My One Big Problem With Kindle and Why It’s Got To Go
My foray into the e-reader world – one flop at a time
By the time this article is published, I will have read over 60 books this past year, the majority of which came in ebook form from my local library.
Let’s be realistic, I’m not made of money, and while physical copies of books are great (and superior to ebooks in my opinion), they are extremely pricey. Also, I hate to admit it, but I am notoriously hard on all my belongings. I prefer not to borrow books from someone else lest I damage the pages, scuff the front, crack the spine or drop it in the bath. I find it hard to enjoy the reading process when I’m constantly worried about having to replace a friend’s book when I’m finished with it.
But, I have an embarrassing confession. I have spent the large majority of my 60+ books read this year (and the majority of the books read last year as well) reading them completely on my iPhone. *gasp*
I know, I know — I should’ve broken down way sooner and jumped into the e-reader world. Reading that many pages with the blue light of my phone, and the tiny font searing into my retinas can’t be good for the eyes. I often found myself coming away with headaches following extended reading sessions. Which begs the question — what have I been doing all this time? Why did I wait so long?
So, I (finally) decided to welcome the e-reader into my life and said hello to the Kindle Paperwhite.
The pros
The Kindle Paperwhite has a great user-friendly interface, and linking the Kindle app made set-up a breeze (less than five minutes total). Currently selling for $149.99 Canadian.
I like the ability to link your Kindle account and view current titles in your library, and use the search function to find new reads. Plus, you can also sync your Goodreads account, to keep track of your to-be-read lists, and other books of interest.
The size was perfect, fitting in one hand very comfortably, about the size of a standard paperback (measuring 6.6 in x 4.6 in x 0.3 in). Oh, and it’s waterproof. Read in the bath, at the lake or beach with no worries or stress.
The cons
All this was well and good, but there was one big con that stopped me in my tracks, and upon discovering it I immediately factory reset the device, boxed it up, and printed the return label.
This was the biggest functionality blunder and something that I am kicking myself for hastily researching and not realizing sooner.
You cannot download Canadian library ebooks onto the Kindle.
Yes. My main source of reading material, my consistent turnstile of holds and loans that keeps me motivated, now — completely useless.
So, back to Amazon my Kindle Paperwhite (sadly) went. I do believe that this e-reader is compatible with US libraries, so for any American readers if you want a great e-reader my vote would be with the Kindle Paperwhite. For me, however, this was too big of a hurdle to overcome.
I now patiently await the delivery of my Kobo Clara HD (to my, now limited, understanding Kobo in particular the Kobo Clara HD is compatible with Canadian libraries). The only downside is, sadly, the Kobo Clara HD is not waterproof like my friend Kindle Paperwhite (and has some reduced functionality compared to the Kindle Paperwhite). Fingers crossed I have better luck with this next e-reader journey, and hopefully, my blunders here can be for your benefit.