Hi all and kindle users in particular.
I am thinking of buying kindle - I read a lot and it’s hard to carry books with me a lot of times.
I’m very interested in kindle, but … I hate the idea of buying from Amazon. I’ve been doing my best to support local bookstores and would love for that to continue. Unfortunately, these stores do not have kindle alternatives (ebooks to be read from phone, which I would like to avoid).
I wonder, those of you that use kindle, are you able to download and read non-amazon books?
You can buy books from elsewhere and send them to your kindle via e-mail. It used to be really difficult to get non-amazon ebooks onto a kindle but that has changed drastically.
I almost exclusively use the library to save money and avoid supporting Amazon. The Libby app lets you easily download ebooks and audiobooks. I also don’t feel the need to own every book I read. If I really love it, I’ll go buy a physical copy from a local book store.
I do this too! Libby is my favorite!
Many libraries (at least in the US) allow you to have a librar card in the city/torn you live and the city/torn you work (if different). Then you can borrow more books or have more active holds.
I also purchased my kindle secondhand. Mine is from unclaimed baggage but there are a ton of good priced, relatively new ones on ebay, too! It took my a bit longer to find the exact on I wanted, but I got my Gen 4 Paperwhite for $35.
A few people have mentioned using Libby to borrow ebooks from the library - just be aware that this function is only available on Kindle in the US. Outside the US, only Kobo supports Libby
I only use Kindle for Libby books. If that functionality ended, I wouldn’t be using it any longer.
Thanks! Did you have any issues when uploading non Amazon books onto Kindle?
There’s nothing to upload, at least in my country Libby has a Send to Kindle option
I’ve had a Kindle for 14 years now and just retired my first one, after upgrading to the 2022 version.
As for the giving money to Amazon, I payed 80€ back then and my first Kindle survived 14 years of regular reading, so I can live with that. The ebooks I read I either borrow from local library or ‘find’ online, so no money to Amazon there. You can easily download any book to it, in this new version it’s as simple as adding it to your Kindle app on the phone. So if this is your main concern, you don’t ever have to buy an ebook from Amazon :)
And having a Kindle actually made me buy more books than I did before, because it opened me to so much new literature that wasn’t available in my country (small European place).
You might have an easier time getting some kind of tablet where you can download load different apps. On the Kindle, I don’t think you can download certain apps. Then you’ll be able to download all the different book apps from your local library, (mine has 4 different ones). Also, I think you can’t use the Nook app on Kindle reader. I personally buy from whoever has it, if it’s not available through the library.
Borrow books through Libby, then donate $ to the local library for each book you read.
You don’t have to have a reader. I’ve got Libby, BorrowBox, Calibre, BookFunnel plus a couple of others all on an Android tablet. I can borrow from the library, use Project Gutenberg or other free book providers. I don’t know about the other apps, but i know you can use Libby and BorrowBox for audiobooks, too. Happy reading!
I’ve had a Kindle for a couple years and I’ve only bought a couple ebooks. I mostly use it for borrowing books through Libby.
Libby is the best app ever!! I read more than ever with my kindle/Libby combo.
The “indie” alternative to Kindle is the Kobo e-reader.