# Kindle - some advice please if you could



## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

Having just come back from a month away once again Mrs GMJ didnt take enough books to read. Luckily in Bremerhaven we found a really good bookshop that had oodles of books written in English for sale, which saw us through.

Me personally, I am 700 pages into War and Peace so that is doing me fine presently :smile2:

Anyway, as its Mrs GMJ's birthday next week I have ordered her one of these...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0186FET66/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item

Now she has always held out against these being a bit of a Luddite plus (like me) we do like the feel of a book in our hands however given that we will be doing more longer trips in the future I thought we'd best try and join the 21st century!

*My question relates to downloading free books*. Is the process simple? Are there several trusted sites where this can be done?

I don't envisage having to pay for new books to be downloaded for some time...

ta

Graham :smile2:


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## powerplus (Oct 6, 2014)

hi

i dont use kindle but the wife does

she downloads from amazon and says it is very simple

she says the newer books may only be a teaser for you to buy the complete book but she finds many that are not and you get informed of books they think you may like


if there is something she likes the look of just klick on it and it will store it on the kindle for her and only takes a few seconds with a good internet connection

i would also suggest that you look for a good protection cover for it 

barry


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## teljoy (Jul 4, 2005)

GMJ said:


> Having just come back from a month away once again Mrs GMJ didnt take enough books to read. Luckily in Bremerhaven we found a really good bookshop that had oodles of books written in English for sale, which saw us through.
> 
> Me personally, I am 700 pages into War and Peace so that is doing me fine presently :smile2:
> 
> ...


Hi Graham,
Don't know too much about the newer kindles but we've had an old black and white one with the old keyboard for a few years and "touch wood" it's been brilliant. We take a few books and a loaded kindle with us and swap between the two of us. Battery lasts for ages and it's very easy to read in sunlight. Buying on amazon is a doddle and the 99p books are good also. With the old style kindle you can use it to buy from amazon when on the road and without wifi. It will with a struggle (bit of a wait) connect via 3G and download to the kindle.
I use it to download the occasional newspaper when we are away. Just don't know what we would do without it if it should go wrong. Never used it to download from anywhere other than amazon.

Terry


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi never loaded any books my self, but Sandra can do it so it must be easy free or otherwise, she just says "I have loaded a book on your Amazon account".. " I say yes love".. that's my part done!.

eay.


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

teljoy said:


> Hi Graham,
> 
> I use it to download the occasional newspaper when we are away.
> 
> Terry


Now I didn't know you could do that...!

That might be a very useful feature if we can do it on the one I have bought.

ta

Graham :smile2:


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## Lesleykh (Apr 13, 2009)

Having done the year abroad with no Kindle and the joys of swapping books with other campers (boy did I get some odd reads!) or buying extortionately priced books in foreign shops, I vowed I'd never do that again and so bought a Kindle, despite being a lifelong 'real book' lover. 

I still have that Kindle and have got through some 500 books since our return to the UK in 2011! One of the things I'd say is that my Kindle is full of 'real books'. It turned out that there was no difference for me between holding a book or holding a Kindle. Indeed, the Kindle is lighter, turning pages requires a tiny thumb movement and when my poor old eyes get tired I can enlarge the print. 

I scour Amazon's daily and monthly deals, loading up on books for 99p a go. Now, since I write myself (historical adventure - see below), I am in favour of authors getting paid their due, but authors put their books on special offer for sound marketing reasons, so I'm OK paying the special offer price. I do get hooked on some series and end up buying books at full price, but that's no different to what I used to pay in bookshops. What really annoys me is people complaining about books being over 99p on Kindle, as it took me a year to write each of my books, so I don't see why they should always be free or costing next to nothing.

Anyway, the Kindle is great. You need to have an Amazon account to buy books, but once that's set up it's easy to download them. I do need access to wifi when out and about in the van, so that I can search Amazon and download, but I understand that modern Kindles have that sorted.

I'm sure the present will be much appreciated.

Lesley


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Many campsites - in UK and in Europe have little swop libraries. 
Or I look out for a (GB) camper that sits out reading, then ask if they have any books they'd like to exchange. I keep about 4 or 5 (read) books in the van, and I've had some interesting reads from these sources. 
Also check out fairs/markets for £1 books.

