| Author | |
KauaiCatholic
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 25 2009
Location: Hawaii
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 535
|
| Posted: Dec 28 2009 at 7:50pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
my DH surprised me with a Kindle for Christmas! he wanted to give me an easier way to read during this last trimester on bed rest, bless his heart. (although I suspect he's also hoping it means I'll clear out some of my many, many overcrowded bookshelves.)
but I'm a little overwhelmed, and wondering if anybody here has suggestions or advice for starting out. (I bought a Douay-Rheims Bible and was promptly informed by my parents that it was the "wrong one" and that I shouldn't have had to pay, so now I'm jumpy.  )
I thought it might be a good time to get some new parenting/marriage books; I was looking at some Scott and Kimberly Hahn and some women's Bible studies. (well, that's in addition to the "brain candy" I'm sure I'll also be downloading  but I don't need suggestions for those.) oh, and I'd love a missal or daily prayer guide but can't seem to find any.
any ideas?
__________________
 Viviane
Grateful mama of Jonah Augustine ('01), Sophia Marie ('05) and Luke Dominic ('10)
We can do no great things; only small things with great love. -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
sewcrazy
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 17 2006
Location: Illinois
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 735
|
| Posted: Dec 28 2009 at 8:04pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I have a Sony ebook reader. I didnt want the Kindle, because I like having to download first to my computer. I would be in danger of impulse buys with direct download 
There are a lot of free ebooks online, also Ebay and Ioffer are great places for ebooks very very cheap...especially brain candy! I.e. I just bought EVERY Nora Roberts book written on cd for $9.95! 214 books
__________________
LeeAnn
Wife of David, mom to Ben, Dennis, Alex, Laura, Philip and our little souls in heaven we have yet to meet
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
guitarnan
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10883
|
| Posted: Dec 28 2009 at 8:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I don't have a Kindle, but I have Kindle Envy...my mom has one and it's a real blessing for her, as she is vision-impaired. It's given her back her joy in reading.
I would love to have one for travel purposes (well, except for that new hour-without-electronics-rule, another story!).
Mom says she can use Amazon gift cards to buy Kindle books, so that is a good suggestion for future holiday gift ideas...givers can't select specific titles for you, which is not great, but you can use a gift card to buy any title you wish.
I loved My Life With the Saints and My Cousin the Saint (completely unrelated books, just similar titles). I love, love, love saint biographies!
__________________
Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
KC in TX
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 05 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: Dec 28 2009 at 9:23pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Nancy, my sister is vision-impaired. How has the Kindle helped your mom? My sister has cataracts due to steroids she had to have for her eyes. Reading is very difficult for her.
I'd love to get either the Kindle or the Nook from Barnes and Noble.
__________________
KC,
wife to Ben (10/94),
Mama to LB ('98)
Michaela ('01)
Emma ('03)
Jordan ('05)
And, my 2 angels, Rose ('08) and Mark ('09)
The Cabbage Patch
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
DominaCaeli
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 24 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3711
|
| Posted: Dec 28 2009 at 10:51pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We just inherited my grandfather's Kindle (version one) this Christmas--he upgraded and gave the old one to us.
I'm going to register it tomorrow and then start uploading. There are SO many free options out there! I have already downloaded quite a few ebooks in the public domain that are in Kindle format, ready to be added. I am actually planning to use it a lot like a daily missal, with my prayer routine on it, along with spiritual works I'm reading, the Bible, etc. As far as I can tell, you can have Word documents formatted for free to use on there as well. So many options!
__________________
Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
guitarnan
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Maryland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10883
|
| Posted: Dec 29 2009 at 7:13am | IP Logged
|
|
|
KC, my mom has NAION and her field of vision is quite impaired in both eyes. The Kindle can enlarge the "print" enough on a page so she can read it easily. It will also read aloud to her if she wishes. It keeps her place so she doesn't have to look through a book with-too small print to figure out where she left off. She tried books-on-CD and really didn't like them. The Kindle has given her so much happiness! (She is in a book club - has been for many years - and it's a social outlet she really enoys. Now she feels like she's a part of things again.)
