I've had if for a while now and I have to say it's super convenient. I mainly thought about buying an e-reader because my bus ride home take quite some time. Always carrying around books on top of the stuff I actually need is just way too heavy. The kindle is really light and still contains dozens of books. I also have access to the Internet and can access my cloud anywhere and at any moment or just buy new books online.
The thing I was worried most before buying the kindle was its effect on my eyes. Reading on my macbook just gives me headaches after a while. The kindle, however, is really easy on the eyes. Light intensity, font and font size are easily adjustable and the screen is kinda dull. I've spend hours reading on my kindle and still felt fine afterwards.
Many of you might also know that reading a lot can turn out quite expensive. Of course, I could just borrow books in a library. I really like having books at home, however, and the library probably wouldn't have half of what I want to read. So a kindle is actually a relatively cheap alternative. E-books are cheaper in general. Also, if you are a member of Amazon Prime you can borrow ebooks over amazon for free.
A kindle is also really convenient if you want to read in a language other than your mother tongue. Firstly, there is a bigger range of foreign books than in local book stores. Of course, there are foreign books available in bookstores. The selection of languages and books is quite limited, however. It might not be that hard to find a book in English, French or Spanish in Austria. If you wanted a book in Portuguese, you would definitely have to order it online, which usually takes up to a few weeks.Secondly, foreign books are quite expensive in local book stores. I once payed over 20€ for a book that would have cost nine in Italy. E-book are always relatively cheap – no matter in which language. Lastly, there are dictionaries installed on the e-reader. By tapping a word either a definition or translation of that word will show up. A feat especially convenient when you're not that familiar with a language yet.I'm also really happy with the service. My kindle froze a while ago. It just didn't react anymore. So I went to the store where I had bought it and they just exchanged it for a new one. I was really impressed by how quickly and without inconvenience it all worked out.
Naturally, there are a few downsides as well. My main complaint is the "lack of book". You can't really estimate how thick an e-book would be in reality. This also affects your perception of your reading progress. Usually, you can see and feel how many pages you have read. On the kindle, there are usually no page indications. They wouldn't make sense as you can change the font size. There is a indicator in percent, but obviously that isn't the same. Personally I also prefer it when I can put a book in my bookshelf. I could put my there but it's most likely tucked away inside my bag. My third and last complaint is that you don't see any signs of use. There's a certain charm to books that look used and read. Even though it's such a sappy though, it always makes me think about where they have already been.
My last advice: If you don't want to buy a kindle but still use Onebooks, you could just download the kindle app or any other e-reader app for your phone. Since my kindle broke down in the middle of Stardust, I've been using the app to finish it. It actually works quite well. The only downside is that you spend a lot of battery.
So, that's all I had to say about my experience with e-readers. If you think about buying one, I can definitely recommend it. See you!
So, that's all I had to say about my experience with e-readers. If you think about buying one, I can definitely recommend it. See you!
