I own a kindle and find it invaluable. I am a playwright, also a dramatist, ie I turn novels into plays for the media. So I have to read a lot. My kindle means I have many of the books I need without having to pack piles wherever I go. As I have a Kindle 'extension' on my iphone as well, it means I can read and work wherever I am. I've also got so used to reading on Kindle that I'm quite happy with it now.

I have a Sony reader and use it only when traveling. I just like the feel of a book in my hands.

I have the older Kindle, not the Fire. I like it very much for traveling, but prefer real books when at home.

Rosefolly

I have a Kindle and a Kindle Fire and have pre-ordered the new tablet coming out in November. It's a disease.

I don't purchase many books but mostly get library books on them, also quite a few free books, of which there are many. I really like bringing the Kindles to work, so much easier than hauling around books. And great for reading in bed. But I still mostly prefer real books.

I would like to thank you all for your input. Most of you prefer a book, is it easier on the eyes with a book than a tablet? I really would like it to bring to read btw classes.

The kindle is actually very easy on the eyes. You can even read it in bright sunlight. It is just that I love books.

I have a kindle keyboard. I love it. I started out only using it when traveling, but now I find myself immediately checking the library catalog to see if books I want are available in a kindle edition. It is easier on my wrists, the selection at the libraries I use seems to grow exponentially every week, and the fact that I can toss it into my purse and have a gazillion books with me is so appealing. I also invested in a case with a flip-up LED light that recharges (no batteries!!) using the same cord as my Kindle, so I can read at night and not bother DH. That was also useful on a recent nighttime plane flight when the overhead light would have annoyed my seat companions.

I've had a Kindle since the first one was released. I now have a Kindle Fire and am also waiting for my pre-ordered tablet version. I have found that I read faster on the Kindle and find it so convenient that I can't imagine not having it. I do still read actual books as well, for various reasons, but not because I prefer to read them over reading on the Kindle.

If you just want to read books, then a bog-standard Kindle or similar (I have a Kobo Touch) is the way to go. Light, easy to use, and they go for days without a recharge. I sometimes wonder how I managed without it.

If you want to use the other functions of a tablet, like internet access, email, games and such-like, then get something like a Kindle Fire or a Google Nexus 7 - a bit heavier to read with, and they are a bit of a strain in bright sunlight - and you'll find you have to recharge them far more frequently.

I have both - a Kobo Touch and a Nexus 7. Don't really want a Kindle Fire - it's a bit too tied into Amazon for my tastes, and the Kindle app works fine on the Nexus 7.

One of the downsides of the ebook world is the incompatiblity of Kindle books with ePub (Kobo, Sony etc) - which means that you can't read one type of book on the other reader. This can be a bit annoying, as the prices are frequently cheaper as Kindle books than as ePub books. However, I'm told that, with a bit of technical wizardry, it's possible to break the DRM so that you can read Kindle books on the Kobo Touch. Not that I'd know anything about this, of course. ;)

I have a Kindle, and while I like the fact that there are so many books in one convenient, light package there are a couple of things I don't like. Sometimes it is slow to turn the page, and more often it is slow to go to another screen, like the main menu. But my biggest gripe is with checking back. I quite often want to check back on someone's name, or who was where - you get the idea - and it is a pain. I know you can bookmark places, but often it isn't something I would think to bookmark. I still prefer real books, and in fact have bought many hard copies after buying them for the Kindle and liking the book.

I have the Kindle Fire. Was skeptical at first since I love love love books. But the Fire does almost anything my laptop can do! Now I keep it with me everywhere. Battery power lasts a long long time. I use it often and have found a nice balance between the Kindle and real books. I like it so much that I just bought my daughter a Fire for Christmas.

And I have lots of eye issues... the Fire is easy on my eyes.

PAM

PAM

I am not a huge reader like most here, but I love reading on my Kindle. As others have said it is much easier to hold while reading, and you can carry all the books your might want to read while traveling. I use the Calibre program to convert books from other formats into the Kindle format.

