MobileRead Forums https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ MobileRead - the resource for mobile geeks seeking information and advice for keeping their gadgets happy. en Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:11:17 GMT vBulletin 30 https://www2.mobileread.com/i/mr/misc/logo.gif MobileRead Forums https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ <![CDATA[Creating a functional "blank line" or separator inside a custom column drop-down]]> https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375647&goto=newpost Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:20:11 GMT Add your own columns. 3. In the Create a list of permitted values box, paste that character wherever you want a blank separator. 4. If you want multiple blank lines to act as dividers in different sections of your menu, you must make each one unique (otherwise Calibre merges them into one item). You can do this by pasting the character multiple times: • First blank line: ⠀ (1 blank space) • Second blank line: ⠀⠀ (2 blank spaces) • Third blank line: ⠀⠀⠀ (3 blank spaces) Alternative Option: Visible Dividers (which always looked clunky) If you simply want to organize a long list of items, using a purely invisible line can sometimes cause accidental clicks. Many Calibre power users prefer using a clean, text-based visual separator instead: • Paste a string of dashes: -------------------- • Use box-drawing lines: ──────────────────── If this is old news, or worthless, than please ignore it. Hope everyone is having a good day.]]> If this should be located elsewhere maybe Library Management, I couldn't see how to locate it there. Sorry.

I finally found a way to do this and it works for me. Never saw mention of this when I searched before over 26 years now, if anyone is interested?
This is from Google's Chat.

Hope the blank character is visible in the post if not, Try google chat "Braille Blank Character"

To create a functional "blank line" or separator inside a Calibre custom column drop-down menu (specifically for an Enumerated Values column type), you cannot simply hit the spacebar or leave a field empty, as Calibre trims whitespace and rejects completely empty entries.
Instead, you can use specialized characters that look completely blank to Calibre's interface.

The Solution: Use the Braille Blank Character

The most effective trick is using the Braille Pattern Blank space (⠀). Unlike standard spaces or non-breaking spaces (which Calibre strips out), Calibre treats the Braille blank as a valid, unique character string while rendering it as completely invisible.

How to implement it:

1. Copy the invisible character inside the brackets below:
[⠀] (Only copy the blank space inside the brackets).
2. Go to your custom column settings in Preferences > Add your own columns.
3. In the Create a list of permitted values box, paste that character wherever you want a blank separator.
4. If you want multiple blank lines to act as dividers in different sections of your menu, you must make each one unique (otherwise Calibre merges them into one item). You can do this by pasting the character multiple times:
• First blank line: ⠀ (1 blank space)
• Second blank line: ⠀⠀ (2 blank spaces)
• Third blank line: ⠀⠀⠀ (3 blank spaces)

Alternative Option: Visible Dividers (which always looked clunky)

If you simply want to organize a long list of items, using a purely invisible line can sometimes cause accidental clicks. Many Calibre power users prefer using a clean, text-based visual separator instead:
• Paste a string of dashes: --------------------
• Use box-drawing lines: ────────────────────

If this is old news, or worthless, than please ignore it.

Hope everyone is having a good day. ]]> General Discussions HappyCalibreUser https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375647 Perusa – dots that help with car sickness when reading on your phone (15 free codes) https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375646&goto=newpost Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:14:05 GMT Hi all, I'm the solo developer of Perusa, an Android app for people who get car sick reading as a passenger. It draws small dots around the edge of the screen that move with the car's real braking and turns, so your eyes and inner ear agree. Unlike other apps like this, the dots ignore potholes and road buzz, so they stay out of the way while you read.

It works on top of any app you read in (e-books, PDFs, the browser), and taps go straight through. No ads, no account, no subscription, Android 8+. Passengers only, and it's a comfort aid, not a medical thing.

Here are 15 codes for MobileRead members, one each. No review required, enjoy! Please reply with the one you took so nobody tries a dead one.

