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Old 06-19-2018, 04:01 AM   #1
BKWRM
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New to eReaders, best choice economically?

I've been traveling a lot and so I thought of getting an eReader so I can read books on the go. I essentially plan to use it to store non-fiction/reference material and then read fiction which I have no need to necessarily keep. So I want to pick up my non fiction as inexpensively as possible and then perhaps borrow fiction eBooks from a library or otherwise system to borrow eBooks. I'm also looking for a wide selection of books and don't want to be caught in a format where I cannot get a particular book. Finally I am also looking at the fact that borrowing eBooks via the library (Overdrive) I may find myself on a waiting list just like if I wanted a hardcopy and so if much of the books I want to borrow means months of waiting I know it's not a good solution.

I've put off buying an eReader because I could always find the books I wanted used for cheaper than the price of an eBook, however now it's just not practical to have so many physical books in my possession. However I want to keep my overall reading costs down.

Any suggestions appreciated.
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Old 06-19-2018, 04:13 AM   #2
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Newest Kindles and Kobos have Overdrive. I don't do e-borrowing, so I cannot comment further.

I have only this modest suggestion: If you read on the go and move, then whatever e-reader you buy, you will need a cover/case for it.

And this: To keep reading costs down, gather an e-library (as opposed to a physical library) and carry it around on a microSD/e-reader. But if your primary focus is newest fiction, this might still end up costly.
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Old 06-19-2018, 09:45 AM   #3
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What country are you in? Kindle Overdrive borrowing only exists in the USA, and device availability can vary a lot around the world.

Do you value any other features? Do you anticipate needing to read PDFs much? How about waterproofing? And what's your ballpark budget, or are you just looking for the cheapest device (small, unlit)?

Last edited by meeera; 06-19-2018 at 09:47 AM.
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Old 06-19-2018, 11:09 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BKWRM View Post
I've put off buying an eReader because I could always find the books I wanted used for cheaper than the price of an eBook, however now it's just not practical to have so many physical books in my possession. However I want to keep my overall reading costs down.

Any suggestions appreciated.
I'm going to give my advise. This is based on successfully de-cluttering my apartment in the past 1-2 years and not regretting a bit of it. And I don't mean it to be at all condescending. So please don't feel like I'm lecturing.

It sounds to me like you're in a bad place. You need to sort that out first. You're out of room whether you buy an ereader or not, and you will have to donate or sale a significant number of books. Here is something that works for me: take the book off of the shelf, open it, read a bit. Answer the question honestly: "will I be reading this again?"

Ideally you want your collection to be books that you love or need. Not huge piles to be read, nor books that you've read once and never come back to. And a good rule of thumb for to be read piles, if you picked it up two years ago or more, and you haven't opened it, then it's unlikely (but not impossible) that you're actually going to read it. I would just get rid of those.

After that, what premium are you willing to pay to keep from accumulating clutter? You can almost always find it cheaper used third hand in print. But if it's just a dollar less than the electronic version, would you prefer to go digital and save space? What about two dollars? Five dollars?

It's not an all or nothing proposition. Buying books digitally doesn't have to stop you from buying physical books. If I were you I would buy digitally when it doesn't cost too much more (as decided by you) than physical. Otherwise buy physical, but be open to selling or donating books that you will not reread nor reference again. And don't impulse buy. That leads to large to be read piles.

My last advice is to declutter all at once and immediately change your purchasing habits. Anything that is piecemeal will not work.
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Old 06-19-2018, 11:34 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BKWRM View Post
I've put off buying an eReader because I could always find the books I wanted used for cheaper than the price of an eBook, however now it's just not practical to have so many physical books in my possession. However I want to keep my overall reading costs down.

