would like your advice if you have opinion on a kindle
I have loved holding hard back books
All my life
Due to expense I cannot buy them
And due to multiple chemical sensitivity and fragrance can not get them from a library or buy used

Do you feel a kindle gives anyone a headache

Do they emit a strong plastic or chemical odor from the cover or what it's made of

Is the kindle paper white 2022 model
Adequate it has one feature I liked that you can turn the lighting to Amber
Easier on the eyes

How many years do they last if one reads two books per month

Can I download from email if local library has free books onto the kindle paper white from amazon
Thoughts
Sheri

Just got a new one on prime day, I wanted a lighter one. I have grown to really use it alot, not just for books. I would rather have the book, mainly if its a book I need to sometimes go back and reread certain passages. Its not a problem to do on a kindle, just easier for me in book form. I actually like magazines but have gotten where I have so many magazines on my kindle. Cant rip out a recipe, but you can pull the kindle out no matter where you are and makes any wait much more tolerable if you throw it in your purse and take with you. At night I play games on it and google/internet always on the ready. Like anything else tech related, once I learn to use it, I like it. You obviously cant open it and smell it or run you hand across the pages, but I would say it for sure has its place.

I love my kindle for reading books. I'm on my second one. If you have a library card you may be able to download an app from your library to " check out" books. Mine is set to keep the book for three weeks.

I've had a Kindle for several years now, am on my second one. The first one was black and white, this one is color.

I've always gotten the largest screen I could -- I like to see as much text at one time as possible. I would love it if they came up with an affordable model that had two screens, with a connecting hinge, where it would look like an open book. If they do that, it would probably be expensive, though.

I have a Kindle Fire and it's my second Kindle in 15 years. Years ago, you couldn't download from the library with a Paperwhite; it had to be a Fire. Not sure if it's still that way or not.

I do download my books via email from the library. Our library uses an app called Overdrive which I think is going to change to something else next year.

I don't notice any odors nor does it give me a headache.

I've been using ereaders since 2010 and I love them... I don't miss lugging around big books, running out of something to read before I get home because I just finished the current book, and especially text too small for my old eyes.

My least favorite ereader though is the Kindle. I've had Sonys and now Kobos, which are much more open and let you make changes to your liking. The Kindle only recently started letting you add your own fonts, but still the spacing between lines is far too large for my liking. I got a Kindle during one of their prime sales, more to do testing (I've scanned old books), and I was very disappointed in the Kindle compared to what I was used to.

So look into all your options before deciding on one. Kobo readers use epubs or their own version (kepub), and epubs are still more widely available to download from libraries, if that's going to be your main source of books. Check out MobileRead's Forums, everything you could possibly want to know about ereaders will be available there, and ask any questions you may have there, they're an extremely helpful bunch of ereader users.

Great info Nancy - Thank You so much!

I have one, don't use it very much, but there are certain advantages. If SO has an e-book he wants to share and discuss, we can each read a copy on our own schedule. It's small and thin, fits easily into a handbag, so very convenient for waiting rooms, or reading in the car. You can have a large number of different books, so if you get bored or fed up with one, you don't have to go hunting in another room for a replacement. It only takes one hand to hold and won't suddenly close and lose your place if you get distracted, fall asleep or just need to put it down to swat a mosquito or dislodge a pushy cat.
Mostly, I still prefer a book, but it's nice to have options.

I have a Kindle Fire to replace an iPad. It was so slow in comparison (but a fraction of the price). The first thing I did was hacked it to use it as a tablet, installing the Google Play Store (by installing 4 apks, as I remember it). It now works as a very slow tablet, and I can install any app that I would be able to do so on my phone.

However, if all you care about is reading books I would first suggest the free idea of downloading the Kindle app on your phone and seeing if you can read a book on your phone. If you can, then go for the real deal and get the paperwhite tablet (which would be way better as it is non-reflective).