0CB4FXQ4MGF185D88UN2WFH
J4MUPRY4A4M1P3EUBHQJX0F
7RHVRDDAHPM0KJ6JT7FG0BJ
4YQP74JP1JF1LXJJFHKU8QV
W1DY2UW6P5S3JLRAFBL2SSD
ZQPQ9KKQ40NZZFKQ8APSAAA
3A5DB46DAZ37PMTRDZB9MF0
Q9DPTWE59HFEC5DS7SYTPPE
QMZUNZHZY4X2FM6KK5GM4C6
AA6BBHS4KRTFM8B2S86ZV0M
XARG8H88HL1219TX91WDJVF
N90D0F72GDLBY4K0MDGNMVG
LJUY1G2L2LNRBW2D8KK3EV7
JLUTQJ0B5Q5L3N0NUXXYZNM
KVRFXDP4AHT1VH9THJ1T271

Redeem: Google Play app → profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Redeem code.
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...com.perusa.app

Happy to answer questions here, and bug reports from e-ink devices or odd phones would be really usefull. ]]> Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers ejempty https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375646 Demo for Continuous Scroll Comic/Manga epubs https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375645&goto=newpost Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:13:32 GMT Here's a short video demo of a new type of fixed layout EPUB that supports continuous scroll manga/comics/bandes desinées

https://youtu.be/o_GCgUEJz_I?si=o4hj1J4oh1p6ISWs

There are two reading systems that have verified that they can display this correctly
https://w3c.github.io/epub-tests/res...layout-results

I think Thorium is planning to test as well.

I'm looking forward to the comics people make in this new format. ]]> News sueneu https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375645 Amazon Launches the Alexa Tablets https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375644&goto=newpost Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:40:11 GMT *Introducing all-new Amazon Alexa Tablets—powerful tablets with Alexa+ built in (https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/new-amazon-alexa-tablets-alexa-plus)* ---Quote--- We’re excited to introduce *Amazon Alexa Tablets (https://www.amazon.com/b?node=221942416011)*—an all-new lineup of tablets that combine powerful hardware, the intelligence of Alexa+, and built-in access to all your favorite apps with Google Play Store. The all-new lineup includes three models: Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Amazon Alexa Tablet 11, and Amazon Alexa Tablet 8. ~~~~~ We’re also introducing all-new Amazon Kids Tablets. Ready-to-go bundles come with a device, a kid-proof case, and a year of Amazon Kids+, with 8.7-inch and 11-inch sizes both available. ~~~~~ The new Amazon Alexa Tablets are available in a range of configurations. Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99 (Nanomatte starts at $549.99) in Graphite, with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 starts at $329.99 in Graphite, Amethyst, and Matcha, with 8GB RAM and 64GB storage. Amazon Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $229.99 in Graphite, Rosette, and Teal, with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Accessories include the Amazon Alexa Tablet Pro Keyboard ($149.99), Amazon Alexa Tablet Pro Pen ($89.99), and a range of protective folios. All three Amazon Alexa Tablets as well as Amazon Kids Tablets will be available for purchase today and will ship on October 14, 2026, in the United States, Mexico and Canada. ---End Quote--- Introducing all-new Amazon Alexa Tablets—powerful tablets with Alexa+ built in

Quote:
We’re excited to introduce Amazon Alexa Tablets—an all-new lineup of tablets that combine powerful hardware, the intelligence of Alexa+, and built-in access to all your favorite apps with Google Play Store. The all-new lineup includes three models: Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Amazon Alexa Tablet 11, and Amazon Alexa Tablet 8.

~~~~~

We’re also introducing all-new Amazon Kids Tablets. Ready-to-go bundles come with a device, a kid-proof case, and a year of Amazon Kids+, with 8.7-inch and 11-inch sizes both available.

~~~~~

The new Amazon Alexa Tablets are available in a range of configurations. Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99 (Nanomatte starts at $549.99) in Graphite, with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 starts at $329.99 in Graphite, Amethyst, and Matcha, with 8GB RAM and 64GB storage. Amazon Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $229.99 in Graphite, Rosette, and Teal, with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Accessories include the Amazon Alexa Tablet Pro Keyboard ($149.99), Amazon Alexa Tablet Pro Pen ($89.99), and a range of protective folios.

