I was looking into buying something like a Kindle until I discovered that in many cases digital books cost more than the printed originals.
One thing you might not know (and is not widely advertised) is that unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.
I tend to check for free books and download them. There aren't very many up to date ones but as long as it is a decent read they do me.
Got a Kindle for Xmas and have really enjoyed using it especially on my recent holiday. Like Sandy have downloaded free books but one wee con is that if it's part of a series the first book is free but the following ones have to be bought. Loads of sites to download from and plenty of choice and don't think I've paid more than £4.
Ian
the most my mum has ever paid for a book was 98p , seen a book in Sainsburys and it was priced at £9.99. she checked on Amazon and same book was less than £1 lol.
she loves having it.
she has even said i am welcome to download any fly fishing book and borrow her Kindle any time i want.
I've put this up before.
http://calibre-ebook.com/download_windows (http://calibre-ebook.com/download_windows)
With the above you can down load any book for any reader and convert it to be read by any of them, or just read it on the pc using the program. I have a Sony eReader and have books from all over the net in different formats and converted for reading. Sometimes they come out a bit garbled but they are still readable with a bit of imagination, adds to the read as you try and work out what the word really is :)
A small selection;
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/50-places-free-books-online.htm (http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/50-places-free-books-online.htm)
http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-computer (http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-computer)
http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-science-fiction-fantasy (http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-science-fiction-fantasy)
http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-biography (http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-biography)
http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-children (http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-children)
There are lots more possibilities.
TL
MC
Quote from: fishtales on July 12, 2012, 09:27:19 PM
I've put this up before.
http://calibre-ebook.com/download_windows (http://calibre-ebook.com/download_windows)
That's the best available right now. I use it on Linux. The built in reader/viewer is also pretty good.
http://calibre-ebook.com/download (http://calibre-ebook.com/download)
TL
MC
The main alphabetical listing;
http://www.techsupportalert.com/long-list-nid.htm/725 (http://www.techsupportalert.com/long-list-nid.htm/725)
If you get Calibre get it direct from the downloads Sandy and I posted. The versions in the Linux repositories are not usually the newest.
The add-ons for Calibre are also first class and extremely useful for various things. Depends how you use your books and what for;
http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/customize.html (http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/customize.html)
index of plug-ins; http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118764 (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118764)
TL
MC
Also;
http://isohunt.com/torrents/fishing?ihs1=11&iho1=d&iht=9 (http://isohunt.com/torrents/fishing?ihs1=11&iho1=d&iht=9)
http://isohunt.com/torrents/?iht=9&ihq=general (http://isohunt.com/torrents/?iht=9&ihq=general)
http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/116854845/general?tab=summary (http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/116854845/general?tab=summary)
at your own risk!
TL
MC
Some books that may be of interest to download.
http://www.ebooksread.com/search.shtml?t=book&q=fly+fishing (http://www.ebooksread.com/search.shtml?t=book&q=fly+fishing)
For fishing and nature stuff;
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ (http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/)
Example search; http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/search.aspx?SearchTerm=angling&SearchCat= (http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/search.aspx?SearchTerm=angling&SearchCat=)
TL
MC
Downloading torrents for Windows;
http://www.utorrent.com/ (http://www.utorrent.com/)
For Linux;
http://www.transmissionbt.com/ (http://www.transmissionbt.com/) (runs on various systems).
Both freeware.
If you download torrents it is your responsibility to ensure that what you are downloading is legal!
http://gigaom.com/video/ten-sites-for-free-and-legal-torrents/ (http://gigaom.com/video/ten-sites-for-free-and-legal-torrents/)
It is perfectly legal to use torrents, but not to download copyrighted material. There are plenty of legal torrents available. In practice only some film and music downloads are "risky". But downloading ANY copyrighted material is a risk.
Quite a few governments have declared torrents legal for personal use. It is a bit of of a grey area.
TL
MC
Opera has a Bitorrent client built in so clicking on one automatically starts the download without needing standalone Torrent software.
Quote from: fishtales on July 12, 2012, 10:43:04 PM
Opera has a Bitorrent client built in so clicking on one automatically starts the download without needing standalone Torrent software.
Yes, it's a very good browser too, but I prefer the stand-alone stuff because you can just let it run in the background and I can choose the ports it uses. I can also set it to randomise the port used when starting. The browser keeps too many known ports open, especially in Windows.
I use Firefox because mine is very heavily customised.
You can set up the software to start automatically when a torrent is clicked. Usually just a matter of ticking a box.
TL
MC
I got my wife a kindle for her birthday and she loves it, I am dropping hints for one on my birthday as well as I am always borrowing hers. Getting books is not really a problem, you just have to know where to look :wink:
I got a Kindle for xmas and I love it. No more losing the place when I nod off when reading :)
I have a Sony E-Reader and the thing I love most about it is the sheer convenience of it, I do a lot of travelling with work and it's great for that.
You can carry as many books as you want at any given time, if you're halfway through a book you don't have to worry about finishing it before the end of the journey. If you read a book and enjoy it you can download the next one in the series straight away provided you have an internet connection. It even has a wee light so's you can read in the dark.
I've found that new books are pretty much the same price as the printed versions but older books are much cheaper.
I'd say a kindle is a must have for anyone that likes to read. Alternatively, my iPhone doubles as an E-Reader, the screen is smaller but the writings the same size and you can just scroll through, it's pretty good. I imagine other smart phones can be used in the same way.
Quote from: rubberwellie on July 13, 2012, 11:08:05 AM
I have a Sony E-Reader and the thing I love most about it is the sheer convenience of it, I do a lot of travelling with work and it's great for that.
You can carry as many books as you want at any given time, if you're halfway through a book you don't have to worry about finishing it before the end of the journey. If you read a book and enjoy it you can download the next one in the series straight away provided you have an internet connection. It even has a wee light so's you can read in the dark.
I've found that new books are pretty much the same price as the printed versions but older books are much cheaper.
I'd say a kindle is a must have for anyone that likes to read. Alternatively, my iPhone doubles as an E-Reader, the screen is smaller but the writings the same size and you can just scroll through, it's pretty good. I imagine other smart phones can be used in the same way.
Wow that you can read on a phone, auld age doesnt come alone:) I havent used my phone to read any articles ect.
I have enough to read with mail and FB and messenger. I remember when I used to read on the Lap top its just sore on the eyes.