My mom still has the Kindle 3G I gave her way back when which had free 3G internet that came with it for about a decade . 3G is no longer a thing anymore though. But she adored it for all that time, reading hundreds of free books (there are thousands and thousands of free e-Books out there). But she also still bought regular books, too.

I myself bought the Nook from Barnes and Noble, used it for a few months and now it sits gathering dust in a drawer. Not even sure if Barnes and Noble still exists.

Alas, it was not for me. But they are awesome ways to take your entire book collection with you when you travel.

I have a friend who loved to read and can't anymore, because her eyesight is going, almost gone. Her children got her a smart speaker, which reads books, gives weather reports and general information as well as plays music and keeps her company. Since Covid lockdown in her assisted living facility, it's her only company, but for Allie Cat, most of the time. A very great boon to her quality of life.

I use the Kindle app on my iPad for reading. It's great because I have a built-in dictionary, so I don't have to get up to get the dictionary if I need to look up a word (which is only a small inconvenience, of course, but hey, a little more convenient is better than a little more inconvenient). I also can easily highlight and copy text, as well as attach notes to certain sentences or words. It's an all-around more convenient way of reading.

Of course, I'll always like physical books, because they have their advantages as well, but I do most of my reading on Kindle now. I highly recommend it.

Somehow I missed your other questions in there.

I've never gotten a headache from reading on my ereader. Make sure you get an e-ink ereader though, and not a glorified tablet like the Kindle Fire. E-ink light comes from above the page and shines down onto it, which is why it's much easier on your eyes; tablets (and phones) all have typical back-lighting, reading on those for hours will be harder on your eyes, many people do get headaches from that. The battery life is much better with e-ink screens than tablets, a couple of weeks with e-ink vs a day with a tablet. It's one of the reasons I'd never use my phone for reading, uses way too much battery up. And I find it extremely annoying to read on a such a tiny screen. You can read outdoors in bright sunlight on an e-ink ereader, can't do that on a tablet or phone.

I've never had any ereader (or even a tablet or computer component for that matter) emit any plastic or chemical odor at all, I'd say they are definitely odorless.

Kobo also has models that let you change the hue of the front light to warmer tones. I have crappy vision, old eyes make it even worse, but my preference is a whiter or bluer light, it gives more contrast and I just dislike the warmer colors for some reason. That even goes for using "warm white" light bulbs in the house, I just don't like the color. But having the options to change to your preferred color is always a big plus.

How long they last can't be measure by how many books you read. I have my Sony readers from 2010 that are still working just fine, even the batteries are holding charges. The reader I've been using since January 2016 is the Kobo Glo HD, and it's still perfect. I read every day, and the reader goes with me every time I leave the house. When I'm out on long walks, I love to find a cozy place to sit and read for awhile. Most e-ink readers have a glass layer, so you can break that substrate layer by any twisting or flexing of the reader. And it's best to keep it protected in a case. The sleep cases are just like opening a book, taking you right back to the page you left off at. But I've never once broken an ereader. Just be mindful if you pack it into a large purse or backpack to not have anything pressing against it oddly that could flex it or put pressure on the screen. I believe that Kobo now has an ereader where the substrate layer is plastic and not glass, so that would be very durable.

Downloading from email... I think you can send ebooks to your Kindle, but probably never a library book because of DRM. Many users use a program called "Calibre" to keep track of their library, and transfer books to their reader with a USB cable. If you buy directly from Amazon or Kobo, the books will be downloaded directly to your Kindle or Kobo reader. You won't have to email it to get on your reader. The other advantage to Calibre is if you ever lose or break your ereader, you have your books backed up and can just transfer them to the new reader.

Both Amazon and Kobo have many free books you can download from their stores. There's also Project Gutenberg where you can find thousands of free books. I haven't touched a paper book since 2010 and definitely do not miss them at all. Adjust font to a size that's comfortable for you, built in dictionaries, long battery life, never run out of something to read... what's not to love about ereaders.