All three Amazon Alexa Tablets as well as Amazon Kids Tablets will be available for purchase today and will ship on October 14, 2026, in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
]]> News tubemonkey https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375644 <![CDATA[Head's up for those that build Sigil from source]]> https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375643&goto=newpost Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:38:26 GMT Hi All,

The Epub 3.4 spec has introduced two new base image formats: avif and jxl.
Unfortunately Qt QImage has no support for either of them. And QtWebEngine/Chrome still has no out of the box support for the jxl format.

So if you look at our Sigil-Ebook repo, you will see a new repository called qtimageformats2.

In this repository we collected all the different repositories into one build to create Qt image plugins for both the avif and jxl formats. These plugins have been added to our official Qt builds for Windows and MacOS and so our next release will include them.

That means when Sigil-2.8.5 is officially released ImageTab AdjustImage and other tools that use QImage will now support those new avif and jxl formats for Read and Write.

That still leaves the issue of no jxl image support in QtWebEngine / Chrome / Electron, and thus in our Preview, View Image, etc.

To work around this until QtWebEngine reaches a Chrome build that actually supports jxl and turns it on (Chrome build 155) we are using our URLSchemeHandler to "polyfill" the jxl image by converting it on the fly behind the scenes to a PNG image (to assure no image degradation losses) for QtWebEngine.

Please note the epub itself and that jxl image are unchanged!

The png is just shown by Preview, nothing more. When an jxl image is asked for by QtWebEngine we deliver a png image instead so inside Preview everything works and you see the exact same thing you would have seen if jxl was supported in the QtWebEngine/Chrome.

So what does this mean for you ...

- the next release of Sigil will allow support for avif and jxl images as required by the Epub 3.4 spec.

From a building your own Sigil standpoint, you will need to use one of our recent Qt builds that has the new image format plugins installed, or if you build your own Qt, you will need to git clone:

https://github.com/Sigil-Ebook/qtimageformats2.git

Then try your own build of the plugins and then hand install them in your Qt builds *before* building Sigil.

Both DiapDealer and I would be happy to help you get initial builds of qtimageformats2 going to build the qavif and qjpegxl6 Qt image plugins if you decide to go that route.

Just post in this thread any questions or issues you run into.

For those of you that use my latest Qt6.10.2 builds on MacOS (downloaded from my personal BuildSigilOnMac release page) for your builds of Sigil, the plugins are already installed in that build and all should just work.

For those of you using DiapDealer's Windows Qt builds for your builds, just download the latest version in a few days (some kinks are still being worked out) and you should be good to go.

As for Linux builders: On recent Linux KDE distributions both jxl and avif qt plugins already exist and everything should just work. On other Linux distributions you should be able to build our qtimageformats2 repo out of the box with few issues.

Just post in this thread any questions or issues you run into.

Thanks! ]]> Sigil KevinH https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375643 Other Fiction Haken, Johann Christian Ludwig: Die graue Mappe. (german) V1. 8 Oct 2026 https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375642&goto=newpost Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:13:55 GMT Johann Christian Ludwig Haken, (28. März 1767 in Jamund bei Köslin — 5. Juni 1835) war ein deutscher evangelischer Pfarrer und Schriftsteller.
Seine literarische Laufbahn begann er mit: „Die graue Mappe aus Ewald Rink’s hinterlassenen Papieren“ (4 Theile, 1790-93) und zwar anonym, weshalb er sich auch auf mehreren seiner Schriften, als „Verfasser der grauen Mappe“ maskirte.
Unter seinen historischen Schriften muß besonders hervorgehoben werden: „Die Selbstbiographie Johann Nettelbecks“ (1738-1824), des Verteidigers von Kolberg, die bis heute aufgelegt wird.

Die graue Mappe, aus Ewald Rink’s hinterlassenen Papieren. 4 Teile. 1790-1793.