I was able to download a copy of Jeanne M. Dams' newest, The Corpse of St. James's, from the public library and am busily reading it; but I can tell you from experience that it is difficult to turn Sony pages while holding the reader up in one's left hand and using one's right for eating a cookie and drinking coffee at the bakery.

I really liked Ms. Dams' earlier books in the Dorothy Martin series but no longer want to buy them. I do like them well enough to continue reading them though.

Carolyn - having owned a Sony Reader, I can assumre you that's a simple problem to resolve. Hold the Reader in your RIGHT hand, and use your left for the food and drink ;)

Carolyn-I solved it by making the font a little larger and propping up the reader on the table-then I have two hands for nosh and just need one fingertip for turning pages. (Mine uses buttons on the side, not a swipe.)
I am with you on the library book downloads, though-there are several series that I would not buy new, but enjoy through the library.

My Kindle is almost two years old. It's the Kindle 3 with keyboard. I did not get 3G. Having Wifi is instant gratification enough! I also have an older Sony (the Pocket edition). I mostly use my Kindle and don't intend to replace it until it breaks or wears out. I have some books on the Sony I'm sure I will want to re-read, so no plans to get rid of it. I usually only read print books when they're not available as ebooks (e.g., older or out-of-print books).

I never, ever thought I'd read on a PDA, but since my husband got me an iPhone 3, I've also been reading on the iPhone. I love being able to sync my Kindles to the iPhone. At this point, I am worried about wear and tear on my Kindle, so I use the iPhone for short reading stints when I'm on a work break or waiting for school to open when I drop off my daughter, etc. This way, I don't have to carry the Kindle with me. Funnily enough, I mostly use the iPhone for sneak reading and checking traffic. I rarely use for the primary purpose of talking on the phone!

One last benefit: my husband has a Macbook, so he can also download books to his laptop to read from my Amazon account. Amazon makes it too easy!

Martin and Cece, thanks for the help in eating while reading--as if I need more food!

You all got me sold. Now its a matter of which one, I will choose. Really good information. Thank You All.

I have an older Nook (original) and now a Kindle Touch. My parents have a 2nd Gen Kindle, 3rd Gen Kindle, Kindle Touch, and Kindle Fire (long story).

Mom uses her Touch for reading and the Fire for games. Dad goes back and forth between the 2nd and 3rd. I use my Kindle for reading (prefer it to books now, because it is easy to carry and hold), but I have an iPad for the internet and games.

I did get 3G, which means I can buy books no matter where I am, which is something that was important to me. It really depends on what you want to do with it. I wanted my eReaders to be dedicated to reading, but not everyone feels that way.

Thanks vtchewbecca, still have not decided which one.

I have what is now an older, maybe discontinued Kindle, the Touch, which is wireless but not 3G. I really like it and mostly use it for library ebooks and for ebook galleys from publishers. I can turn pages by swiping or tapping and I chose it for the e-ink which is, as stated, very easy on the eyes. Occasionally, an ebook does require use of a USB cable to transfer the book via drag and drop (and I forget the techy reason why) but that doesn't happen often.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you do intend to use it for library ebooks is that the next big thing in library ebooks is looking like the 3M Cloud library. 3M is nipping at the heels of Overdrive which is the provider used by most libraries now. My library system started offering the 3M this fall in addition to Overdrive BUT right now, 3M is not compatible with Kindle. It works with adroids, iOS, Nook, Kobo, and, I think, windows. I put 3M on my phone but wish I could on my Kindle as it is extremely easy to use once you've downloaded the free app.

