E-books and e-book readers

[pharvey]

Certainly enjoyed my books over the years and love the feel of a "real book" as I do a "real newspaper" rather than reading online or with some electronic device..... That said, needs must and due to my travels (well, not for 18 months ), I've had to use/read Ebooks whilst working away - simply being impracticable to take books with me.

Now back in the UK and having access to countless books, I'm enjoying the "real world" - and having the "Book Barn" a stone's throw from me and literally at the end of my "Mam's" street, I'm a happy man!!

https://www.bookbarninternational.com/

For those in need of E-books, I have hundreds on disc in many formats - ways and means I'm sure I can share, but also easily downloaded through the likes of https://pirateproxy.how/

[STEVE G]

I´ve read so much on Kindles over the last ten years or so that I´ve literally found myself trying to turn pages of a real book by tapping on it like it was a touch screen!

[buksida]

I'm also a convert - for years I'd hold on to my 'real books' until someone gave me a Kindle and I managed to load about a hundred books onto it at once. The convenience of finding whatever you're looking for online in minutes can't be beaten, someone recommends you a book and you can have it the same day! I can't live without the thing now!

[handdrummer]

When I stopped being a book collector and sold & gave away nearly all my books, I began haunting the places that sold used books and took trade ins. (Blue and Yellow Book Store has been great for that.)
I now own 9 books.

The internet is an unlimited source of reading material. Far more than I could ever accumulate on shelving.
At some point I'll have to get a Kindle, or it's equivalent, so I can carry books with me when I go out and am stuck waiting somewhere.

Having said all that, I still don't like reading on a screen. It tires my eyes and I can't read as long as I would like too. I enjoy holding a book, turning the pages, etc. but as pharvey said, "as needs must."

One of the things I miss most in the US are libraries. I can read whatever I like and not have to buy & store the books. They also have CD's and videos and make for a pleasant few hours out of the house.

[Jack_Batty]

When I stopped being a book collector and sold & gave away nearly all my books, I began haunting the places that sold used books and took trade ins. (Blue and Yellow Book Store has been great for that.)
I now own 9 books.

The internet is an unlimited source of reading material. Far more than I could ever accumulate on shelving.
At some point I'll have to get a Kindle, or it's equivalent, so I can carry books with me when I go out and am stuck waiting somewhere.

Having said all that, I still don't like reading on a screen. It tires my eyes and I can't read as long as I would like too. I enjoy holding a book, turning the pages, etc. but as pharvey said, "as needs must."

One of the things I miss most in the US are libraries. I can read whatever I like and not have to buy & store the books. They also have CD's and videos and make for a pleasant few hours out of the house.

You don’t need to buy a Kindle. Just put the app on your phone and tablet. You can pull out your phone anywhere and read. You can also make the print as large as you want on the screen.

[handdrummer]

When I stopped being a book collector and sold & gave away nearly all my books, I began haunting the places that sold used books and took trade ins. (Blue and Yellow Book Store has been great for that.)
I now own 9 books.

The internet is an unlimited source of reading material. Far more than I could ever accumulate on shelving.
At some point I'll have to get a Kindle, or it's equivalent, so I can carry books with me when I go out and am stuck waiting somewhere.

Having said all that, I still don't like reading on a screen. It tires my eyes and I can't read as long as I would like too. I enjoy holding a book, turning the pages, etc. but as pharvey said, "as needs must."

One of the things I miss most in the US are libraries. I can read whatever I like and not have to buy & store the books. They also have CD's and videos and make for a pleasant few hours out of the house.

You don’t need to buy a Kindle. Just put the app on your phone and tablet. You can pull out your phone anywhere and read. You can also make the print as large as you want on the screen.

I don't have a phone or a tablet. I've tried it on my wife's phone and the larger the print, the fewer words there are on the screen. I don't have the patience for that.

Is there an advantage of a tablet over an e reader, or vice versa?

