How does this Kindle thing work?

[Rhea]

I was just given one as a present. I'd like to put a couple of books on it before I get on a long flight at the end of the week, but I don't quite understand it. I've heard somewhere that I can get out of copyright books for free, where do I find those? I also have a couple of other books I'd like to put on it, but no clue where to get them. Please help!

 

[Haven]

Here's a link to the Kindle free book collections to get you started:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_lin...d_t=101&pf_rd_p=1337674602&pf_rd_i=1286228011

You can purchase books through Amazon.com. Start here:
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks/b/ref=sa_menu_kbo3?ie=UTF8&node=1286228011
Type the title of the book you'd like to buy in the search bar towards the top of the page.
The book you want should come up in search results. There will be a price next to a red underlined "Buy" and you'll know it's for your Kindle because it will say "Auto-delivered wirelessly" beneath the price.

Have fun! I found that I didn't really like my Kindle until I bought a cloth cover for it. I got a beautiful cover from Elizabeth David on esty.com. Her shop is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ElizabethDavidDesign
Her prices have really gone up in the last two years!

 

[Rhea]

Cool, thanks! I put a couple of the free books on it. It was super easy - thank you.

I never quite know what I want to read until I'm in a bookstore or browsing at a charity shop so I'm not entirely sure how much I'll use it. I think I'll just go for it and put a couple of books I wanted to pack to take with me on it so that I can see if I'll use this thing!

 

[Rhea]

Okay, it was easy because I didn't do it correctly. Still trying to figure out how to get books on the kindle. I'm not tech challenged usually, just impatient. I had it plugged into the computer, but it seems like I need to turn the wireless on on the kindle? I think I figured that out, but am finding it a bit confusing. I wish it came with an instruction manual...in paper form!

 

[Haven]

If you turn the wireless on and the books still don't load onto your Kindle, hit "menu" and select "sync and check for items". That's how I get the new stuff loaded up onto my Kindle, but mine is a bit old.

I only do about 10% of my reading on the Kindle, but I really love it for traveling. And borrowing titles from my sister's huge Kindle collection. I'm still a bit proponent of buying real books from real bookstores though, for sure.

 

[Sundial]

I love my Kindle and it is easy to use once you get the hang of things. You do need to have the wireless connected (or a 3G connection which is available on some Kindle models) in order to download books. I buy all of mine my Amazon and normally I purchase them on my laptop and send them to my Kindle which came preregistered to my account. You can also choose Shop in the Kindle Store from the menu and make purchases directly from your Kindle. Is that about as clear as mud???

 

[Enerchi]

another little thing to check daily, is the Kindle Daily Deal. They put a variety of books on sale each day and you have 24 hours to decide to down load or not. I've purchased a few current books that way. So simple when it's all set up, to just click and download. Oh... and so simple to run up the credit card too!

I find the Kindle very easy to operate, light to hold, works well in bright sunlight and stores a whack of books (I only have 50 on there at the moment) and when you are done with a book and figure you will never read it again, you can delete it.

Hope you enjoy it, once you get the hang of it!

 

[starshine]

You can check out books from your library, too! Just go to your library's website and see what digital downloads they have. You will need a library card, of course.

 

[Rhea]

Thanks all! I have a feeling I'll be checking back into this thread regularly and asking how to do thing. It's all a bit overwhelming.

Last night I downloaded Sherlock Holmes (was free!) and today the post office was slammed so I just turned on the lovely Kindle and started reading. It was great for it! I don't mark pages so that was a real time saver to just turn it on and start where I left off. Also no flapping when I was at the start of the queue, simple button off and fits nicely into a bag without worrying about bending the pages!

I'm interested in the library loan thing and the potential to share books. Right now I get most books either from the charity shop, borrowed from friends, or from the library - I don't want to lose that, mostly for budget reasons, I'm thrifty.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I check the Top Hundred Free on the amazon site daily! I have almost 700 books on my kindle and most of them were free. I have the keyboard version so I also have the kindle app on my ipad so I can see the covers in color. I can pick what to read next and then use the search on the kindle to bring the book up.

If you check the top hundred free or just type in Kindle SuperUsers Guide and down load it to a computer or smartphone, you can play with all the features that your kindle has.

Amazon has a lot of blogs where people complain about the kindle book price, which I don't understand, because you can get so much to read for free that it makes have a kindle so worth it.

I love love love my kindle. I bought a leather case with the light which is fantastic and I also bought a skin for it to make it really mine.
Keep your wireless off to save your battery. I am totally neurotic about keeping it charged, just in case of power failure. We have had a few!

 

[Black Jade]

Try your public library. Most libraries now on their internets sites have an 'e-book' section, which also includes instructions on how to download books you borrow (using your regular library card). You will need to download a (free) thing called 'Adobe digital editions' but its very easy to do (I'm enormously tech-challenged and had no issues with it. Your librarian can give you some advice, also.

You usually get to check out books for two weeks--and you can read many current books free that way.
I love to read classic books so the free booksites are good for me, but the thing about them is that the book has to have been written before the 1920's to be on them and many people don't like to read books that old.

Anyway good luck. I have a Kobo e-reader and I have a Kindle app on a tablet computer and I love both. I first started reading e-books about a month ago and rapidly got addicted to reading this way. I love having a bunch of books available and also love such features as being able to make the text as big as I like (I have older eyes).

 

[Rhea]

Another question. I didn't think of it until Haven mentioned it. Do you have a cover? I scratched the heck out of my camera and have to be very careful with my smart phone. If you have a cover, a slip type where you slide the e-reader in, or a notebook type?

 

[Sundial]

I have a leather notebook type cover that protects the kindle from falls and since it opens it makes it feel more like I am reading a book. Mine is from Oberon Design and their cases and sleeves are absolutely gorgeous!

 

[starshine]

I have had the lighted Kindle cover from Amazon for over a year now and have been very happy with it. Love having the light right there so I can read in bed and not disturb DH.