Some of the Kindle 99p books are a bit iffy, depends on your taste. (Kiss-frogs-handsome prince!) I like it for plane/ferry/train and select a good book carefully. I'd hate to be trapped in the air with only rubbish to read! 

If I don't know the author/style I like to open a page at random and see if it captures my attention. Yes you can download a sample on Amazon, but somehow it's not quite the same. Maybe there's some illicit (?) pleasure in having a physical book in your hands. Kindle has its benefits, but just doesn't have the same feel.


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## nickoff (Oct 11, 2005)

I'm now on my second Kindle, a paper white. My first one decided to pack up after about 5 years. It was an original model with the keyboard and the screen went all " washed out", a known fault with them. I've had the paper white for around 2 years now and love it. The only drawback I find with it is that it doesn't hold its charge for as long as the original. Like a previous reply I upload newspapers whilst away on holiday. As well as books from Amazon I've also got a couple of cds that someone gave me that between them have around 1000+ titles on them. I just pop them into the computer and connect the Kindle then drag whatever I fancy reading onto the Kindle. I still love "physical" books but so pleased I've got the electronic one as well.

Nick.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

GMJ said:


> teljoy said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Graham,
> ...


I have a monthly subscription to the Guardian and get it wherever I am. Just under £10/month. It was originally my husband's and I used to give thanks for it frequently as we no longer had to scour the towns for a Presse and pay extortionate sums for 2-day-old news ;-)

We used to carry 30kg of books and had a large sign we put in the window asking for exchange books - didn't produce too many as we were mostly on Aires with no other Brits!

I came across the sign when I was clearing out the old van - it had been pressed into service as wall protection behind the levellers. Brought a tear to my eye.


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## teljoy (Jul 4, 2005)

GMJ said:


> Now I didn't know you could do that...!
> 
> That might be a very useful feature if we can do it on the one I have bought.
> 
> ...


It is useful. If the menus are the same it offers the link "shop in the Kindle store" and takes you to books. A bit of faffing around and you can navigate to newspapers. Although on this kindle it sometimes seems to want to redirect you back to books. Just giving it "a good thrashing" seems to work eventually.

Terry


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

And do they charge for newspapers Terry?

Graham :smile2:


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## teljoy (Jul 4, 2005)

GMJ said:


> And do they charge for newspapers Terry?
> 
> Graham :smile2:


Oh Yus!! May be a bit cheaper.

Terry


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## shingi (Apr 18, 2008)

It is much, much cheaper to subscribe on a monthly basis as it works out at about 33p a paper and includes the more expensive weekend editions. Some newspapers charge a bit more or less but most are £9.99 per month. Much more expensive if you download them on a daily basis so it's a no-brainier. You can subscribe and unsubscribe as often as you want. We just use it for holidays even if it's only a long weekend and Amazon refunds you pro-rata. You can subscribe via your kindle but you have to unsubscribe through the Amazon website in 'manage your kindle.' You can do it for any model of kindle. Very easy.


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

BookBub is a great resource for reduced price and FREE book offerings, we both use it. You get email updates often with their latest offerings.

I gather the free offerings to read whilst away.

http://landers.bookbub.com/covers/?...MI34WUmoTh1gIVbSjTCh0OKQdvEAAYASAAEgIR3PD_BwE

Terry


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## nickoff (Oct 11, 2005)

With regards to newspapers, whilst away on holiday I often subscribe to their trial period, 30 days. As long as you cancel the subscription before the end of the 30 days you don't pay a penny. Happy days. Unfortunately you can only do that once for each publication. 

Nick.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

nickoff said:


> I'm now on my second Kindle, a paper white. My first one decided to pack up after about 5 years. It was an original model with the keyboard and the screen went all " washed out", a known fault with them. I've had the paper white for around 2 years now and love it. The only drawback I find with it is that it doesn't hold its charge for as long as the original. Like a previous reply I upload newspapers whilst away on holiday.
> 
> Nick.


I have had my 3rd generation one repaired twice now - that's the one with the keyboard and access to WiFi and 3G included.

It is worth getting old or broken ones repaired, yes they are old, but the screens can be replaced and the batteries too. The company that I would STRONGLY recommend for this is;

https://www.reotech.co.uk/

outstanding service and nice people to deal with.

Well worth contacting - their web page has loads of information.

