No, you don't need to have Amazon Prime to purchase Kindle books. Just an Amazon account.

My son bought me the OG Kindle while he was stationed in Afghanistan back in 2010 (followed by the PaoerWhite a couple years' later - which I love!). It's the best gift I've received to date!

A lot of people borrow ebooks from their public library on their Kindle.

No A-Prime necessary!!

There is a Kindle Unlimited subscription available with access to tens of thousands of books. 9.99 monthly.

Thank you all. I'll let her know about having an Amazon account.

I'm sure I'll have more to ask later.

Kathy G in MI

I get my Kindle books on bookbub.com they have great prices and lots of free books available. I buy through Amazon but do not subscribe to Amazon Unlimited. I read mostly mystery and crime books and get the free ones but they have many different types or you can choose from a zillion different books including best sellers and your fav authors.

I don't buy books for my Kindle. I get them from the library.

Another library patron here. I prefer Hoopla because they have a longer checkout period than Overdrive/Libby. That may vary by library.

I also download books for free from Gutenberg.org to read using Overdrive, but I can't recall if I used my Kindle for that. I know it works on my phone.

P.S. Just checked and books are available in Kindle format on Gutenberg.

I have a paper white but rarely use it. I would definitely if I were traveling and wanted some compact way to pack reading material. It does work well in bright light and sunlight.

Project Gutenberg can be downloaded for free.

Amazon does offer some free books and you can purchase books through amazon. I do not have prime or anything else, just an account. But I tend not to purchase books but use the library instead.

But be aware that Hoopla does *not* work with paper white.

I use my Kindle Fire tablet when traveling as it has a web browser and email also.

That's what I have - a Fire tablet, not Paperwhite.

The geek squad inside Best Buy could set it up for her, if she was able to go there, or most computer repair shops do that also

I do not have prime, but I get books all the time. there are also lots of free books you can get from Aazon also.

-As mentioned, Overdrive through public libraries is a good source of current Kindle titles. In my state and I suspect in some others, residents can get cards serving libraries in communities where they don't live. Doing so expands choice and availability. Overdrive has hundreds of thousands of titles available and each library chooses which titles (and how many "copies" of each) it offers to its card holders. The larger the community, the larger its Overdrive "collection".

- Library books on a Kindle don't "expire" at the end of a checkout period until and unless you connect the device to Wifi. If going on a trip or if you simply want extra time to read something, gather a good number of titles on the device and then turn off the Wifi setting. The books can remain there, available, for months and months, and won't be removed until you turn Wifi on again and it connects. .

No, you can dl from yr local library w the Overdrive app. I'd check with the library to see which one they recommend. Im a Prime member and have never bought books bc I can get 1 free book a month based on the monthly offers. Kindle is just a wonderful device that's not chained to Amazon.

I just bought a Paperwhite (2018 version, brand new, via a Woot deal), and it required very little in the way of setup. I had to choose a language and give my wi-fi password. I read through the information they offered, but the only change I've made so far was to make the font a little smaller. This was done via the font symbol at the top of the screen. It was pretty obvious. I know there are other features that I'll want to learn to use, but diving in and reading a book was easy.

I'm 79, and I've found when I learn something new it's best if I put it to use right away. If your friend learns how to use a Kindle before she gets hers, I'm afraid she might not retain everything by the time hers arrives. Perhaps you can help her from Florida via Zoom meetings if necessary?

Another Overdrive tip I forgot to mention. It's more obvious than clever.....

As most of us do, I know people who live in various places around the country. A number are in different large cities. Large city libraries have extensive Overdrive collections Most people have library cards. Take it from there.

Shhh, don't tell anyone.

Amazon offers so many free books for Kindles. Type in "free kindle books" in the search bar. I get most of my books from the library. I use Libby, Neflin, Overdrive and I have 3 library cars for different branches. It's easy when you get used to it. Follow friends and fiction on Facebook they have many offers also. Here is one that is low price or free Faithful Reads – Free and Bargain Christian eBooks

You only need Prime if you want to read selected books for free. I've been a Prime member for YEARS. Just found out on Friday I can read free books............ I've missed out this whole time. I thought I got delivery, tv and music. No idea about the books. Just happened to click on one and it opened for me. Argh!

Hi Deb,

Sometimes it can be a situation of "Too soon old - too late smart!", can't it?

Probably talking back and forth with people using the various systems would tend to help us learn of the various capabilities in the normal course as we went along. Maybe you'd have learned of the books being available incidentally some time earlier.

ole joyful