Quote:
Inhalt:
Erster Band
Vorrede des Herausgebers
I. Die verlorne Tochter. Eine Intelligenzgeschichte.
II. Kann man, was man will? Ein Schwank.
III. Seelenadel. Eine Erzählung aus den Zeiten des großen Kurfürsten.
IV. Der Leibaffe. Eine deutsche Volkssage.
V. Der Lüderliche. Ein deutsches Sittengemählde. Nach zwölf Blättern von Daniel Chodowiecki.
Zweiter Band
Vorbericht des Herausgebers.
I. Die Schrift am Felsen. Aus Tellmanns Reisepapieren.
II. Die Geschichte vom fremden Manne.
III. Kokettenspiegel. Ein deutsches Sittengemählde. Nach zwölf Blättern von Daniel Chodowiecki.
Dritter Band
Vorbericht des Herausgebers.
I. Ende gut alles gut. Ein Torso vom bretagner Onkel; ergänzt von Ewald Rink.
II. Das Düttchenbrodt. Ein Eulenspiegelstreich.
III. Licht und Schatten im Menschenherzen. Ein Nachtstück in Rembrands Manier.
IV. Die Ehen werden im Himmel geschlossen. Ein Fragment. Nach Daniel Chodowiecki.
Vierter Band
Vorbericht.
I. Dunkers Marstall.
II. Bajamont Tiepolo's Verschwörung wider Venedig. Eine romantische Skizze.
III. Irrthum und Verwirrung. Noch ein Fragment aus Tellmanns Reisepapieren.

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Attached Files
File Type: epub Haken Johann Chr L_Die graue Mappe_1-4.epub (1.49 MB)
]]> ePub Books Frodok https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375642 Firmware Update Kindle 5.20.1 software is available https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375641&goto=newpost Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:41:37 GMT New firmware for - Scribe - Colorsoft 1 - Paperwhite 12 - Kindle 11 (2024) https://www.amazon.de/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GKMQC26VQQMM8XSW Performance improvements, bug fixes, and other general enhancements. New firmware for
- Scribe
- Colorsoft 1
- Paperwhite 12
- Kindle 11 (2024)

https://www.amazon.de/gp/help/custom...MQC26VQQMM8XSW

Performance improvements, bug fixes, and other general enhancements. ]]> Amazon Kindle Knightreader https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375641 New member https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375640&goto=newpost Wed, 07 Oct 2026 23:46:45 GMT Hi all. Thanks for having me.

I'm here for help with my Kobo Libre 2.

See you in another thread. ]]> Introduce Yourself niqisbest https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375640 Embedded Fonts: Keep or Remove? https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375639&goto=newpost Wed, 07 Oct 2026 22:50:18 GMT I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, but I'm wondering if there's any kind of consensus on keeping or removing embedded fonts in fiction books. I've always had Calibre strip out any embedded fonts in fiction epubs (with both Polish Books and Modify ePub) and let my Kobo's set the font I want to use. But, I'm wondering if I should leave those fonts in place instead. ]]> ePub enuddleyarbl https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375639 New member https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375636&goto=newpost Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:06:54 GMT Bonjour a tous du Quebec, Canada Bonjour a tous du Quebec, Canada ]]> Introduce Yourself Gillesd https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375636 <![CDATA[A hobby project: calm board & puzzle games for the Kindle browser]]> https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375635&goto=newpost Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:25:33 GMT Hi everyone,

E-Ink has fascinated me for a long time, and I always thought a Kindle
would make a great device for board games, for example on holiday: the
calm display, readable in sunlight, battery that lasts for weeks. But
almost every game site I tried in the Kindle browser was unusable,
with animations smearing across the screen, cookie banners, and scripts
that froze the browser.

I work in IT and started building this on my own: Sudoku and Memory
were finished, and Nine Men's Morris was in progress. Then AI tools
helped me extend the collection much faster, following the design
rules and structure of the games I had already built. That's how my
small project of board games and Sudoku on the Kindle finally came
together.

https://www.yesssgames.com is a small collection of nine games:
Sudoku, Solitaire, Chess, Connect Four, Reversi, Nine Men's Morris,
Backgammon, Memory and Nonograms.