I download free books mainly, dead simple, I read the same book on my laptop, Kindle and smart phone and if in WiFi contact it will synchronise to last page read each and every time on different appliances.

For Freebooks, this service is as good as any;

www.dailyfreebooks.c./uk/

you register, they send you a free e-mail each and every day and you click on what you are interested in and then download via your Aamzon UK account.

I am a firm book lover and swore I would never use a Kindle...... I was wrong and admit it, I love the feel of books but love even more being ale to carry literally hundreds of books with me on a trip, including reference books and yes you can get free subscriptions to newspapers........

I now swear by it, not at it.....


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I subscribe to kindle unlimited 
7.50 a month

But I love reading

Love downloading books, cookery etc to browze and then reject 

And loads of free books 
Don't know if newspapers are free

When I travel I really don't want to know what's happening else where

I just want to enjoy what's around me , relax 

Let the world recede for a while 

Sandra


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## Rodav (Jul 21, 2012)

Hi, I dont know if it works on Kindle but I have the "Overdrive" app on my android devices and if you register with your 
local library you can download up to 10 titles at any one time, these can be audio books if you wish, and its free!!
Dave


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## teljoy (Jul 4, 2005)

Penquin said:


> I have had my 3rd generation one repaired twice now - that's the one with the keyboard and access to WiFi and 3G included.
> 
> It is worth getting old or broken ones repaired, yes they are old, but the screens can be replaced and the batteries too. The company that I would STRONGLY recommend for this is;
> 
> ...


Hi Dave
Thanks for the info. about freebooks.co.uk Very useful. You have a typo in your link as the "o" from company is missing but many thanks anyway.
Terry


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Thanks for pointing that out, too vigorous copy and paste ad I obviously missed that one, of course, it is too late to edit it now, I was probably deeply engrossed in Countryfile or Antiques Roadshow at the time.....

The important thing is that you can find it, Kindles do not replace "real" books but are a great supplement particularly for travelling where you can carry so much so easily and even access new ones freely......


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## nickoff (Oct 11, 2005)

Penquin said:


> I have had my 3rd generation one repaired twice now - that's the one with the keyboard and access to WiFi and 3G included.
> 
> It is worth getting old or broken ones repaired, yes they are old, but the screens can be replaced and the batteries too. The company that I would STRONGLY recommend for this is;
> 
> ...


Thanks, just took a look at their site but looks like they are on holiday for a couple of weeks. Do you have any idea what they might charge to replace a screen on a first generation Kindle?
Thanks, Nick.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

It could be about £40, mine was a 3rd generaton one, sadly they may not have spare parts for every machine now...

They do say to call for 1st Generation pricing but are away until the 17th October.....

Obviously not a firm price, but they do tell you if t is uneconomic for e.g. the Basic model where they can supply the screens but say it is uneconomic to repair. As I said, they are helpful


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## teljoy (Jul 4, 2005)

Dave. Both your links are bookmarked as I also will find the repair link useful if I have to use it. Terry


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## havingfun (Oct 31, 2007)

wouldent be without my kindle, nor oh his, used to carry best part of a 100 books between us on our long trips, now just go to kindke best 100 free, and sort through which i fancy and what i think oh will like, and just download on to mine, and because we bought them both on the same amazon account we can both read them, he just asks me to put wifi on, and downloads on his, best thing we ever bought, never thought i would say that, have had a book in my hand since i was about 3 years old, was always in trouble for having my nose in a book.


i like the 100 free, because it makes me try other authors and stories, you can get a bit samey when you are buying because you only tend to buy what you know you will like, but because they are free, if you really hate it, you dont feel, well i wont buy one like that again, you just give the next one a try.


mags


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Love mine 

Wouldn't be without it 

For me Kindle unlimited at £7.50 a month for the two of us to down loads of books 

Brilliant, now on the 5,6,7th of the series all free and I'm loving them 

Sandra


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

Thanks for all the advice folks.

I set up the Kindle today in readiness for my wife's birthday this Saturday. I put 54 free books on there from Amazon and have joined the 2 free books on line places mentioned here. Hopefully that should suffice for now.

If someone has put books into a Dropbox, how do I get them out and onto the Kindle? Is is a question of downloading to my computer; plugging the Kindle in; and then uploading to it? 

