How do you get your books?

The library, the playground/forest and when I'm in town I like perusing Foyle’s, Blackwell’s and Hatchards.
 
Amazon and Baen/webscriptions* mainly these days, I used to get a lot from the local charity shops, and library though.

*which reminds me, I've got about 7 in my basket at baen.
 
mufcmark said:
I don't like the idea from reading my book from a screen. I'd rather read from a proper book and they can be picked up cheaply from amazon marketplace. What are the prices like on the kindle store for older books and newer releases?
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I used to think like that, then i saw the 'screen' on the Kindle ;)
 
PermaBanned said:
I used to think like that, then i saw the 'screen' on the Kindle ;)
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I actually got asked by an old dear at my Doctors the other day "is that one of those kindles" when I was reading my Sony :)
She was quite impressed by it, although I did point out that the Kindle had a better screen :)
 
What is the main reason for people buying a kindle. The books are not cheaper than amazon market place so is it mainly because they can bring all of their books on the go and less space being taken up?
 
Amazon or Waterstones.

If I want to treat myself there is a fantastic second hand bookshop which does a lot of rare/older books which I sometimes get. Its a place called Barter Books in Alnwick.
 
mufcmark said:
What is the main reason for people buying a kindle. The books are not cheaper than amazon market place so is it mainly because they can bring all of their books on the go and less space being taken up?
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I bought mine so I can have access to my entire library (and the internet, new books, my pdf's and more besides) while commuting, on holiday, waiting for people in coffee shops and pubs or just generally out and about. It also means I have been able to give all my 'second tier' books away to charity and now I have TONS of space at home.

Also, there are literally thousands of free books on the kindle now (mainly classics like Sleepy Hollow and The Man Who Would Be King) that I'd never have read otherwise. Plus things that were rarely published like single short stories for a few pence which are excellent for train journeys and the like.

I can even put some reading music on it :D

There are lots of reasons to love the kindle, but not everyone will need one.
 
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mufcmark said:
What is the main reason for people buying a kindle. The books are not cheaper than amazon market place so is it mainly because they can bring all of their books on the go and less space being taken up?
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Being a heavy reader I swore I would not get a Kindle since there was no way a piece of technology could compare to the experience of reading a proper book.

I was given one as a present for Christmas and have not looked back. As for the books being cheaper, well that's a problem resulting from the publishers being silly (plus the fact that VAT is charged on ebooks but not normal books, weird huh). Amazon can essentially charge whatever they want for the paper and hard backs but the Kindle price is sometimes stuck at the rrp leading to the ludicrous situation where a digital copy will cost more than a hardback. This is not always the case though, for example I have "A Dance with Dragons" on pre-order for only €8 which will then arrive on release day without me having to budge.

Larger books are also much more manageable on the Kindle, the aforementioned "A Dance with Dragons" will be approximately 1000 pages in print form yet the thickness of the Kindle will never change, nor the weight. This means no more tomes weighing down my arms in bed at night nor taking up an absurd amount of space in my backpack. It does mean my shelves will no longer bear the weight of my collection though.

Another great thing about the Kindle is that it'll sync your progress across multiple devices so even if I don't have my Kindle with me I can still read, from the same point, on my phone. Granted, it's not the greatest device to read on but it does in a pinch.
 
Bookstore for me. I love to hold a new book and the smell.....and having a shelf full of books, like old friends sitting there. No way would I get a Kindle - I spend all day looking at a screen and enjoy reading to escape that!
 
Antar Bolaeisk said:
Being a heavy reader I swore I would not get a Kindle since there was no way a piece of technology could compare to the experience of reading a proper book.
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This.

I HATED the concept of the Kindle and the like and thought it was arsey tech for the sake of it.......until i got an ipad and then broke my arm and shoulder.

The ibooks app and kindle app were a God send. Downloaded a pile of books and gradually worked my way through them. Cheap, easy and instant. Absolutely brilliant.
 
Curio said:
Bookstore for me. I love to hold a new book and the smell.....and having a shelf full of books, like old friends sitting there. No way would I get a Kindle - I spend all day looking at a screen and enjoy reading to escape that!
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I think you can easily have both TBH. The Kindle definitely has a place IMO.

I LOVE my CD, DVD and book collection but at the same time i also love having music and DVDs on tap through a computer and an ipad with all three mediums to carry around.
 
Oxfam to support charity or Waterstones to support bookstores.

It's sad to think a town can support scores of clothes shops but a handful of bookstores will struggle.
 
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