__________________
Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mimip
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 17 2009
Location: Florida
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1526
|
| Posted: Dec 29 2009 at 3:37pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
guitarnan wrote:
I don't have a Kindle, but I have Kindle Envy..
|
|
|
So do I!
__________________
In Christ,
Mimi
Wife of 16 years to Tom, Mom of DD'00, DD'02, '04(in heaven) DS'05, DS'08 and DS '12
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Paula in MN
Forum All-Star
Joined: Nov 25 2006
Location: Minnesota
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4064
|
| Posted: Dec 29 2009 at 4:52pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Mimip wrote:
guitarnan wrote:
I don't have a Kindle, but I have Kindle Envy..
|
|
|
So do I!
|
|
|
Well, I went and looked on Amazon to see what all the fuss was about.
I then downloaded the free Kindle PC software, and about 10 free books. I'm going to be reading for the next two weeks...
__________________
Paula
A Catholic Harvest
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Karen T
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 16 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 927
|
| Posted: Dec 30 2009 at 10:30am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I have wondered about Kindles. So far I have resisted b/c I've not been able to see one in person and really get an idea of how well they work. I have downloaded ebooks in the past to read either on my computer or on my Palm Pilot and I can't stand it. When I read print, I tend to look at the entire paragraph at once and not read individual words or even lines much. I found with the Palm reader I was having to scroll so much it bothered my eyes and gave me a headache, b/c of the screen size. I've never read more than a few chapters on it for this reason. I've also tried reading ebooks on the computer screen and I'm not sure why but it bothers me also, maybe b/c the screen is much wider than tall?
anyway, I've had people say that Kindle is much different, more like reading an actual print book but I am still unsure. It would be nice to have multiple books loaded and just carry one thing.
karen T
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary Chris
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 27 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2175
|
| Posted: Dec 30 2009 at 11:06am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Karen,
Barnes and Noble has the Nook, if you have a store close to you, they have them there to look at.
__________________
Blessings, Mary Chris Beardsley
mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Karen T
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 16 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 927
|
| Posted: Dec 30 2009 at 4:18pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
No unfortunately we only have Borders, and I don't think they carry anything except maybe the Sony eBook, which I have heard is not that great. I'll keep my eyes out, though!
Karen T
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
KauaiCatholic
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 25 2009
Location: Hawaii
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 535
|
| Posted: Dec 30 2009 at 8:10pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
thanks for all the suggestions. LeeAnn, I never thought of eBay. WOW! thanks for helping me find cheap brain candy! and Celeste, I love your idea of using it for prayer time. am working on building that up.
I, too, had Kindle envy from the start but had resisted for several reasons. I love the tactile feel of a book, I love the "discovery" factor of yard sale or library finds, and I am a speed reader, so I thought the scrolling would be a bother. in addition, I'm a packrat+bibliophile, so collecting books is like breathing. oh, and I also worry about the instant click buying temptation, but so far I am limiting myself to the gift card that came with it. and there really is a lot of free stuff out there, although tracking it down isn't as easy as I was hoping.
all that being said, I LOVE THIS THING!!!! I love the flexibility of switching between books, I can change the text size to limit scrolling, it has an awesome "highlight" option that lets me cut quotes into a special file for later reading, and man, is it easy to read in bed! I have already read several novels, some GK Chesterton (whom I've never read, just seen quotes in homeschooling contexts ... and whose books are public domain = free) and just found a summary of Charlotte Mason's 6-book series for $5. I was excited to realize that so much classic literature is public domain; I'm revisiting old friends like the Bronte sisters and enjoying them thoroughly. it will certainly be a blessing if I have to spend any more time in the hospital, and (somewhere down the road) I imagine it will be great for travel. another thing I like is you can turn off the wireless once the books are downloaded (I'm avoiding the blogs and newspapers/magazines for now) so you don't have to worry about those darn waves or whatever it is we're worried about with cell phones. 
