Book worms?

[BCJO]

Thank you for all your advice :)

 

Perhaps I just don't know enough about getting books into our iPad... we subscribe to a Danish e-book service, but it will only allow us to download three books at any time... and going online on the cruise will busy our budget :(

 

An advice on where to download books without breaking the bank? :D

 

 

 

If English books ok please try Ebook dot bike it's incredible have used for years. Good luck!

[bobndee]

Thank you for all your advice :)

Perhaps I just don't know enough about getting books into our iPad... we subscribe to a Danish e-book service, but it will only allow us to download three books at any time... and going online on the cruise will busy our budget :(

An advice on where to download books without breaking the bank? :D

 

Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org) has thousands of FREE ebooks, all genres, varying formats from .txt to .epub. If a book I want isn't in .epub format at Project Gutenberg, I use Calibre to convert it to .epub and then use Calibre's server function to load it to my iPad.

 

Let me know if you want/need more information and we can talk off-line.

 

Bob

[miched]

If you take books or use purchase a electronic type reader make sure that it is back lite and have some sort of reading light for the books if you plan on reading at night on the balcony. There are no lights on the balconies on the S Class ships. I like it that way as it makes it more enjoyable to sit on the balcony at night without the light pollution from passengers leaving their lights on all night. Some will try to off set it by having their curtain open but it isn't as bad.

 

 

Many of the public spaces like the coffee cafe and Ensemble lounge and etc are also too dark to read in during the evening.

 

 

Happy reading 📰📚📘📙📕📗

[Ask4Jay]

@CruiserByHeart

You already own an iPad. Therefore you really would not need any other device. You are concerned about storage space on your iPad, yes? Compared to videos and photos, text (books) take up very little space. I would suggest that you download the ‘Kindle for iPad’ from the App Store. Any book you buy will remain in the Cloud and gets downloaded to your iPad only when you want to read it (I have a total of about 70 books accumulated, most of them are in the Cloud with only 10 or so actually on my iPhone.) If I were concerned about space, I could easilly shift a few up into the Cloud.

In case you are not all that familiar with Apple, you can go to Settings >General >About.

Capacity will indicate the GB of your iPad. Available will show how many GB you have left.

held og lykke. J

[packedandready]

Kindle ereader...yes...yes...yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ONLY way to cruise.

[raudacruise]

Another vote for the Kindle Paperwhite. I subscribe to both BookBub and Free Kindle Books and Tips. Usually have a few library books downloaded. But I always pack a paperback if I'm planning on a beach day on my own that includes swimming or snorkeling. I'm not leaving my Kindle unattended.

 

I do check out the ship's library early on, sometimes get lucky.

[Hlitner]

Try reading a book on an iPad in direct sunlight....and you will run out to buy a Kindle.

 

Hank

[Viv0828]

We don’t read in direct sunlight so we use the kindle app on our iPhones. Up to 5 people can share a kindle account. We have over 500 books on our account, keep maybe 20 on our phone at a time and then send them back to the cloud as we finish them. You get used to the small screen. We have so much other electronic gear that we really don’t have the space for 2 extra ereaders.

 

 

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[CruiserByHeart]

@CruiserByHeart

You already own an iPad. Therefore you really would not need any other device. You are concerned about storage space on your iPad, yes? Compared to videos and photos, text (books) take up very little space. I would suggest that you download the ‘Kindle for iPad’ from the App Store.

held og lykke. J

 

Thank you everybody for your great advice! :D

 

No, actually storage in the device is not a limitation - the number of books allowed to be downloaded from our online resources is the problem. Our local libray only allows for 3 downloads at a time and the same is true for each of the online rental services.

 

I know 3 services times 3 books should cover most for two weeks, but my DW reads at least a book a day - and not always litterature to my liking, so I would appreciate to have a few of "my own" :)

 

And yes, we do also plan to be out and about to enjoy the offerings of the vessel, bars, lounges, shows, dances and talks ;p

[ClaudiaB]

Book Bub will send you a list every day of free or very very discounted books. You can put in category preferences.

 

I have about 2000 books on my Kindle paper white.

 

My husband has probably a couple hundred on his iPad.

[Project_gal]

If the OP's issue is with the price of electronic books rather than storage capacity I am confused. In the UK, although eBooks are taxed (VAT) and physical books are not, eBooks are still always cheaper than physical books. In addition, as many posters have mentioned, there are many websites that will point you at free of very cheap eBooks. Although it is possible to buy cheap secondhand or remaindered physical books, you will always have the expense of postage or visiting a shop to purchase them.