A few things I paid attention to:
- No CSS animations at all, so no smearing. The screen only changes
when something actually happens.
- High-contrast black and white, large touch targets.
- No account, no cookies, no third-party scripts. Your progress is
stored locally in the browser.
- Each game is a single small file, so it loads quickly even on older
devices.
- The two-player games can be played on one device lying between you,
with the second player's view rotated 180 degrees.

I've tested it on my Kindle Paperwhite. I also wrote a short guide on
finding the browser and setting a bookmark, since typing URLs on an
E-Ink keyboard is no fun:
https://www.yesssgames.com/guides/games-on-kindle.html

Known limitations: you need a Wi-Fi connection to load the games, and
it doesn't work on Tolino devices, whose browser is too limited.

It's certainly not perfect, and I'm sure there's plenty I haven't
thought of. But it plays well, and I hope it's fun for anyone who has
been looking for something like this for a while. It certainly is
for me.

If you have a Kobo, Boox or PocketBook, or an older Kindle, I'd really
appreciate hearing whether it works on yours and what looks off.
Feedback on the games themselves is very welcome too.

Thanks for reading! ]]> Amazon Kindle M A https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375635 Kay Hooper has passed. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375634&goto=newpost Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:14:48 GMT I am sad to see this. Her Bishop/Special Crime Unit books really jumpstarted my reading again after I had gotten away from it for a while. https://www.padgettking.com/obituary/Kay-Hooper I am sad to see this. Her Bishop/Special Crime Unit books really jumpstarted my reading again after I had gotten away from it for a while.

https://www.padgettking.com/obituary/Kay-Hooper ]]> News cgsmom https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375634 Presentación https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375633&goto=newpost Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:14:42 GMT Hola a todos, acabo de registrarme, saludos.:):) Hola a todos, acabo de registrarme, saludos.:):) ]]> Introduce Yourself Solcar https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375633 Plugin GUI Threading https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375632&goto=newpost Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:49:06 GMT Kovid, et al,

FanFicFare plugin does an imap fetch that can now take longer than it used to.

I've been just running it in foreground, but I've had a PR proposed to use a thread to do run it instead:

https://github.com/JimmXinu/FanFicFa...l/1430/changes

That basically makes is a background thread, user can continue to work in the GUI. I've not investigated what happens with library change, library vs device view, etc.

I know Calibre has been doing a lot more threaded processing; but what's your guidance on plugins threading? Would this be acceptable? ]]> Development JimmXinu https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375632 <![CDATA[[Update] 2026-10-05 - Library grouping, more custom columns, better book data lists]]> https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375631&goto=newpost Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:13:11 GMT Added grouping and an option to change the default tap action to the library browser. Improved Calibre custom column support and the lookup/annotation lists, and added support for a few new formats.
  • The library browser can now group books by author, series, format, etc (same as the items you can sort by).
  • Improved performance of the grid view in the library browser.
  • Added support for .txtz, .htmlz, .fbz, .md and .kepub files.
  • Added support for syncing the custom columns 'last read date' and 'percentage read' to and from Calibre content servers (must be configured in Calibre settings).
  • Added images, annotations and lookups to the list popup inside the book.
  • Added a new page in the left side menu that shows all stored annotations and dictionary lookups for all books.
  • Added functionality for manually downloading a specific format when a book has multiple formats.
  • Added a setting for how the 'Open in' action works, letting you choose between an app picker or using the default app for the file type.
  • Added book content search as one of the default quick buttons.
  • Added quick action support for annotations list, bookmarks list, and lookups list.
  • Improved the presentation of annotations and dictionary lookups.
  • Minor clean-ups in the stats page user interface.
  • Fixed adding Google Drive connection sometimes dying silently.
  • Fixed unstable page counts in ebook files that contains multiple chapters.

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]]> JetReader Erlend https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375631