I'd been thinking about this for a while. I have a Kobo Glo (which is one of the most popular eReaders in the Netherlands) for almost a year now and it has been a great experience, even though it has not been without problems. They have not been completely solved since every time I add new books on to it, it first removes all books on them (and thus all notes/progress I made) and then places them back on there. So, every time, all books are 'new'. The Helpdesk hasn't really been helpful as they kept saying I should remove illegal ebooks, even though I told them -multiple times- that it were legal ebooks (from Netgalley) that were being deleted. They also tried to guilt-trip me for not buying books in their store. All this aside, I'm very happy with my Kobo and was in no way trying to replace it.

But, there are certain advantages to having a Kindle (and I was just curious about it as well, as so many people here have a Kindle). So, to celebrate the end of my exams I decided to gift myself (a very late Christmas present) the new Kindle Paperwhite.

It's slightly larger than my Kobo (but the screens are both 6 inch) and a bit thinner. I can't really compare them yet, but will do a post in a few months... I've already ordered a sleep cover similar to the one for my Kobo for my Kindle.

Left my new Kindle Paperwhite, right my Kobo Glo in its sleep cover.

You should know that Amazon is trying to become big in the Netherlands but isn't really growing yet (at least not among my Dutch friends). I was a bit surprised to see how they handle the Dutch translation for the already meagre instructions.

That first paragraph on the right isn't Dutch at all. I believe it's Norwegian. Sloppy work, Amazon!

Currently listening: Princess by Magna Carta :)

A few months ago, if you had asked me about whether I wanted a Kindle or how I felt about ereaders, I would've went on a very long tirade. Like so many others, I was so totally wrong. You see, I was worried that I would be contributing to the "print is dead" idea and making matters worse, because though I adore my Kindladoodle (my nickname for it) nothing will replace physical books in my heart. If I suddenly stopped collecting physical books, I would be wasting my beautiful bookshelves! I'll always swap books and collect them (and bookmarks too!) I love the designs and dustjackets and the smell of paper and ink, especially old book smells. Now with my Kindle, I'll be more selective about what print books I get, saving my shelves for special books. I've only had mine for a few weeks now, and I've already warmed up to the major benefits. 1. Kindle books are so so much cheaper-in fact, I bought a novel yesterday for 99 cents. You don't have to pay for shipping and a lot of older titles are free, because they're out of copyright. Most of the stuff on my wishlists range from 99 cents to the most (upcoming) expensive Kindle books (books on my pre-order I NEED list) at 10.99 and 11.99.


I love that they have so many pretty case options for Kindles too--I got mine on Etsy.
A Kindle can hold a quite a few books, and it's weirdly exhilarating to have so many books I want so cheap and easily accessible and to be able to carry so many books with me wherever I go. I've been reading it everywhere. At breakfast, in the car...on the toilet...OK maybe not!

I think it's probably the best decision I've ever made. I've found *whispers* several sites for uhm....well, a black market for Kindle books...

I also am a member of Scribd (7.99 a month for unlimited reading AND audiobooks), which I love, it's like Netflix for ebooks, and has lots and lots of titles to rent. I did try Kindle Unlimited, but I found their selection weak and full of naked airbrushed people self-published erotica. I like good erotica after a bubblebath as much as the next person *wink* but I decided after looking at all three options selections: Scribd, Oyster and Kindle Unlimited that Scribd was better fitting of my reading tastes, and they're always adding new books, which is assuring, as there's still so many books I wanna rent. I've come to the conclusion that I shouldn't have to buy every book I want to read, especially when quite a few times I've been let down by a novel.

Well, that's my two cents. If you're considering an ereader, I want to steer you away from the latest e-ink reader, Kindle Voyage. I made that mistake before I switched it for my Kindle Fire. Not only is it in colour, but you can also take pictures on it, Skype, and apps for renting systems like openlibrary.org, Scribd and Oyster are only available on Kindle fire and tablets and NOT available at all on regular Kindles. Kindle Fire also has an audiojack to listen to audiobooks with, which is a plus. Kindle Voyage is ok for general reading, but it's so small, and compared to the Kindle Fire...it seems underwhelming after all the build up for it (I'll be using the Voyage for vacations, I think) I generally only use my Fire for random surfing  (looking up a picture of a castle mentioned in a book, or something of that sort), reading and Skype text messaging and taking random pictures, as I have no interest in playing games or watching movies on it, but it's perfect really.

If I could meet up with my past anti-Kindle self, I'd say "What are you thinking?"

My new Kindle Paperwhite, which I have named Necronomicon, arrived today, along with my new wireless router. Needless to say I'm in nerd heaven.

First impressions of the paperwhite:

• A little heavier than I expected, but still more comfortable to hold than a book and easier on my eyes.
• Not used to tapping the screen of a kindle (says the old lady with an iPhone. It's different, shut up.)
• Love the adjustable backlight. Too much glare can strain my eyes like a mofo.
• All the porn is in one place. YAY!

In summary, I am happy and am off to bed to read. 

I've recently gotten accepted into a position teaching English in South Korea for a year starting next February. After being extremely excited and telling my friends and family, one of the first things to pop into my head was this: how am I going to read my books?

I have a large collection of physical books, with some that I haven't read and want to. South Korea, while I'm certain has a few English bookstores or sections in larger retailers, will still be full of Korean books. (My Hangul is great, but my actual Korean comprehension is poor. Korean books will be helpful in learning the language, but altogether won't be able to fulfill my reading needs.) I don't want to run to Seoul every time I need to make a book purchase and there is no way in hell that I'm lugging a large amount of books with me on the plane or having some mailed. I will be bringing a few physical books, like my TOEFL methodology textbook because it will be helpful and a few other mass-market paperbacks. It became pretty obvious that I needed to finally get myself an e-reader, something that I never thought I would purchase. But the next question becomes: which one?

I don't want to get an iPad because of multiple reasons, mostly the price and then the fact that it's an LCD screen and painful on the eyes for an extended period of time. So, Apple is out of the question. The main contenders are the regular Kindle, the Kindle Paperwhite (without 3G) and the Kobo Touch.

I've made a small pros and cons list, but I'd still like input about what you guys think is a good idea. I've already got one person telling me about their own e-reader choice and how it's working out for them, which is definitely making me partial to Amazon at least.

Kindle

Pros

- cheaper at $79 CDN

- Amazon is the leading e-reader producer

- most of the comments and feedback have been very positive

- supports Hangul so I can read Korean books

Cons

- doesn't include wall plug-in charger, which is sold separately for $14.99 CDN

- no Adobe DRM support that I'm aware of

- no ability to expand e-library with Micro SD cards

- doesn't work with Canadian libraries

Kindle Paperwhite

Pros

- better quality screen than Kindle

- front-lit screen

- sharper contrast

- Amazon is the leading e-reader producer

- supports Hangul so I can read Korean books

Cons

- a bit more expensive at $139 CDN

- no Adobe DRM support again

- no expandability with Micro SD card

- doesn't work with Canadian libraries

Kobo Touch

Pros

- works with Canadian libraries

- can expand amount of e-books with Micro SD card

- supports Adobe DRM

Cons

- terrible customer service based on customer reviews

- screens break easily

- not very good quality based on customer reviews

- no Hangul support

Any thoughts? I would love to hear from other people who've purchased e-readers and how it's working out for them. I would also love to hear what any of you have heard about these three e-readers in particular.