[buksida]

E-readers generally have softer backlights that are easier on the eyes. I too don't like reading on the small screen too much (definitely can't use a phone to read a book), but the Kindles and the like are designed for this, they're not as harsh on the eyes.

[migrant]

I've always been a big reader. When we would come to Thailand on vacation I'd bring 7-8 books, running out one year and having a panic attack thinking of that long flight back (but found some). Once I got the kindle I never really looked back. Yes, I do miss the page flipping and I do prefer to read newspapers, and large magazines, on real print, but for books I'm happy.

WHen I did buy the kindle I did a lot of comparison between it and other options but the kindle, IMHO won easily.

[handdrummer]

I just found out that my wife has an 8 yr. old ipad. There's a kindle app on it. Do I have to connect to DTAC (her phone provider) to be able to download items? (I know I don't have to use Kindle to download books.)

The screen is big enough for me to read comfortably and a slight enlargement makes the small print readable.

Yours, dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st C.

WD*

White Devil.

[buksida]

If you use Apple or Amazon apps or devices you'll be restricted with what you can download and where, and you'll have to pay for it all.

The downloading advice remains: use the link provided further back in this thread, then use free software such as Calibre to transfer it to the device (not sure about Apple compatibility though).

[Jack_Batty]

If you use Apple or Amazon apps or devices you'll be restricted with what you can download and where, and you'll have to pay for it all.

The downloading advice remains: use the link provided further back in this thread, then use free software such as Calibre to transfer it to the device (not sure about Apple compatibility though).

I use the website you provided to download books (probably about 15 by now) directly onto my iPad. I then open them up under the ‘books’ icon that is proprietary to all Apple devices. This has worked flawlessly and with no cost. The good thing is that should I find myself with time to kill out on the town, i can pull out my iPhone, open the ‘books’ icon and pick up where I left off on my latest book.

[buksida]

Good stuff, that should work for hd's iPad then. No need for the Calibre if you can download directly to the device.

[dtaai-maai]

At some point I'll have to get a Kindle, or it's equivalent, so I can carry books with me when I go out and am stuck waiting somewhere.

For as long as I can remember, I've never been without a book to read if I have downtime. Whether travelling, lunching alone, waiting at the doctor's/dentist/dole office/police station/probation officer, I've always made sure I have something to read. In fact, I've sometimes wondered whether I have some kind of problem!

One of the things I miss most in the US are libraries. I can read whatever I like and not have to buy & store the books. They also have CD's and videos and make for a pleasant few hours out of the house.

Absolutely. I also used to enjoy browsing in bookshops, both new and 2nd hand, though there aren't so many of those around these days... Somewhere like York or Canterbury, I could get lost for hours just wandering from one shop to another. I went Hay-on-Wye once, many years ago - heaven on earth.

I don't think I could read on my phone, just I've never tried to watch TV or films on it. If anything, the kindle could be a tad larger and lighter (I once gave myself a black eye when I dropped it while reading in bed), but adjusting the font size or using the 'bold' option does the trick if my eyes start complaining.

The downloading advice remains: use the link provided further back in this thread, then use free software such as Calibre to transfer it to the device (not sure about Apple compatibility though).

Calibre - an absolute treasure, though I haven't yet mastered the ability to categorise my books. Likewise on the kindle: I keep meaning to create different folders for different book categories, but I get frustrated...

[handdrummer]

I thank everyone for their advice. This forum is my favorite thing in Thailand. Whenever I've had a question, someone has been able to answer it and the advice has always been helpful.

My fields of knowledge and expertise are different from what everyone here knows about and having this resource is invaluable.

Yours truly,

A Luddite

[thecolonel]

*converting epub files to something I can read*


Yes, I've googled it but there's too many answers! Haha

I'm looking to hear from someone who been here and done that, and can give me the best and smoothest solution

TIA

Ps the file is on my PC with Windows 10 which doesn't have anything to open it with

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