Do you like books?

By | April 16, 2018
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Do you like books? Paper ones, I mean? I do. I like the feel of them, I like the “compression of the pages that tells you you’re nearing the end” and I like the feeling when I discover a new book I want to read.

But I like e-books, too. I like the fact that I can choose one and start reading it a moment later, at any time of day or night, without having to go into town to a shop or even order it. I like the fact that I can go on holiday with umpteen books without needing an extra suitcase… and I like the fact that I can read without having a light on in the room if Julie’s asleep and I’m still reading!

So I tend to have some of both.

But ebooks can be confusing – partly because there are slightly different versions of them.

Ebook just means electronic book and it could be in pretty much any format. But nowadays when people say ebook, it’s usually from one of three places:

  • Amazon, who have Kindle books.
  • Google, who have Google Play, which is the store for all sorts of things for Android phones and tablets, including book.
  • Apple, who have the iStore and like to call them iBooks instead of ebooks, just to be different.

It’s not about what book you’re reading – many books are in all three. But it does affect what devices you can read the book on.

If you buy an ebook (or get a free one) through the Apple iBook store, you can only read that ebook on devices made by Apple – the iPad and iPhone.

If you buy an ebook (or get a free one) through Google’s Play store, you can read it on an Android based device (eg an Android phone or tablet). You can also read it on an iPad or iPhone but only if you download the Google Play Books app onto that device – you can’t read it in the iBooks app that’s already on the device.

If you buy an ebook (or get a free one) through Amazon you can read it on Amazon’s Kindle or Fire devices but you can also read it on any other device if you download the Amazon Kindle app for that device – but you can’t read it in the iBooks app (if you have an iPad or iPhone) or the Google Play Books app.

You can use whichever of those three “stores” you prefer and you can even use a mixture – get some books from one, some from another.

I tend to use the Amazon one because it’s bigger than the others, with more choice (though the others are catching up) and because you can put the Amazon Kindle app on all the types of device to read the books.

You see, one of the things that used to worry me was what if I bought lots of ebooks that I really wanted, then my tablet broke and I got a new one.

I knew that if I got one of the same type, I could use the same account on it and still access all those books. But what if I changed to a different type?

Well, if the books you bought are from Amazon (or to be fair, Google), you can install the app on your new device, log in with the same account and away you go.

It doesn’t work the other way round – if you have an iPad and buy some books through the Apple store and then switch to (say) an Android tablet made by Google, you can’t get at those books on it.

But if you’d bought the books through Amazon on your iPad, then you could still access them on your new Android tablet.

It’s not just when you replace one device with another, either. Say I get an ebook on my tablet and get half way through it. Then I’m stuck waiting for a train one day and don’t have my tablet with me, but do have my phone with me. Then, as long as the phone is set up with the same account, I can carry on reading the same book – it should even remember where I’d got up to so I can just carry on.

Then when I go back to the tablet it’ll remember where I was up to on the phone.

As I said at the start, I like paper books too and I read a mixture of paper and e-books. I think both have their place!

5 thoughts on “Do you like books?

  1. Bill Saxton

    Although you mentioned paper books you didn’t mention our wonderful libraries, where you can get loads of books on loan, free! Not only that but also ebooks, details at you local library. Very handy as you say “on the go”. Myself, I don’t tend to collect or find the need to keep many books, so it’s a very handy way to read a book then return for someone else. Just promoting a good local facility.
    Best regards,
    Bill Saxton

    Reply
    1. Tim Wakeling Post author

      Good point. I thought I’d written about this not that long ago but when I looked I realised it was more than four years ago – maybe I’m due doing an up to date newsletter on this…
      Tim

      Reply
  2. Tony Richardson

    I agree with Bill re eBooks from Library. Just a caution though!
    In the local Library I use, there is a time limit, on how long the Book can be read, before it ‘Disappears,’
    or is no longer available to be read, on your device, though you can arrange to extend/renew the time,
    if that is, no one else has already booked it! If they have, you may have to wait until it’s available again,
    which I find strange, being an Ebook, you’d think they’d have more than one copy!
    It reminds me of the Saturday morning Pictures’ cliffhanger!’ Come back next week & see what happens!
    Happy reading! Tony Richardson

    Reply
    1. Tim Wakeling Post author

      Good warning – yes, it’s worth checking how long you have the book for. You don’t want it to disappear just as you’re about to finally find out whoddunnit!
      Tim

      Reply
  3. Ardell Owers

    I agree with the comments about our Libraries – not only can we borrow books but the Library is a great source of information about local events. I returned a book this morning & picked up a leaflet about a film being shown in the Library next month entitled “Down Memory Lame” which I have booked for. We also have an iPad Club meeting every 4 weeks where we get hints & tuition on the iPad. All for free!
    Long may our local facility remain open.

    Reply

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