Considering an ereader- please give me pro/cons of Kindle/Nook

[Cindy B]

I'm new to the ereader arena. I'm thinking I would love this but reading reviews after reviews, they seem close to the same.

I'm leaning ever so slightly to the Nook-- because of the lack of Epub capability on the Kindle.

Is there really tons of FREE books? I'm a big library person, so no to low cost is important.

 

[Disneylover79]

We bought my dad the Kindle for his birthday and he has had it a little over a month and he LOVES it. He told DF it is the best thing he has ever had and he is glad he got it. He is a big reader and loves to read and he said it is so easy to use and read. Good luck.

 

[phorsenuf]

There's some great threads scattered about the different forums here with tons of info. After reading through many of them, and checking the 2 models out in person, I'm going to go with the Kindle.

 

[DVCLiz]

I'm new to the ereader arena. I'm thinking I would love this but reading reviews after reviews, they seem close to the same.

I'm leaning ever so slightly to the Nook-- because of the lack of Epub capability on the Kindle.

Is there really tons of FREE books? I'm a big library person, so no to low cost is important.

I can answer your Kindle questions, but I'm sure someone else will be able to answer your Nook questions.

There are thousands of free books in the public domain - the question is do you really want to read them? I don't want to read a free version of Tom Sawyer - I want to read The Help!

I was a hardback book buyer so I am not so concerned about library use. That made the Kindle the best choice for me - it had a feature set I wanted and Amazon behind it. You'll have to decide how important that library feature is to you.

Kindle just announced they are adding the lend me feature so other than the library checkout, I think Kindle has the best set of features and the best customer service. Honestly, I think either would be great.

 

[donac]

There are thousands of free books for the Nook also. I have the Nook and I love. My sister and her family have the kindle and love it.

I love my Nook. I have gotten many books and have only bought one that was over $5.

I have not tried the library feature yet or the lend me section.

 

[MrsPete]

I've had my Kindle for almost two years, and it is WONDERFUL. Everyone I know personally who has an e-reader owns a Kindle -- I don't personally know anyone who has a Nook. I've only talked to one person who's tried a Kindle and disliked it, and in her case it was a "book purist" thing.

Yes, you can get lots of free books, but you have to know how it works: If you go look right now, you'll get the idea that the free books are almost exclusively old classics that're out of copywrite (Dracula, Pride & Prejudice, etc.). If you keep looking week after week, you'll see that the truth is that those old classics are ALWAYS there for free . . . but the more modern stuff comes and goes. New authors put their things up for a couple days FOR FREE, and then they start to charge. Established authors often offer up some of their older stuff FOR FREE to get you thinking about them again. Authors often offer FOR FREE the first book in a series, hoping that you'll then pay for the rest of the series. They do this because LOADS of people "buy" their books for $0.00, which propels them into the Bestsellers category. Once they're in the Bestsellers, they gain visibility and they make money.

It'll be rare for you to find the exact bestseller that you want right now for free, but you're very likely to find something interesting, something that you didn't expect.

So the cornerstones of free books are as follows: Check Amazon.com often. When you see something that remotely interests you, get it. If you wait, it may cost money later. Finally, keep in mind that it's kind of like your favorite consignment store: Some days you'll find 8-10 great items. Other days you'll not find anything at all.

Having said that, I wouldn't get the Kindle JUST in hopes of lots of free books. I absolutely love mine, but if you get it for just this reason, I think you're going to be disappointed that you can't get the exact books that you want for free.

 

[Cindy B]

Interesting.

I actually read more of the classic literary works vs. new books. My son, also a voracious reader, enjoys classics as well. The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers are on his reading list. I also like to read biographies, non-fiction, business and educational texts. I usually HATE current fiction unless it is an established author that I do like.

I am a big library user, but like some people, I don't return exactly on time and wind up paying fees. I hate paying for books however, I've had to buy some lately. I'd probably use the 14 day lending on the Nook easily.

The color pictures look pretty on the Nook. The Nook looks slightly more "flashy" as compared to the Kindle.

With all this, I think I could just download the Nook app to my laptop and read it that way.. but again I don't know.

I am a Language Arts teacher and am wondering if this could be used in the classroom either in a small group setting o something like that.

 

[MushyMushy]

I don't have either one yet, but I do have both ereaders on my iphone.

So far, I way prefer Barnes & Noble over Amazon for ebook ordering. B&N has "Free Book Fridays" where you can get a different book every Friday. Sometimes good books, sometimes not, but they are usually all newer ones. Not classics. I have well over 100 books between free classics, free Fridays and purchasing them. When I've done price comparisons, B&N has been just a shade cheaper than Amazon.

Everything I've read about both ereaders just makes the decision confusing. People love them both equally it seems. So I'll end up going with the Nook based on my preference for B&N over Amazon. Oh, and that's really saying something because I've been a big Amazon fan for years. I order tons from them.