What are you reading?

[Black Pearl]

I was listening to him on Radio 2 coming home last night, really interesting bloke and a great writer.

Think I'll do the same as you and get his first book and have a read.

The new Bond book - Trigger Mortis - has me hooked and I've only just started it last night.
You can tell Anthony Horowitz had fun writing it.

[Phoenix]

I'm reading The Girl on the Train. Interesting

[NannyFerret]

If anyone is thinking about buying one, there is an Amazon Fire 7" tablet out at £49.99.
John bought me one as an early Christmas present the other day, and I have put other reading apps on it as it is easier to hold than my tablet and you can't put kindle books on the Kobo.
It does have a shiny screen so it wouldn't be possible to read in the sun, as I can with the Kobo, but for that price, it's a bargain and the WiFi is fairly good too, so Ok for an easy to hold tablet for browsing the internet etc.

 

[Black Pearl]

In the US they're $50 which is annoying but still a great starter tablet.

You can buy a pack of six for £250 so get one free. 

[NannyFerret]

My Asus screen got cracked while we were travelling on an over-packed train, so I now have an iPad mini 2, complete with a Survivor protecting case, but that is quite heavy for me to hold for a long time.

  I already had one of those cheaply 7" tablets off eBay, which is ok, but the battery only lasts a couple of hours, and once I pick a book up ( especially when I can't sleep) it's quite annoying when it ran out just a a crucial moment in a story.

The Fire is just a nice weight for using as an e-reader, and I have wiped the cheapy one, put some reading apps on and will give it to my daughter when she comes tomorrow.

I hate to see something like that going to waste and the battery will last her for as long as she has time to read in one sitting.

 

 

[Ryewolf]

Give me real books any day of the week, they don't break if you drop them, they never run out of batteries and you can still read a book that is 1000 years old - something unilkely to happen with an ebook.

[Black Pearl]

Give me real books any day of the week, they don't break if you drop them, they never run out of batteries and you can still read a book that is 1000 years old - something unilkely to happen with an ebook.

True - but I have found its easier to shove the Kindle in the rear of my Billingham bag before I go to work and its easier to prop up against the keyboard/monitor in my office while having lunch. One isn't better than the other I feel they both have their place.

[Phoenix]

I also prefer a 'real' book but I refuse to buy them and just hassle our local library. I only use the kobo on holidays - easy to read in a tent curled up in a sleeping bag. I usually just buy a couple of books that I know I will enjoy. I agree, there is a place for both e-readers and real books

[NannyFerret]

Having the backlight having the backlight is easier for me as I have cateracts in the reading part of both eyes.

I also read in bed so it means tha I don't disturb John by having a light on.

I still read paper books, but not as often as apart from seeing the cloudy patches from the cateracts, a largish book makes my hands ache too much.

apart from that, I can download reading and audio books from the library which is in the town so I can choose a new book whenever I want without having to catch a bus.

The new local library is quite small and not a great selection.

I love modern technology!

[FUJI]

I'm currently reading....... PIE N MASH AND PREFABS......a book about a 1950-60s  childhood......

I only read non fiction nowadays.....in old fashioned turn the pages paper books.....I've tried electronic reading but after a while it gets to my eyes.....

I also have a Recorded Books app .....It is the best thing ever invented to get you off to sleep.....my old mind drifts off after the first dozen paragraphs every time.

 

FUJI

Edited October 11, 2015 by FUJI

[Denis]

I have just read the last two books I mentioned on here,and have  just started  Bill Bryson's  'A walk in the woods' and got amused looks from fellow travelers while waiting my flight home from Rome, Italy yesterday. It was the first ten pages that had me laughing like a drain

[ChrisLumix]

If anyone is thinking about buying one, there is an Amazon Fire 7" tablet out at £49.99.
John bought me one as an early Christmas present the other day, and I have put other reading apps on it as it is easier to hold than my tablet and you can't put kindle books on the Kobo.
It does have a shiny screen so it wouldn't be possible to read in the sun, as I can with the Kobo, but for that price, it's a bargain and the WiFi is fairly good too, so Ok for an easy to hold tablet for browsing the internet etc.

 

What's their HD capacity? I have the great but short-lived Kindle Touch, but its main drawback is a miserly 3GB. Yes, it may well hold 3000 novels but sadly only around 30 audiiobooks which is my main use of it.

[Black Pearl]

The Fire isn't an eReader it is a standard tablet - might be ok for audio books but not for prolonged reading like a Kindle.