oh, one thing that bothers my DH more than me is that this version, unlike some other readers, is not backlit. he was REALLY disappointed, since he was hoping it would make nighttime reading easier. but I just attach my LightWedge with a rubber band and am good to go. but just a caveat to anyone thinking about Kindle2.
speaking of different types, DH also researched the Barnes & Noble one, but said the reviews weren't as good. and, ironically, the day after he bought mine, he found out Apple is coming out with its own version.  (we are pretty hard-core Apple fans, so he was really bummed.) but it sounds like that won't be out til late spring, which is too late to help me with bed rest. but something to think about for anybody looking at options.
ETA: looks like there are children's chapter books available, too. I may use that as a special treat to entice my reluctant reader ... down the road, anyway. it's a pretty hot commodity around here right now but I'm not sharing yet.
__________________
Viviane
Grateful mama of Jonah Augustine ('01), Sophia Marie ('05) and Luke Dominic ('10)
We can do no great things; only small things with great love. -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Natalia
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Louisiana
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1343
|
| Posted: Dec 30 2009 at 9:14pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Ok, I officially have Kindle envy too. I never thought I would like one for the reasons you mentioned, Viviane, but you made sound as heaven on Earth! 
__________________
Natalia
http://pannuestrodecadadia.blogspot.com
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
KauaiCatholic
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 25 2009
Location: Hawaii
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 535
|
| Posted: Jan 05 2010 at 3:44am | IP Logged
|
|
|
sorry, Natalia ... I didn't mean to add to anyone's envy. if it helps, as much as I'm enjoying this, I'm still convinced that nothing beats a good old-fashioned book. and the library is still a WHOLE lot cheaper!
__________________
Viviane
Grateful mama of Jonah Augustine ('01), Sophia Marie ('05) and Luke Dominic ('10)
We can do no great things; only small things with great love. -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
St. Ann
Forum All-Star
Joined: Oct 20 2006
Location: Germany
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2137
|
| Posted: Jan 05 2010 at 5:41am | IP Logged
|
|
|
There are some comments about the Kindle on Fr. Z's blog right now...some are recommending he wait to purchase a kindle, although they love it, because Apple is coming out with something new in March that "will kill the Kindle"! Just for your information.
__________________
Stephanie
Wife and mother to Hannah '96, Maria '99, Dorothea '01, Helena '03
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
marihalojen
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 12 2006
Location: Florida
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1883
|
| Posted: Jan 05 2010 at 10:31am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I got my dh a Kindle for Christmas, he adores it.
Karen T wrote:
| I have downloaded ebooks in the past to read either on my computer or on my Palm Pilot and I can't stand it. |
|
|
The way he explained the Kindle to me is that everytime you turn the page it shoots the ink like stuff over the entire screen and it sticks where the words are supposed to be. So it doesn't glow and so doesn't fatigue the eyes like computer screens. He compares it to a magna-doodle or an etch-a-sketch but you don't have to turn it upside down and shake it for the magic to happen! 
__________________
~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mellyrose
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 12 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 939
|
| Posted: Jan 05 2010 at 6:48pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I have a Kindle and LOVE it. There are so many free books, but even the few I've paid for I appreciate having them in the same place and nothing to add to my bookshelf. It also makes travel easy!
I have bought a bunch of children's anthologies for a penny apiece (things like Chinese Folktales, African Folktales, Celtic Folktales)
My husband has a Sony e-reader and the only reason I envy that one a bit is because he can easily borrow digital books from the library to download to his. The Kindle format doesn't allow me to download from our library :(
I like it for new books that aren't at our library (funding cuts means not many new books) and also the many free books that are out there. I have about 75 books on my Kindle right now and I think I purchased maybe 10 (and that includes my penny books).
