Just got a Kindle.

zooterkin said:
I was wondering if there was an equivalent to getting books signed for the Kindle; it appears there is, though I don't know how well it works. Any other ideas? It's not something I've ever done with a real book yet either, but it would be nice to somehow show your appreciation to the author, which I think asking for an autograph on the book can do.
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Not being autographed is one of the advantages of the Kindle. The number of books I've bought when they first come that have had some author scribble in it is astonishing. Almost enough to make me wait until a second printing!
 
I got my Kindle at the start of the year and I've read a total of 84 books on it so that works out at a weekly average of 3.5 a week, which is perhaps a tad lower than I expected however that doesn't include periodicals like Asimov's and Analog and the increase of newspaper articles I am reading. However in that 84 there are 23 re-reads which is a lot lower than usual - thanks to being able to try out the second rate authors at a cheap price usually under a quid. I've not been able to do that for decades!
 
Mrs Don is enjoying downloading and reading classic literature for free. I hope to borrow her Kindle to read Heart of Darkness in the not too distant future.


edited to add.....

and as a publisher (of the late Mummy Don's books), Daddy Don's sales in the United States are much higher and he actually turns a profit thanks to the Kindle. That being said, he prefers the process of packaging a book, enclosing an invoice and pottering on down to the Post Office to stick it in the post.
 
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I keep finding frustrating gaps in kindle's list of books and authors.
I rather fancied re-reading old Desmond Bagley novels, for example. No trace- though it seems they did appear briefly, then vanished.

I do like the availability of computer manuals. The O'Reilly range is good. These are just too heavy to lug in cellulose. I think ebooks will be my primary mode of owning any form of reference tome in future.

Being away from home so much, I do get sudden urges to reread some old favourite, which in the past I just ignored. Trouble with the Kindle is it's too easy to just download...hey, it's only a few quid...it seems to be adding up to a significant sum though.
 
Soapy Sam said:
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Being away from home so much, I do get sudden urges to reread some old favourite, which in the past I just ignored. Trouble with the Kindle is it's too easy to just download...hey, it's only a few quid...it seems to be adding up to a significant sum though.
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You'd almost think Amazon planned that wouldn't you? :D I agree the gaps can be annoying and can sometimes be a bit strange, I presume often caused by different books even in the same series having different publishers or were sold with different rights.

I am surprised that there doesn't seem more of a push from authors themselves to get all their works on line.

I'm wondering if we are far from the first "blockbuster" author to release a book exclusively in an e-format from the likes of Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
 
Darat said:
I got my Kindle at the start of the year and I've read a total of 84 books on it so that works out at a weekly average of 3.5 a week, which is perhaps a tad lower than I expected however that doesn't include periodicals like Asimov's and Analog and the increase of newspaper articles I am reading. However in that 84 there are 23 re-reads which is a lot lower than usual - thanks to being able to try out the second rate authors at a cheap price usually under a quid. I've not been able to do that for decades!
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You must spend a lot of time reading books and other material. Or is there something else, like do you read all of the books cover to cover?
 
rjh01 said:
You must spend a lot of time reading books and other material. Or is there something else, like do you read all of the books cover to cover?
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In terms of just reading I probably read on average 4 hours a day in the week and longer at the weekend (be interesting to work out exactly how long I read a day) and I am a fast reader. I am also a compulsive reader - I can and will read anything rather than not read, and I read when watching the TV, when having a shower, when cooking, when-anything-that-does-not-require-my-full-attention.
 
Darat said:
In terms of just reading I probably read on average 4 hours a day in the week and longer at the weekend (be interesting to work out exactly how long I read a day) and I am a fast reader. I am also a compulsive reader - I can and will read anything rather than not read, and I read when watching the TV, when having a shower, when cooking, when-anything-that-does-not-require-my-full-attention.
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Let us see. What you do every day.
Reading - 4 hours
Work - 7+ hours.
Sleeping - 7 hours
Eating, travelling and other small jobs - 1+ hour
Forum - 5+ hours
Total 24+ hours a day.

The above is just a guess. But how accurate is it? It means you spend most of your free time reading or on the forum.
 
Bit of a gamble but have bought my lad a Kindle for this 13th birthday. He's always been a good reader but this has completely revitalised him, largely based on the ergonomics of reading a Kindle rather than a book. He's on his seventh novel since May 27 which isn't bad going.
 
rjh01 said:
Let us see. What you do every day.
Reading - 4 hours
Work - 7+ hours.
Sleeping - 7 hours
Eating, travelling and other small jobs - 1+ hour
Forum - 5+ hours
Total 24+ hours a day.

The above is just a guess. But how accurate is it? It means you spend most of your free time reading or on the forum.
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Reading is my passion and hobby, followed by the Forum so I would expect that they take up a lot of my time.
 
BenBurch said:
Just got a (nearly) complete Mark Twain anthology. This should keep me busy for a few weeks.
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I'm forcing myself to read Tom Sawyer, Detective since it's one of very few Mark Twain works I've put off my entire life.
 
BenBurch said:
These things are really cooler than I thought they would be.

Contrast is really good.

The cover with book-light is clever.

I think I am going be spending the weekend playing with it.

So Kindle-owners; Any cool things I should learn about it?
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You can download game apps for them like chess ... I never realized that until recently.

j.r.
 
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