The new Kindles by the way don't have speakers so can't access audio books

[ChrisLumix]

The Fire isn't an eReader it is a standard tablet - might be ok for audio books but not for prolonged reading like a Kindle.

The new Kindles by the way don't have speakers so can't access audio books

No speakers?? How crap is that!

[Black Pearl]

They have taken the decision to make it s dedicated eBook reader.

Right for some (me) but I guess you'd need to go the tablet route.

[ChrisLumix]

I suppose. But it really wouldn't have been very difficult to make the Touch HD a decent size - even 8 or 16GB, the size of a tiny tiny cheap USB drive these days, would do - and they could have carried it on as a device for both eBooks and audiobooks. After all, Audible is an Amazon company...

[NannyFerret]

It is an 8GB 7" tablet, Chris, and will take a micro SD card up to 128 GBs

I have installed Wattpad and Kobo reading apps. It already had a kindle app installed when it came.

I might even install the Nook app if there is one.

This one has speakers and sounds good for it's size and price.

It holds the charge well and My eBay Bluetooth earphones and mini keyboard connect easily and work well with it too.

I can read ebooks and listen to Audio books using the speakers or headphones, on mine ok and for the money it's a real bargain.

The Internet is pretty good which is handy for surfing and also downloading free or paid for books.

I am so pleased with it that I think we are going to buy my sister one for her 80th birthday, 

I never imagined that  it would be such a good little tablet for such a low cost.

 I am using a case that I have adapted at the moment, but waiting for one to arrive from eBay (China seller) for £5..99

I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed if you buy one. 

Edited October 20, 2015 by NannyFerret

[ChrisLumix]

Ah, but is it a touch screen? If it has, then it looks as though it (the Fire) has replaced the Touch - which was twice the price. 

[Black Pearl]

It's a tablet like any other (an iPad for example) so yes it has a capacitive multi touch screen. 

 

If you want something a little more upmarket with higher performance look at a Samsung Galaxy Tab or go all out and get an iPad Mini. 

 

Thomas has this one: http://www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/3807107.htm

 

I'm not an Android fan but it's a superb bit of kit for the money. Good processor, lovely screen and nicely made for a plastic device. 

Edited October 21, 2015 by Black Pearl

[ChrisLumix]

The Fire looks a great deal for the money. I might go for one AND get an iPad Air 2 (or 3...) to have the best of both options.

The only thing is, Amazon have the colossal cheek to offer a case that's 2/5 the cost of the actual device!!

[NannyFerret]

My iPad mini is a bit too heavy with the survivor case on it, but I can keep one on charge while reading on the other if needs be.

with the apps on each tablet I can synchronise my books so that if I do happen to run out of battery, then I can pick up the other tablet and carry on reading the book.

I may attempt to put a new digital screen on my 10" Asus tablet, perhaps some time next year, but the iPad mini2 Retina is a lovely little tablet so I am happy using this and the Fire tablet.

The only let down with the IPad mini 2 is that there is no SD socket, but I have bought an adaptor from eBay which can read SD cards and also has 3 USB ports too.

I got my Fire from Argos but will order my sisters after Nov 7th when the are back in stock at Amazon, so it can be delivered to Scotland where she lives.

Edited October 21, 2015 by NannyFerret

[Black Pearl]

The Fire looks a great deal for the money. I might go for one AND get an iPad Air 2 (or 3...) to have the best of both options.

The only thing is, Amazon have the colossal cheek to offer a case that's 2/5 the cost of the actual device!!

That's not their only cheek - it's $50 in the US. 

[ChrisLumix]

That's not their only cheek - it's $50 in the US. 

Yes true - but the UK price includes VAT while the US price doesn't include their equivalent of purchase tax, which varies from state to state I believe. Even so, it must work out cheaper over there.

[NannyFerret]

That's why I mostly buy the generic cases, Chris.

It take two or three weeks to come from China, but it's a big saving.

the only reason that I bought the survivor case for the Mini is because of what happened to my Asus this year while travelling on a packed train to Wales and the Mini cost quite a bit more so thought it was worth having the extra protection as it will be the one that I will take on holidays with me.

Edited October 21, 2015 by NannyFerret

[Black Pearl]

I got three Nick Thacker books via a promotion so put them on the Kindle.
Just finished The Golden Crystal which was a decent read and starting on The Depths which has grabbed my interest within a few (virtual) pages.