Amazon always changes around what they offer for free -- a couple weeks ago they had the "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker For Entertaining" cookbook for free. If you search for Kindle books, then sort them price low to high and add -domain in the search box -- you'll sort out all the free domain books and be left with more recent books. There are about 5 pages of free books right now that aren't free domain books.
The lack of a light is a bit frustrating - but the fact I can increase the text size is WONDERFUL!! I have been struggling the last couple years reading small print and I no longer have to struggle.
I love my Kindle.
__________________
Melanie in AZ
Colin (11/00), Nate (05/02), Lydia (04/07)
My Little Patch of Sunshine
Pictures of our Life
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
momtomany
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 17 2005
Location: Pennsylvania
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 505
|
| Posted: Jan 06 2010 at 3:22pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I got a Kindle for Christmas too. I'm loving all the comments about the free stuff you can get on it. I had no idea.
__________________
Mary Ann in PA
wife to MIchael, mom to Elizabeth, Becca, Tim, Peter, Andrew, Sarah, Matthew, John, Leah and Joseph
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Amanda
Forum Pro
Joined: Jan 21 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 116
|
| Posted: Jan 07 2010 at 4:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I love my Kindle! Dh gave me a Kindle DX (the big one, that can handle PDFs) for my 40th bday last June.
I wasn't sure I would like it, because I'm one of those people who loves everything about books, including the way they smell--but I do like it. I have to say that I'm pretty bad about impulse purchases, but not as bad as I feared I would be. If I'm in a waiting room and feeling bored, I can always get some samples of books to feed my addiction and help me postpone the purchase until I've thought about it further.
I have developed some criteria for books that I'll buy on Kindle, although I'm not sure how well I can explain them. Some reference books I still prefer to buy in book form, like Homeschool Your Child for Free. I thought I'd like having that in Kindle for PC, because I can click on the links, but the PC software doesn't seem to be searchable the way the Kindle is, so that's awkward--and it's just not as browse-able as a book is. Anything I think I might want to sell, that also might have some resale value (like Simplicity Parenting), I buy in book form. And anything I might want to lend out regularly, like books that might give family members ideas of how to deal with my special-needs son, I buy in book form. (I guess this is all common sense, but when I first got my Kindle, I over-bought!)
I actually like the fact that it's not backlit. I am much more likely to be reading outside while the kids play than I am to be reading in bed with my dh asleep, and the screen is very easy to read, even in bright sunlight.
I could go on and on...I've put all kinds of PDFs on mine, like the Saving Dinner menus I get, so I have them when I'm shopping. And I have PDFs of things like Hands of a Child Lapbooks, in case I misplace the printouts. I even have Story of the World on there, especially since I use it to teach a co-op class. I sometimes forget or misplace the book, but I am never far from my Kindle!
I even have some important Word docs on there, although I had to pay Amazon 40 cents each to convert them.
Please join me in clicking "I'd like to read this on Kindle" on lots of Catholic books that it would be nice to have in such a portable format, like the Catholic Women's Devotional Bible.
I'm really almost done, I promise...but I have a free version of the Baltimore Catechism, too!
__________________
mom to ds '97, dd '03, ds '07, and dd 1/11
St. Margaret Clitherow Homeschool
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Amanda
Forum Pro
Joined: Jan 21 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 116
|
| Posted: Jan 07 2010 at 4:39pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Oh, no, there's still more. Amy Welborn's A Catholic Woman's Book of Days is available, if that sounds like something you'd like, Viviane.
And I forgot to mention how nice it is when one of the dc asks me what a word means when we're in the car. Instead of struggling to explain (or in addition to that), I pass the Kindle to the oldest and ask him to look it up for her.
__________________
mom to ds '97, dd '03, ds '07, and dd 1/11
St. Margaret Clitherow Homeschool
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: anybody here Kindle?