I never thought I would like a Kindle...My lovely daughter bought me one for Mother's Day and I love it. It is a Kindle 6" E Ink Display, WiFi.....I use my local library because it has tons of books.....I highly recommend a Kindle. It is easy on my eyes and as someone else said it fits so well in your hand bag. Enjoy

I've had a Kindle for several years and the only thing I don't like about it is I can't leaf through the pages to find a reference. I don't have any sentimental attachment to "real" books and appreciate not having to decide if I like a book enough to keep it on a shelf. I do wish I could share Kindle books with people who don't own one, but I am unwilling to lend them my Kindle. I know some people swap the actual Kindle among friends and family who also own Kindles, but I don't have anyone close who also owns a one. It is so much more portable than a book and I always seem to haul around a lot of stuff so the small size is great. If I could afford it I would love to have a tablet to read on and to nuts around on while watching TV. However, I need one that I can download and read Amazon Kindle offerings on. I like dealing with Amazon. I am a terrible pragmatist and can't understand why a lot of people feel strongly that a real book is more pleasant than a Kindle. However, I do wish Kindle book pages were numbered so I could easily skip around and find a desired passage. If anything were to happen to my Kindle I would immediately buy another because I don't want to give up the convenience of an e-reader. If Kindle came out in a tablet with a display as astounding as the I-Pad Retina I would buy it immediately. So far, they haven't matched the fabulous clarity of the Retina.
Nancy

Nancy, that is my gripe too (see above)
I believe you can email ebooks to others. You have an automatic kindle email address when you get the device and books can be sent to it if the sender's email address is listed as 'safe' at your amazon account.

Another Kindle owner here.
I live in a small town with a limited selection of reading material. I was also working in a camp situation and the kindle let me have a selection of reading material on hand. The 3G and WiFi did not work in the remote camp situation. Currently I am trying to get ready to move house. While I do have plenty of print books, I appreciate not having to pack up yet more books which are on the Kindle. One of the books on the Kindle is the complete works of William Shakespeare. With that I can do a search for a quote and get the context of that quote.

I gave my sister one of my Kindles. One of my nieces was adamant that she would never use such a device. My sister left the Kindle on open to "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." When my sister came back a little while later that niece was happily reading it on the Kindle. Another niece who is in nursing realized that she can have an entire shelf's worth of her nursing books in a convenient package with the Kindle.

Something I do not care for on my Kindle Graphite is that graphs and illustrations can be hard to view.

I have a Kindle too but rarely use it as I have the Kindle app on my iPad. It's backlit so I don't have to have an extra reading light like I do for the Kindle. I do take the Kindle with me on trips so I don't have to tote several books along.

I've had a Kindle for a while now, and while I never liked it much, it was handy. However, I love the Kindle app on the iPad, and now use it constantly. It's much larger, easier to read, and backlit, as Rouan described. Moving the functionality to a larger platform made a huge difference for me. And I still enjoy hunting down free / out of copyright books to download. It does make that "buy now with one click" very dangerous, but I'll learn restraint eventually ;)

I own a Kindle and find it a convenient way of reading. I haven't given up books altogether, but the Kindle is great for me because I only keep perhaps one in every 10 books I buy and discard the rest, occasionally discovering too late that I might have wanted to keep a particular book.

I especially love having one while travelling - I used to weigh down my luggage with books whenever I went anywhere but now I bring along one physical book for for emergencies like drained batteries and electronics being banned, and a library of around 600 books on the Kindle, usually including a guidebook, which is a relief because they are often huge and not convenient for lugging around.

I also find my smartphone a fine tool for reading, e.g. in bed at night with the lamp turned off and while waiting in queues.

When the Kindle gives up the ghost my replacement device will either be a small tablet computer or a large smartphone or, if I haven't got the cash for that, a Kindle with a keyboard or a touch screen. I find the navigation on the one I have now (Kindle wi-fi) too slow when I want to type notes.

What I don't like is stuff others have mentioned, e.g. the difficulty of finding a particular reference, and the inability to add marginalia, but these are small concerns.

Hi to all...I own the Kindle Paperwhite and love it. I love books too but have to say reading on the Kindle has become my preference. The ability to adjust font size is a plus and I also seem to read more quickly. For those who like to flip back for referencing it becomes quite easy after getting used to the Kindle. The Paperwhite has a feature on top panel called X-Ray and when you're not quite sure of a character you hit this and all references to characters, places are there. Paperwhite is backlit and light is adjustable, great for reading in bed. As others have mentioned public libraries are continually adding ebooks in Kindle format. I borrow whenever possible and have gotten many free books through bookbub and pixels of ink. Happy reading everyone, no matter in what form!