For over a decade, I’ve been a dedicated ebook reader. I’ve had two in all that time, and only because my first, my beloved keyboard Kindle, died a quick death after it fell one too many times. Once upon a time, I thought physical books were a bad idea around my little ones (I feared for the pages). But it turned out to be this little electronic book holder that was a bad idea to have around kids. It slipped and fell too many times and, alas, that last one a couple of years ago was just the last straw for it.
I loved everything about my keyboard Kindle, which, for some crazy reason, they no longer make. I loved the page turn buttons that took about 8 years before they started to fail and I’d have to click two or three times to turn the page. I loved the button that made it possible to skip from chapter to chapter. I loved the keyboard that made it so easy for me to make notes.
Sigh. Now I’ve gone and made myself sad.
After my beloved Kindle died, my husband was quick to replace it. But what could replace that perfect keyboard Kindle? He even got it for me for our first Christmas as a married couple.
Now I have the basic Kindle, mostly because I didn’t find the features of the more expensive ones to be useful to me at all. It’s…okay. Not great, but at least useful.
What I Love
What I love about it is the same thing I love about any ereader: It’s super easy to carry around. I like that it’s small and can fit into the little bag I spent almost two weeks crocheting and sewing together.
It has a backlight. My first Kindle needed to be attached to it’s protective cover for me to use the light, so I think the fact that it has a built-in light is probably my favorite feature.
It holds all my ebooks. And a bunch of pdfs. But it was actually easier to read pdfs on my keyboard Kindle, so I now end up having to resize everything, which is annoying when I’m going between books.
What I Hate
Okay, I really do appreciate everything about a Kindle. It does make reading a lot easier, most of the time. But, over the past couple of years, I’ve also kind of grown to hate it. But I’ll keep using it because most of the books I read are sent to me in ebook format. And it really is easier to carry around since I do love those really big fantasies.
The touch screen just isn’t responsive enough. I usually have to tap it multiple times, and then only in specific areas smaller than what the instructions have informed me to be the areas that can be tapped. I read aloud from it to my youngest at night. It’s awkward to have to pause when “flipping” the page because the freaking screen won’t read my brutal finger jabs. It’s been like that almost from day one.
It’s slippery. I read on it mostly from home and, now that my kids are a little older, I don’t find a protective cover useful. But when literally all sides are smooth, it can get a little slippery and I’ve dropped it when it’s just me around. Butter fingers? Maybe.
My keyboard Kindle had a nifty little bar at the bottom that slowly filled in as I read. I loved the visual-spatial way of how it kept track of my progress. It also let me know the exact percentage. It was almost like reading a physical book and getting to look at how many pages I’d read and how many more I had left. Now I just have a number in the lower right corner. Helpful, but I really miss the bar.
I can’t skip to the next chapter! Sometimes I just want to flip back to an earlier chapter or quickly skim through it when I write my reviews to retrieve the information I need. Now, if I’m lucky since I read a lot of eARCs, I can tap the screen to get the menu (somehow, I never have a problem with getting this to appear), and then tap again to get to the Go To list, and then tap the chapter I think I want. If I’m wrong, I have to repeat the process. It was so much easier with my keyboard Kindle.
Honestly…
I think if I still had my keyboard Kindle, I’d be a very happy Kindle reader and I might never want a physical book again. But I don’t have it. And my new Kindle has been driving me crazy for two years. It’s useful, of course. I just…miss my first one.
For about 7 years, I refused to collect physical books because I was afraid my kids would destroy them. And my keyboard Kindle just made me so happy that I didn’t think I really needed or wanted them. But, over the past year, my frustration has just grown and now I’m slowly turning back into wanting to get those physical copies. They’re so much easier, except for the lighting issue because my daughter really likes it when I read to her from my books. With just her little nightlight on. So I’m stuck with my Kindle at nights.
But I love the physical books because, if I drop it, it won’t break. I can get no better visual on my progress. Seriously, I’m a reader. I do words. I love letters. Numbers make me break out into a cold sweat. And it’s so easy to flip through physical books.
So, my Kindle is nice, but far from my favorite thing. Will I give up on it? Probably eventually, but not for a while. I might actually kill this one before that happens; it’s just not as sturdy as my beloved first Kindle.
What do you love or hate about your ereader?
The Lily Cafe 
I share an ereader with my wife, it was once her grandmother’s until her eyes deteriorated so much she needed audiobooks instead. I like aspects of it, convenience for one thing — it’s convenient to have just one thing to carry instead of the several books I flick between depending on mood. The biggest problem with it is definitely that it makes a noise when I turn the page, not a nice paper-ey noise but a buzzing sound that nobody else can hear but me so my in-laws think I’m completely wild for complaining about it.
