Am I wrong? Kindle Paperwhite a dud?

[CanuckTravlr]

I have a 2nd generation Paperwhite and we just got the newest generation Paperwhite for Christmas to replace my wife's original Kindle. The battery was no longer holding. We both love our Kindles for what they are...readers. When we first got them it saved us a ton of weight when flying, since we no longer had to tug around several heavy books to read while on vacation. We also travel with two cell phones and a lightweight laptop.

We still love the e-readers for reading, especially in the sunlight around the pool, on the beach or on the balcony. Much better than a phone or tablet, IMO, and the back-lighting is great for reading in bed. Since we read so much, we prefer to have a dedicated tool for it. It is the same reason I have a fully-equipped toolbox, rather than some type of multi-tool, for repair jobs around the house. Also, if the Kindle is damaged, lost or stolen while on the beach, there are no security issues and they are much cheaper to replace than a cell phone.

 

[joestein]

You and I are cut out of the same cloth. I love my Kindle and all it offers to me. Reading is one of life's pleasures.

Absolutely, if only I could get my 16YO daughters to feel the same way.

When I was a teen I read every sci-fi/fantasy book that I could get from the library. I was a member of the sci-fi/fantasy book club and would buy the complied hard covers that include all the books of a series bound together.

 

[klpca]

I'm pretty jealous of all of you. While I love to read I now find reading difficult, even with glasses, and I'm not yet 60. I am truly worried about this as I age. Reading on my phone or tablet is an absolute no-go. Same for reading a paper-page book. With my paperwhite my font size is usually set at 9 but as the evening wears on I have to increase it. And all of this is while I am wearing glasses! It is as if the muscles in my eyes don't work like they used to. Eventually I have to put the book away because my eyes just won't focus any more. I chalk this up to my job which has made me rely on my eyes for over 35 years - looking at the minute details on spreadsheets for 8 hours a day - as well as my other hobbies, sewing and crocheting. I probably should have taken up sailing or running as a hobby instead. I now spend a good deal of time listening to audio books and it has definitely helped me with my auditory learning skills. I now prefer webinars for the ongoing learning requirements for my job, where I used to prefer an old fashioned book based course. Small victories!

Absolutely, if only I could get my 16YO daughters to feel the same way.

When I was a teen I read every sci-fi/fantasy book that I could get from the library. I was a member of the sci-fi/fantasy book club and would buy the complied hard covers that include all the books of a series bound together.

My kids were young readers when the Harry Potter books came out and I think that this is what made them such voracious readers. They were all fairly neutral about reading (where I was a fanatic as a kid) but once the HP books came out it changed their reading habits forever. They could hardly wait for each book to come out and usually read it in one night on the day that it arrived. As each new book came out, they and their friends would re-read the previous books in preparation for the newest book. As a parent, it was great fun to watch them get so excited about a book. Now books have pretty stiff competition from the internet when it comes to grabbing the attention of readers.

 

[MULTIZ321]

I'm pretty jealous of all of you. While I love to read I now find reading difficult, even with glasses, and I'm not yet 60. I am truly worried about this as I age. Reading on my phone or tablet is an absolute no-go. Same for reading a paper-page book. With my paperwhite my font size is usually set at 9 but as the evening wears on I have to increase it. And all of this is while I am wearing glasses! It is as if the muscles in my eyes don't work like they used to. Eventually I have to put the book away because my eyes just won't focus any more. I chalk this up to my job which has made me rely on my eyes for over 35 years - looking at the minute details on spreadsheets for 8 hours a day - as well as my other hobbies, sewing and crocheting. I probably should have taken up sailing or running as a hobby instead. I now spend a good deal of time listening to audio books and it has definitely helped me with my auditory learning skills. I now prefer webinars for the ongoing learning requirements for my job, where I used to prefer an old fashioned book based course. Small victories!

My kids were young readers when the Harry Potter books came out and I think that this is what made them such voracious readers. They were all fairly neutral about reading (where I was a fanatic as a kid) but once the HP books came out it changed their reading habits forever. They could hardly wait for each book to come out and usually read it in one night on the day that it arrived. As each new book came out, they and their friends would re-read the previous books in preparation for the newest book. As a parent, it was great fun to watch them get so excited about a book. Now books have pretty stiff competition from the internet when it comes to grabbing the attention of readers.

If you haven't already, I think you should schedule a check up by an opthamologist.


Richard

 

[klpca]

If you haven't already, I think you should schedule a check up by an opthamologist.


Richard

Sadly my eyes have had quite a bit of attention over the years, so the bad stuff has been ruled out already I believe, but since our insurance changed on Jan 1, maybe I'll try to get a second opinion this year. I do wonder if my 1997 lasik has had anything to do with this. My distance vision is still pretty good (20/30 now, 20/450 pre-lasik), but my close up vision has fallen off of a cliff in the past 7 or so years.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Sadly my eyes have had quite a bit of attention over the years, so the bad stuff has been ruled out already I believe, but since our insurance changed on Jan 1, maybe I'll try to get a second opinion this year. I do wonder if my 1997 lasik has had anything to do with this. My distance vision is still pretty good (20/30 now, 20/450 pre-lasik), but my close up vision has fallen off of a cliff in the past 7 or so years.

I think a second opinion would be good.

Richard

 

[Luanne]

@klpca my dds were the same way with Harry Potter. It's really what got my older dd into reading. They are both voracious readers now.

 

[joestein]

Have you read any Jeff Wheeler? I enjoyed the KingFountain Series and other series which area all on KU. With an added bonus it is available in Audible as well as book form.

Yes I have read all his books. However, I wait until a series is done before I read it. I love how all of his series are tied together through the same world. They always connect back to Muirwoods world and the latest series (Harbringer? with Fitzroy and Cetttie) takes place far in the future in Muirwood world, but features the world of King Fountain for much of the book.