Alternative to Kindle store and/or Kindle?

[Angilion]

I'm an old fashioned weirdo who thinks that I should have control over the ebook reader I paid for and the books I paid for and that how often I read and how quickly I read and when I read is my business.

With Kindle, that's only possible if you never allow your Kindle to connect to the net.

So for years I've bought books on the Kindle store using my PC, downloaded them to my PC and transferred them to my Kindle with a USB cable. A bit cumbersome, but completely functional.

Amazon is removing that functionality in a couple of days. They're doing it from their end, so there's no workaround. The ability to transfer books bought from the Kindle store to a PC will cease to exist.

So I need an alternative. Either a different bookshop that allows me to download books I've paid for to my PC so I can transfer them to my Kindle or a different "ecosystem" entirely, with a different ebook reader.

Cost isn't an issue. I read a lot and I've spent thousands on books from the Kindle store already. Spending a few hundred on another ebook reader is neither here nor there. I like my Kindle (paperwhite model from a few years back), but I'm not limiting myself to it if there's an alternative that's better for my use.

 

[lunar]

I am confused. Why not download the ebook from Amazon on a mobile phone.

 

[OspreyO]

I am confused. Why not download the ebook from Amazon on a mobile phone.

I assume the objective is to be able to read your kindle books on a device that's not locked to Amazon. So if Amazon turns off the service you can still read your books.

 

[Angilion]

I am confused. Why not download the ebook from Amazon on a mobile phone.

My mobile phone is a very old Nexus 5 running Ubuntu Touch. I use it as a phone, not as my critical connection to every aspect of my life. As I said, I'm an old fashioned weirdo. It would be crap for reading an ebook on anyway.

I assume the objective is to be able to read your kindle books on a device that's not locked to Amazon. So if Amazon turns off the service you can still read your books.

The objective is as I stated in the first line. I don't want Amazon (or any other company) to be able to remotely edit or delete books I've bought. I don't want Amazon (or any other company) to remotely change settings on an ebook reader I've bought. I don't want Amazon (or any other company) to remotely change the UI on an ebook reader I've bought. I don't want Amazon (or any other company) to monitor when I read anything, where I am when reading it, how often I turn a page, etc, etc. As I said, I'm very old fashioned. I know it's now routine to have businesses controlling and watching. I understand that. I want less of it.

So what I want is what I asked for: "Either a different bookshop that allows me to download books I've paid for to my PC so I can transfer them to my Kindle or a different "ecosystem" entirely, with a different ebook reader."