I was gifted the Paperwhite from my oldest DD. She is the one who keeps me current with my ipad and cell phone.

I didn’t think I woukd like it as much as I do. I belong to a book club and we did meetings on Zoom. It was so easy to order my books and not have to wait for the ”steralizing.”

I just do basic. I order the books on my ipad through Overdrive. There are other systems such as Libby but I don’t seem to need it.

You can put books on hold, then manage them if they come in sooner, you can extend the dates.

You will really appreciate having it once you get used to it. No more trips to the library, unless you really want to go there.

I have the paperwhite -I bought it mostly because I can read easily outside in sunlight. Another nice feature of Kindles is that you can download samples of books. Has saved me hundreds of dollars, and time saved from reading 'meh' books.

I still use the first generation Kindle, purchased a very long time ago. Just looked it up 2007!! My kindle currently has 850 books on it. I have a nice leather cover that helps protect it and gives it a book feel.

You need wifi to download purchased books and library loans. If you turn the wifi off after downloading, your kindle will stay powered for at least a week. I never got into the habit of using my kindle to surf the web so I don’t. I like keeping it just for books.

I easily can change the size of the print, handy when my reading glasses are elswhere.

Libraries seem to offer more loans then they did even a year ago. Look into Libby and Hoopla.

I also have the kindle app on my IPhone and my iPad. I always have my reading available synced to the correct page. Magic!

I use the kindle app on my ipad-- but I have considered getting the paperwhite to avoid glare but i don't often read IN the sun. Near the sun-- but not usually IN the sun.

My husband and I actually have 4 devices- 1 Amazon Fire and 3 Kindle paperwhites. The Amazon one is not very good. The reason we have so many is that DH downloads a lot of books from various libraries that he has access to and then turns on the airplane mode so that the books don’t expire and revert back to the source. Then when the books on one of the devices have been read, he turns off the airplane mode and the books are gone and he can get any others that we need- like continuation of a series.

I can’t help with how to download because I am computer illiterate for the most part.

We didn’t think we’d like reading on KIndles-we used to buy all our books, then switched to getting them from the library, and now this. It sure is easier to carry a lot of books when traveling.

Thanks for the responses. I'm finding a lot of people including my son have older versions so can't make suggestions about the array available now - I also asked this in a facebook group with the same response. Time to narrow things down. @4kids4us your explanation helps a lot.

I love my Kindle. I often read late into the night and my DH is a very lite sleeper. I love the battery life, and I love taking 12 books on a 5 day hiking trip. That said, I dont love the Amazing company and it irritates me that through my library i cannot check out books that I can read on my Kindle. So I can read 1 book a month through Prime reading which will stop if I cancel Prime, and books I purchase through Amazing. IRRITATING!

I love the library. I think supporting the library is essential. I plan to get a Kabo Clara which Wirecutter rates very highly and will disconnect me from the Amazing tether.

https://us.kobobooks.com/products/kobo-clara-hd?utm_source=walmarthybrid&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=Skimlinks.com&utm_term=45704X1167592X30daa8b8af0817089fcf7da783e36692&ranMID=37217&ranEAID=TnL5HPStwNw&ranSiteID=TnL5HPStwNw-wmpkNTi5Jhd7hhVkEffljg&siteID=TnL5HPStwNw-wmpkNTi5Jhd7hhVkEffljg

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/amazon-kindle-is-the-best-ebook-reader/

I love my Paperwhite and have one after using a Kindle for years. I download all of my books from my local library. I did buy a cover for it. We still have Kindles but I would never go back to them for books.

Does anyone else read The Strategist’s column about a celebrity and the ”x things so and so can't live without!?” at the top of my list would be my Kindle for all the reasons listed here. it took me a long time to go from books to an e-device but there is no going back. like others, I also use the Kindle app on my phone, so I'm never without my book anymore😀.

If you have a tablet and like it...and don't need to read in the sun or bath, try the tablet. My kids have Kindles of some sort they got as gifts. Tiny ones! They won't use them and prefer paper. So I tried them. Not bad. Petite and portable!

DLed the Kindle app onto my larger, bulkier tablet and it's so much better. I really prefer the big screen so I can make the print big enough to toss reading glasses.

I'd get myself a decent tablet before a different device. :)

@Fori I don't have a tablet anymore. Never liked using it - I know, I'm weird!

Thank you all - add to cart, purchase, done!

Late to answering but I don't normally love or adapt easily to new tech things but DH got me the kindle maybe 5 years ago (now that I think of it, I think more) and I think it is the best thing since sliced bread. I too use the library 99% of the time, and manage my holds as eld mentioned. The best is reading outside and or anywhere and having no glare or needing a light.

You will love it.

Fori, is there a way to change the lihting on your tablet so it doesn’t look like you are reading a computer screen? I have an iPad that I use for most things. Though I have the Kindle app, I do not like reading books on my ipad due to the lighting. I like that the Paperwhite does not have the bright screen like tablets do - it makes it seem much more like reading a book. Tho I know the screen of a Paperwhite is smaller than a tablet, you can adjust the text size on the Paperwhite if not wanting to wear glasses.

For me personally, the main reason I preferred to buy a second device (Paperwhite) versus just using my iPad/kindle app was because it is backlit. Since I already spend too much time on my iPad, it is nice to give my eyes a break from the blue light when reading. Of course there are other advantages, but that was the biggest reason for me.

DLM, hope you enjoy your new purchase!

I have the first version of Kindle, which is fine, but I like the backlit feature on the Paperwhite. However, in Canada, only the Kindle Fire can access Canadian library books, as the Kindle App system is not compatible with Libby/Overdrive or Cloud Library. I don't really want a Kindle Fire, as I only want a device for reading, so don't need all the extras. I I guess I'll have to buy a different e-reader instead, like Kobo or Sony. Also, while Kindle users here do have an enormous selection of titles to choose from, apparently Canadians don't get the same quantity of selection as American Kindle users.

amicus, I'm surprised you can't get the Overdrive or Libby apps in Canada. I have the Overdrive app on my Kindle Fire, but I can't get the Libby app. I wonder if you had a newer Kindle if you would able to get one or both of them ? I don't understand why you can't get the same books from Amazon that we have available here. Now, my local library is very limited on the amount of e-books they have available - at least, the ones by my favorite authors, and some are not available at all.

DLM, I don't have a Paperwhite, so I don't know much about them. I would assume they all have wifi. I don't know what the front light is for, but I don't think I would need that. Get the one with advertising included if want, or need to save money. As far as new or refurbished - I would get new if I could afford it and could get a good deal, or refurbished if I wanted to save money, as long as there's a good warranty. Storage depends on what you need . I suppose if you read a lot, get as much storage as you can afford; if you read less, get less storage. I guess if you're reading temporary books which will be removed, you won't need as much storage. Free books from Amazon can be removed from your device and stored in the cloud, so keep that in mind, too. There are also places online where you can download free books to keep.

I hope this helped you a little. I really know nothing much about Kindle Paperwhites .