Does anyone read classics on e-readers like Kindle?

[Sabine]

Dh just got me a Kindle for my birthday a week ago. I do love it, and I do plan to use it a TON! I've always been a big reader, and I read a lot of different kinds of books, including the classics.

I was just perusing Tgal's thread's links on the free books (thanks so much Tgal, that is awesome that there is so much for free!), and I was tempted to download a lot of the classics that I'd either like to reread or I've missed out on reading and could read for the first time.

However, I'm hesitant. As much as I enjoy reading the classics, they are not 'easy' reads and I sometimes struggle to get through them (the summer I spent reading the unabridged Les Mis comes to mind). One of the things that I think helps me get through them is seeing the progress I make as I move through the book. I know the kindle shows what percentage is left, but it just doesn't seem like it will be as satisfying to see a curser halfway through as it will to see my bookmark halfway through.

Am I crazy? Will I just get used to seeing progress with a curser instead of a bookmark?

 

[TravelingGal]

I love the progress with a cursor...it works fine for me.

And I download classics, but with the exception of Jane Austen, I haven't read any yet!

 

[kittybean]

I have read a bunch of classics on my Kindle since I got it. I actually like the cursor/percentage tracker better than seeing my progress when reading an actual book. I am much less tempted to skip ahead on the Kindle, and I like seeing myself making slow and steady progress. It's also much easier, IMO, to really pick up where you left off since it comes back to the exact same spot when you open the book again.

Happy reading!

 

[somethingshiny]

I ordered my Kindle a few days ago and definitely plan to get lots of classics. War and Peace is something I've never been able to conquer but I figure if it's free, I may as well try it. I love a lot of the old classics and since I lost a ton of books over the summer due to flooding, I need to replace them anyway.

 

[lyra]

You get used to reading on the Kindle quickly, and the progress percentage is just as satisfying as a bookmark--although I have so many lovely bookmarks that now have no use. I read an 800 page book on the Kindle and it went by just as fast as any regular book. Too fast, because with the changeable font size feature on the Kindle, I was even able to read in bed at night which I couldn't do with regular books anymore. Also--huge selling point/appreciation for me--no matter the size of the book, the Kindle is lightweight! I used to love hardcovers, but my hands would ache after a while, which would cause me to take frequent breaks. Not an issue at all now.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I'm a dinosaur--I have to hold {and smell} the book I'm reading.

 

[merilenda]

I'm planning on reading some classics when I get mine. What I'm wondering is actually related to what you're asking though. FI and I are buying Kindles for each other for Christmas, so I don't have one yet. But I've been wanting to read Outlander, so I downloaded it to Kindle for PC.

I'm getting into it, but what I've noticed is bothering me is that there are no page numbers! There's a cursor at the bottom and a percentage of the book finished, but I like page numbers I guess, and I'm missing out. Is that true for all books on the Kindle?

The only other thing I've noticed is that I sometimes like to flip back in the book and re-read certain parts as I read through the book. That's pretty difficult with the e-version. But I'm soooo excited to get mine regardless.

 

[dragonfly411]

I read them on my PC version. I love the classics and I use it as a way to filter which ones I want to add permanantly to my physical library.

 

[Haven]

I read the classics on my Kindle! I love it.

merilenda--I like page numbers, too, and it did bother me at first that Kindle doesn't have them. I'm pretty sure that none of the Kindle books have page numbers, but I could be wrong. I'm used to it now, though!

 

[lyra]

Kindle books don't have page numbers because the font size is changeable. That's why percentage read makes sense. Really, all I think about now is how fast I'm approaching the end of a book. I don't want them to end usually. Oh, and you can highlight sections to reread later. There are note taking capabilities with it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I'm a dinosaur--I have to hold {and smell} the book I'm reading.

Same! I love to hold books.

The only issue is I move so frequently that hauling all my books around is a nightmare. We have moved eight times in the last 10 years. A few moves back, we took 10 boxes to sell at a used bookstore and that barely put a dent in Dh's and my collection. It is a nightmare. . .but yet, I cannot give up so many especially since I love to decorate all my book shelves, end tables, etc., with larger books

 

[Haven]

Amber St. Clare--Like you, I love the feel of a book in my hands, and my most vivid memories of childhood involve judging library books based on their smell. I was a sucker for the really stinky variety, you know what I'm talking about. I bought a Kindle because I'm a reading professional, so I wanted to at least experience the most current reading technology, and it didn't take long to fall in love with it.

Like a good PSer, the first thing I did was accessorize my Kindle it with a gorgeous cover from Elizabeth David Designs on Etsy. (Many PSers have bought covers from her since.) This cover seriously made my Kindle much more lovable--now it opens like a paper book, so it feels very much like a book in my hands. And it's purdy. And it has a nice little pocket where I can stick things.

Then, I downloaded my old standby, Jane Austen's Emma, and read that on my Kindle. I've read that book in so many forms--hardcover library books, Austen anthologies, cheap paperbacks, etc.--that I figured reading it on the Kindle would give me a good perspective about this particular reading experience.

And you know what? I LOVED it! I could stick my Kindle in my purse, whip it out when I had a few spare moments, and the second I turned it on it went right to the exact spot where I left off.

Now, the best part is this: Once I realized I liked the Kindle I was able to fish through my hundreds of books and DONATE the ones that I no longer needed in paper form. We still have a couple hundred books in the house, but it felt good to donate so many books. And now I have more room for my hand potted mugs and bowls and other things.

I still read more paper books than Kindle books, but that's because I always take out a library book if it's available, and I'm an English professor so everyone seems to think that books are the perfect gift for me. (They are, really.) BUT, I really do love my Kindle, and the next time we go on a little relaxing vacation I will be loading up my Kindle with vacation reads, for sure.

 

[starshine]

I've loved reading the classics on my Kindle! Love that I can just download whatever I feel like at the moment, and don't have to hunt for a copy of it! I, too, love the feel and smell of a book in my hands....but I have found that I don't miss that as much as I thought I would, and I LOVE that I can put any book into the format that I prefer regarding font size and number of words per line...I've found my groove and am able to read through a book pretty quickly!