If so is it straightforward?

ta

Graham :smile2:


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

dghr272 said:


> BookBub is a great resource for reduced price and FREE book offerings, we both use it. You get email updates often with their latest offerings.
> 
> I gather the free offerings to read whilst away.
> 
> ...


Some of their free books are unashamedly rubbish. I ended up with one that was basically porn. Okay, guys, don't rush, it was only one!


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

HermanHymer said:


> Some of their free books are unashamedly rubbish. I ended up with one that was basically porn. Okay, guys, don't rush, it was only one!


As with all free book offerings, some are poor.

Must have missed the porn one, what was it called ?

Just so as I can avoid it like :wink2: :grin2:

Terry


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

At the end of the day

Do you want free?

Someone has written those books 

I feel guilty enough with paying 7. 99 a month for so many excellent books 

Sandra


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

aldra said:


> At the end of the day
> 
> Do you want free?
> 
> ...


Well yes it works for me, reading an author I wouldn't normally, and it can work for them when I like what I read and then buy some of their other offerings, win win.

Being a Prime member I can also borrow up to ten books FOC without feeling guilty. :surprise:

Terry


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Well I get 10 with kindle unlimited 
I just exchange them 

Prime. Is different

We are considering it

SandrA


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

We'll start off with the free ones and see how we go.

If Mrs GMJ gets on with it we can buy titles as and when to suit. I have a 3 month free trial of the Kindle Unlimited which I will take out later this year (I have until 10th December to activate it).

Looking at a number of the free ones they are volume 1 of a set of works so I guess the idea is to get you hooked and then you will buy the remaining novels in the series.

*Does anyone know about dropbox as previously asked?

Also if I add books when the kindle is not on/being used, will they add themselves in when it is fired up (as long as it is in wifi range)?*

Graham :smile2:


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

GMJ said:


> ...............
> 
> Also if I add books when the kindle is not on/being used, will they add themselves in when it is fired up (as long as it is in wifi range)?[/B]
> 
> Graham :smile2:


When you buy the book it automatically gets added to your Kindle library, once you turn your Kindle, or supported device on, and have wifi you simply click on it to download.

My better half also uses the "Pre order" option for books due in weeks or months to come, these do automatically download onto the device.

Terry


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

Am I right that with Kindle Unlimited you don't get to permanently keep the books you download? That they go off your device after a while?

I checked with my local library today and they also do downloads but not for the black and white kindles only for the Kindle Fire.

Graham :smile2:


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

GMJ said:


> Am I right that with Kindle Unlimited you don't get to permanently keep the books you download? That they go off your device after a while?
> 
> I checked with my local library today and they also do downloads but not for the black and white kindles only for the Kindle Fire.
> 
> Graham :smile2:


Unlimited lets you download up to 10 books, they don't have due dates but to get another book you must return one.

Terry


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

dghr272 said:


> Unlimited lets you download up to 10 books, they don't have due dates but to get another book you must return one.
> 
> Terry


ta

Do you know if you could download 10 books during a free trial period and then keep them after the trial period has ended?

Graham:smile2:


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

The local library downloads will work for any device that has a Kindle reading app via a free app called OverDrive, link for iOS version below. Also available for Android on the Play Store.

http://app.overdrive.com

Terry


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

GMJ said:


> ta
> 
> Do you know if you could download 10 books during a free trial period and then keep them after the trial period has ended?
> 
> Graham:smile2:


Sorry don't know.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

GMJ said:


> ta
> 
> Do you know if you could download 10 books during a free trial period and then keep them after the trial period has ended?
> 
> Graham:smile2:


I doubt it

Although if you are a fast reader

I love it , I download books, read them exchange them

It's a bit like a library

Without time limit

Two of us are sharing, I return books once I've read them

But what I like is I can down load a cookery or reference book on any subject

Return it and get it again at any time should I want too

Just to browse it

It's 7 99 a month

But I read far more than that in value

Brilliant in the van never without a book to read

And discovered authors and series I never would have, they are free at that point

And you can't keep them , but how many books do you wish to read again?

And if you do

Download it again

Sandra


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Having said that I have bookcases full of fantasy series 

Should let them go 

But

I can't , lord of the rings, the hobbit , game of thrones and many many others I've read and love 

Sandra


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