eBook Readers

I am considering getting an eBook Reader device, like an Amazon Kindle 2 or a Sony Reader. They seem to be a great way to "carry" many books with you at once in a lightweight and searchable format.

One consideration is the availability of books in an electronic format, particularly older out-of-print books. Looks like Amazon has close to 600 Tarot-related books for the Kindle.

Any feedback from eBook Reader users would be appreciated!

There is a long thread in the Chat section:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=105262

Also there are e-book-related forums, such as:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php

Regarding tarot books specifically, you may want to keep in mind that a) often images don't come out too well on e-book readers, and b) in my experience e-books are easiest to deal with when one is reading the book from beginning to end. While it's certainly possible to jump around in a book by going to the table of contents and/or using search features, it's not as easy or as speedy as picking up a physical book and flipping through the pages to find what one wants.

Having said that, I love my Kindle and do 99% of my reading on it.

I'm hoping to buy the Kindle (not sure if it'll be the smaller or the larger one at this point, probably the smaller one since it'll be more portable).

Let me know of whatever you end up getting

Silverlyn

Thanks for the AT thread and forum links, Lee! I just read the entire AT thread, and it has definitely increased my interest in the Kindle.

As my planned future home will be somewhat remote and with limited storage space, the concept of a library of favorite books you can hold in your hand is quite exciting!

If your future home happens to be within the Kindle's Whispernet range, then you really should consider the Kindle. Wirelessly downloading a book directly to the Kindle in seconds is a very satisfying experience.

I'm another fan of the Kindle. I don't read Tarot books on it, though. I read almost all my fiction and novels on the Kindle, and it's beyond excellent for that. I'm a "flipper" I often read Tarot or other "scholarly" type books cover to cover, then go back and pick through randomly. I can see this being a pain in the butt, on a Kindle, so I don't even try. It's awesome for a hundred other reasons, though.

I have a kindle, and I love it. As others have mentioned, it's best for books that are read straight through, not as handy for a book that is dipped into here & there as reference.

One tarot related use that I didn't think of till after I'd bought it is this: As a new student of tarot (about a year) I have found that there is so much valuable knowledge available on this forum. I have a habit of copying interesting discussions and pasting them into a text file for later study. I have pages of wisdom from Thirteen, Umbrae, jmd, and so many others. I don't like reading long documents on my computer, and don't want to print it all out because it's not really sorted into any coherent system. The Kindle accepts text files, so I've transferred many pages of wonderful AT information into my kindle, to be read at my leisure, waiting in line, at the doctor's office, etc. If I find some jewel of wisdom (and I often do) I highlight it in the kindle; highlighted paragraphs in the kindle are saved to a permanent file.

Mary V

I won't buy a KINDLE until Amazon changes the name. Books, real paper ones, are beautiful, and they will last a lot longer than electronic code. Books are for READING not BURNING.

The name KINDLE is so odious and offensive to me that I simply would not give them my money. Disgusting.

Oh, I love paper books too! Their character, their smell, their beauty over time. But the word "kindle" has other meanings:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kindle

To build or fuel (a fire).
To set fire to; ignite.
To cause to glow; light up:
To arouse (an emotion, for example): "No spark had yet kindled in him an intellectual passion" (George Eliot).
To become inflamed.
To be stirred up; rise.

[Middle English kindelen (influenced by kindelen, to give birth to, cause), probably from Old Norse kynda.]

A brood or litter, especially of kittens.
To give birth to young. Used especially of rabbits.

[Middle English kindelen, to give birth to, from kindel, offspring, from Old English gecynd; see kind2.]

So perhaps Amazon's use of the word "Kindle" was intended to evoke the stirring up of the intellect, or giving birth to a new way of reading, rather than placing a symbolic log on the pyre of paper books.

Or maybe they meant BOTH. Whoever invented this thing has an evil black heart that pumps not blood, but bile and poison.