My big rule with ereaders is that any book I really and truly love that I read on a ereader, I will eventually buy a physical (paperback, because preferences) copy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s definitely convenient to carry around just one thing. That’s so weird yours makes a weird buzzing sound! I think that would drive me crazy and I’d never read another ebook again.
I like your rule, and might just adopt it for myself. It’s so much easier to flip through the actual book, and it must be a plus to not have that buzzing noise with a physical copy.
LikeLike
I originally had a Kindle Fire 2nd generation and I LOVED it. This year, it started to lose the ability to go online and onto Amazon, so I knew I needed an upgrade. I got a Kindle Fire 8 and have so much trouble using it! I can barely get the thing to download books. I’ll have to shut it off and on and try to send it to it over and over until it works, and sometimes it literally will just not ever finish downloading books. I miss my old Kindle so much because I didn’t have all the trouble with it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no! That sounds so cumbersome to get access to books. We have a Fire I use for library books for our daughter and it takes forever to get them downloaded. Sometimes they just never show up. It seems the older Kindles were so much better. I wonder why they had to go and mess them all up to make using them so annoying.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m a cheapskate and only have the kindle app on my phone.
Something about screens just kills my reading speed, so I never moved on from physical books. I always prefer paperbacks when I have the option.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t see the newer Kindles as being worth it, and physical books will always be so much better. When I first started reading ebooks, my reading speed slowed, too, and it was insanely annoying, but then I discovered a list of free books and was hooked, haha. Now, though, physical books sound like the better route to go and I’m so glad more self-published authors are offering physical copies as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love and prefer physical books! I have to be honest and say that I do acknowledge all the good things an ereader can provide but nothing compares to the smell of a new book. Unfortunately because I live in Portugal, when a new book is launched I have three options 1) wait years and see if some editor translate it to Portuguese, 2) buy it on the original form (and wait almost a month for it to come to my hands) or finally 3) buy it in an ebook form.
Because of that I had to learn to read in an iPad. It’s convenient and after a couple of books I started to like it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I absolutely agree! Nothing beats the actual book. I can’t imagine how awful it is to either have to wait or just go with the ebook and miss out on all the wonderfulness of physical books, but it’s great you’ve been able to enjoy reading on a device!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a little Kindle that I use if I’m reading in the sun or around water since it’s waterproof but I much prefer reading through the Kindle app on my iPad. I never experienced a keyboard Kindle but it sounds like it was a very good device ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m starting to think the Kindle app works better than the actual Kindles, though having a waterproof one must be really nice. And iPads are so easy to use. The keyboard Kindle was absolute heaven.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a fairly decent size Smartphone so I use that to read ebooks. I’ve gotten use to it, but I still much prefer physical books to the point where I probably won’t buy anymore ebooks unless they’re a super good price.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reading on a device is quite an adjustment, but not much really beats the real book. Price is a good reason to go with the e-version, though! I do love how I can get a few ebooks for the same amount of money as a physical book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah they’re an excellent price that’s for sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m due for a new one. My one keeps rebooting itself, sometimes crash mid-page turn and slow to download ebooks. I did not know there was a kindle keyboard version!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mine does the same thing. From all the comments, it sounds like the Kindles aren’t as good as they’re supposed to be. If you get a new one, I hope it works a lot better! The keyboard one was so amazing; no problems at all. I have no idea why they stopped making it. It’s such a shame.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nothing can beat physical books even though I mostly read on kindle. A biggest disadvantage is I deleted my email address that wasn’t in use and I later realized my kindle was registered on that email. So now I can’t send mobi file to kindle and I have to read them on laptop or phone.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m the same. That’s so unfortunate! Though I have heard that the Kindle apps seem to work better than the actual Kindles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, apps are great. you can easily switch accounts with different devices.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a nolim e-reader, basically an e-paper with storage. It doesn’t connect to internet (I need to move the things in via cable) and it doesn’t have a dictionary or access to a shop. Just a paper with a few buttons. The screen is responsive but I tend to lock the feature, I’m fine with the buttons. I have this baby since 10 years approx, I believe. And it works for me. I don’t know if I will ever get a Kindle…unless it’s a present!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That actually sounds like a really great ereader. At this point, anything really basic sounds good to me; fancy just seems to be making them worse. I hope it continues to work! From what I hear, the Kindles don’t work as wonderfully as they’re supposed to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read from my phone, using the Kindle app. I love the convenience of it and being able to get a book with just one click.
I miss real books for the feel and smell of them but I don’t have the space and my eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Kindle app sounds so handy! It definitely makes it so convenient to get books, and it must be great that it makes it easier for you to read.
LikeLike