Any suggestions appreciated.
If you live in the United States and your local library uses Overdrive, you can't hardly go wrong with a refurbished Kindle Basic (8th Generation, $60) or, if you want a front-lit reader, a refurbished Kindle Paperwhite ($100). With the new "load your own font" and font bolding features, Kindles have become (in my opinion) much nicer readers. In a pinch I can actually log on to my library and set up a loan on Overdrive directly from my Kindle (though it's much easier to do it from a computer). I've borrowed a lot of books from my library – most didn't require the waiting list at all, but I'm not usually borrowing newly published books.

If you've got a Windows or Mac computer (I run Linux) and don't mind using Adobe ADE, you could look into a Kobo reader (like the new Clara – or find factory refurbished models on eBay) for borrowing books on Overdrive. Kobos are more flexible and there are folks here who swear by them (I've got a couple of the older models and like them.)

You can also buy used Readers on eBay or ShopGoodwill.com. I can still download Overdrive books directly to my Sony PRS-T2 using ePub Overdrive (bypassing the Adobe ADE on you computer requirement). I don't think this can be done with the T1 any more, so it would probably have to be the T2 or T3. Good, used Kobos, Kindles, Nooks and Sonys can be bought on on Shop Goodwill for about $20. You're not going to get lighted screens or the newer models for that, but you can get a functional eReader.

Whatever eReader you settle on, you'll want to download and use Calibre and add the DeDRM utilities from Alph. This allows you to purchase, or in the case of public domain books, download and convert to whatever format you want. It also allows you to embed the fonts you like.

Anyhow, good luck. Sorry to ramble. It's a big subject and it's hard to tell what would suit you best, especially not knowing what country you live in.

Last edited by rcentros; 06-19-2018 at 11:36 AM.
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Old 06-19-2018, 11:40 AM   #6
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A tablet will probably work better for you as the apps work in different formats and you can more easily read reference material which often comes in pdf format.

As to borrowing from Overdrive, my library hasn't used Overdrive in several years, so I have no advice on what works with that.

For an ereader, Kindle basic has everything but a light. If you need a light, then a Paperwhite will work well.
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Old 06-19-2018, 03:23 PM   #7
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Woot is advertising 7th Generation Kindle Basic Readers for $43. I think the 8th Generation is probably a better reader (more memory, slightly lighter) but these 7th Generation Basics will update to the new "install your own font" software. These appear to be new with the full One Year Warranty. If you're an Amazon Prime member, shipping is free, otherwise I think it's $5.

https://sport.woot.com/offers/amazon...nd_cat_pc_5_16
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Old 06-19-2018, 07:30 PM   #8
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I should clarify, I live in Canada. I believe there is no Overdrive for Kindle in Canada but Kobo does have it. I suppose the workaround is calibre if I go Kindle route. I work seasonally, have no permanent home at the moment so everything gets packed into a car when I move, hence the reason I don't carry many physical books. There are books, like I said non-fiction, that are keepers but the fiction I just read and once and that's it. Also eBooks are stupidly expensive in Canada compared to the US prices.

I do have an iPad but I'm looking for something less straining on the eyes, more like a natural book.
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Old 06-19-2018, 09:01 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BKWRM View Post
I should clarify, I live in Canada. I believe there is no Overdrive for Kindle in Canada but Kobo does have it. I suppose the workaround is calibre if I go Kindle route. I work seasonally, have no permanent home at the moment so everything gets packed into a car when I move, hence the reason I don't carry many physical books. There are books, like I said non-fiction, that are keepers but the fiction I just read and once and that's it. Also eBooks are stupidly expensive in Canada compared to the US prices.

I do have an iPad but I'm looking for something less straining on the eyes, more like a natural book.
Ways to find cheap ebooks
This thread https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...ic+open+access has links to a large number of free books.

Many publishers have $1.99 - 3.99 sales on older nonfiction ebooks which are advertised on Bookbub or other such mailing lists. Searching publisher + desired price range through Jungle Search can yield interesting results (although setting Harper* as publisher will provide 1000+ books to look through at that price range).
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