At least in the summer when I had time).


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## wtfftw (Sep 26, 2013)

I buy cookbooks and poetry. 

I'm too busy flitting about the internet to read properly anymore - if I did it would be on Kindle. Except borrowed stuff.


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## Sunray (Oct 1, 2013)

I don't buy books but I stopped before I got my Kindle as I've nowhere to keep them. The Kindle enabled me to read loads again which I've been  enjoying.

My Kindle 3 after about 2 years of being dropped on the floor as I doze off reading it, finally decided that putting it down normally would smash the screen.  So I am currently using my iPad Mini and its not a patch on the kindle and has put me off.  I don't want to keep dropping my Mini either. It looks great on screen but I really don't like reading from an emitted light source, possibly as I look at a screen all day.

I decided against fixing my Kindle for 50 quid, instead ordered the new Paper white that comes out in about a week, looking forward to that to get back to reading.


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## Citizen66 (Oct 1, 2013)

Orang Utan said:
			
		

> I am reading The Coming Of The Third Reich on my phone Kindle app though. But that was cos I was desperate to read it and had no money to pay for it.



But it's £9.99 on the Kindle.  

Or are you reading the free taster paragraph?


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## ChrisD (Oct 1, 2013)

I can't find the books I want to read in electronic format at right price so use kindle a lot less than I expected.

  I still buy books:
either illustrated books (kindle no use) or else second hand (Abe books mostly) as cheaper than electronic and try to avoid paying money to Amazon.

I thought I'd use it to read pdf documents for work...but kindle is too small a format for A4 PDFs....so have borrowed an old ipad for those (works indoors only).


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## Greebo (Oct 1, 2013)

Citizen66 said:


> But it's £9.99 on the Kindle.
> 
> Or are you reading the free taster paragraph?


If you use amazon prime, you can borrow e books for free for a month at a time.  Mind you, you have to pay to use that, so it depends how many books you'd want in a month and how much other stuff you'd order from that company's site.

Edited to add: I prefer not to use prime because as far as I can tell it screws over the hapless people doing the deliveries.  It'd also encourage me to spend far too much, just to get my money's worth.


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## FridgeMagnet (Oct 1, 2013)

I don't buy books on Kindle/iBooks/etc because they are DRMed, and I won't buy DRMed media. It's not worth my while, a few years down the line or if you start using a non-approved device you lose it. (If it were significantly cheaper than paper books I might, but they are generally around the same price or sometimes more anyway.)

I do read a lot of ebooks though - ones that are sold DRM-free or are just free anyway. And I also buy paper books (generally these are not free, though there is a free books chain that has a branch down the road and I have a few from there).


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## Citizen66 (Oct 1, 2013)

I buy kindle ebooks for convenience then kick myself when someone wants to read something I can't lend them.


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## oryx (Oct 1, 2013)

I try to avoid buying books as a) I have enough unread one to last me decades and b) lack of house room. 

I like old books or ones with illustrations, hardbacks and books as presents. What I no longer buy are cheap(ish) paperbacks - e.g. I wanted to read John Lanchester's 'Capital' for ages but didn't want c.£10.99's worth of paperback, quite unlikely to be re-read, taking up shelf space. I enjoyed it on the Kindle instead.


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 1, 2013)

You don't buy books on the kindle? Then what the hell have I been reading these past three years!?


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## PursuedByBears (Oct 1, 2013)

I never read paper books or visit the local library anymore. I read everything on my Nexus 4.


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## Orang Utan (Oct 1, 2013)

Citizen66 said:


> But it's £9.99 on the Kindle.
> 
> Or are you reading the free taster paragraph?


No, I nicked it


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## Orang Utan (Oct 1, 2013)

Kid_Eternity said:


> You don't buy books on the kindle? Then what the hell have I been reading these past three years!?


Text


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## Orang Utan (Oct 1, 2013)

FridgeMagnet said:


> there is a free books chain that has a branch down the road and I have a few from there).


Is that the library?


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## FridgeMagnet (Oct 1, 2013)

Orang Utan said:


> Is that the library?


There is a library. There is also a chain that has free books in it, like a charity shop but free. I can't remember what it is called; probably something involving the words "free books".


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## Citizen66 (Oct 1, 2013)

Orang Utan said:


> No, I nicked it



Oh torrenting etc. yes there is that.


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## Orang Utan (Oct 2, 2013)

FridgeMagnet said:


> There is a library. There is also a chain that has free books in it, like a charity shop but free. I can't remember what it is called; probably something involving the words "free books".


Sorry, you've lost me


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## RubyBlue (Oct 2, 2013)

I prefer reading books on my iPad rather then my Kindle but my iPad is slightly too large for my bag so when out and about I still carry my Kindle but most books I read at home are library books, I know library's are closing down all over the place but Hackney still has a decent one and Dalston Library is 2 minutes walk from me, it's very new and don't see that closing down anytime soon .  My problem is I buy far more then I can possibly read but can't resist a cheap Kindle bargain..


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## wtfftw (Oct 2, 2013)

Orang Utan said:


> Sorry, you've lost me


https://healthyplanet.org/get-involved/sustainable-community/books-for-free

I googled after passing one while on a bus.


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## DRINK? (Oct 2, 2013)

yup though not really fiction, cookery books, gardening etc those kind of rock and roll illustrated tomes


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## FridgeMagnet (Oct 2, 2013)

wtfftw said:


> https://healthyplanet.org/get-involved/sustainable-community/books-for-free
> 
> I googled after passing one while on a bus.


That's the one.


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## tony.c (Oct 2, 2013)

I prefer reading real books, but as they are quite expensive I usually look for a second hand copy on Amazon (same with music CDs).
My sister gave me her kindle which was unused, and I have downloaded about 15 books which were on offer for free or cheap. I haven't read any yet. I'm planning to read them when I next go on holiday.


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## geminisnake (Apr 13, 2014)

There is a thread on here for where to get free ebooks iirc, can someone please tell me what the fuck it is called coz I can't find it!


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## Citizen66 (Apr 13, 2014)

For the kindle? Or ebooks generally?


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## Citizen66 (Apr 13, 2014)

Is this it?

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/free-ebooks-list.264818/#post-9800499


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## Fez909 (Apr 13, 2014)

geminisnake said:


> There is a thread on here for where to get free ebooks iirc, can someone please tell me what the fuck it is called coz I can't find it!


http://lib.freescienceengineering.org/


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## geminisnake (Apr 13, 2014)

Thank you, it looks complex/massive!
Firefox won't play with that site


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## Artaxerxes (Apr 15, 2014)

Depends on whether I can download them from the bay of pirates or not. One thing I do enjoy the Kindle for is subscribing to various magazines (Analog, etc) which delivers direct to the device with no fuss and no muss.

I'll still buy and read normal books occasionally but I don't read as much as I used to in general sadly


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## Orang Utan (Apr 15, 2014)

My kindle has died on me. I'd just started using it again after it being on my bookshelf for ages, unused. I'd got used to reading on my phone and also went back to reading paper books as I've been working in a library.


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## dessiato (Apr 15, 2014)

As I said earlier in the thread we'd stopped using the kindle and we started buying physical books instead. Now I am using it again, it is proving very useful. I get odd periods with little to do, and being able to pick it up and read something is great. Due to the size of books I'd be more reluctant to have one with me than the kindle. I like it so much that I am considering buying a better one for Mrs D, although I suppose I could just put some books onto her iPad since she has that with her much of the time.


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