 

Thus, however, much I love physical books, logic always says eBooks win: portability, price, storage and, although I hate to admit it, readability. eBooks also win when using books for reference and study. The search facility beat even the best index hands down. For research, I will often purchase both the eBook and the physical.

 

For those who have mentioned not wishing to take eBooks to the pool/beach, you can purchase excellent waterproof bags for your Kindle (other eReaders are available) that will keep your eReader safe from sand and water.

[phoenix_dream]

I am a big reader and I have found vast differences in volume and quality of books on different ships. I was on Eclipse this past January and it had one of the best libraries on Celebrity that I have found. It is good advice to go early, but also don't be afraid to check back every few days. People drop books off as they finish, and oftentimes people who buy and bring books onboard will leave them in the library when they are done with them (although this tends to happen much more often the last 1-2 days of the cruise unfortunately).

[DYKWIA]

Another vote for Kindle Paperweight.

 

The screen is excellent on the Paperweight for reading in the sunshine, virtually zero reflections. Reflections and glare can be a real issue with the iPad, whilst I love my iPad it can be virtually impossible to see the screen in bright light.

 

Some other advantages of the Paperweight over the IPad as an ereader.

(1) it's much cheaper, lose or damage it around the pool and it's cheaper to replace.

(2) it is significantly lighter than an iPad. Even with a cover on it it is very light and can be held for several hours without difficulty. An iPad is a lot heavier.

(3) much longer battery life . You may only get a few hours or so off a full charge on an iPad, you'll get significantly longer with a Kindle

(4) The Kindle was designed to have one function - ereading, it isn't trying to do anything else. The iPad is a multifunctional device, very good at most things. To use it as an ereader you have to install additional software, synch it to Amazon accounts etc. An analogy - A Kindle is a pair of trainers great for running in. An iPad is a pair of leather Gucci loafers, looks better, you can run in them if you want, wear them to the beach, work, chic nights - but if you really want to run any distance you should stick to the trainers .

(5) a Kindle is significantly less attractive to thieves

 

I don't have a 3G Paperweight, just the regular Wifi edition. I don't find that I need to buy so many books (it holds 1000s) that I've ever run out of books to read whilst not on the wifi.

 

Only real disadvantages of Kindle,

(1) it's a bit if plastic compared with the IPad

(2) you are limited to Kindle ebooks - although there are millions

(3) it's an extra bit of kit to lug around

[Alohaaloha]

If English books ok please try Ebook dot bike it's incredible have used for years. Good luck!

 

 

Wow! What an incredible site! Thanks so much for sharing. Really grateful.

 

 

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[ShawRuff]

My last Caribbean cruise the shelves were FULL. I do a combination of paper and eBooks. I prefer paper, and find that they are easier to read on deck due to lighting. eBooks hold more and take up less space, but I need to make sure that they don't get wet. I read NYT top 100 type books are they were readily available on the cruise ship. Additionally, I left a book and took a book. On the Silhouette there was a shelf that look like, leave a book, take a book. The books were not indexed and were paperbacks.

[Surfguyxxx]

Kindle all the way!

[GottaKnowWhen]

We're so thrilled that our Transatlantic on the Eclipse is coming up in just four weeks! And the six consequtive days at sea - just what we need to unwind and relax :D

 

We're planning on reqding quite a few books, but due to luggage restraints we would like not to bring them all from home. And our iPad can only hold a limited number of books too... So we got to thinking about the onboard library - is it for show or is it actually a place to check out books to read onboard? Is there a shelf where we can leave books we brought and borrow other books left by other cruisers?

 

Thanks in advance for your inputs ;)

I sometimes take a paperback with me on long cruises with the intent of finishing it and leaving it behind in the library. And I have found a few books on the ships' shelves that I would never have thought of reading otherwise. But anymore 99% of my reading is one of the hundreds of books I have on my iPad (also on my iPhone and the two talk to one another and will jump me to the page where I left off on the other device). And of those on my iPad or phone, I would guess at least half were zero or low cost through the BookBub service mentioned above. I buy novels from Barnes&Nobel to read via my Nook app, I buy guide books etc. from the Apple store to read via the iBook reader. Just because that helps narrow my search when I am looking for a particular book or manual. And with iBooks I can also import pdf files of vital importance such as the manual for my camera, info about excursions I have booked, etc.

 

We were on a Silhouette TA last year. The art historian who gave a series of lectures was excellent. There were two other speakers. And other activities. Those seven days at sea were quite busy! Good luck finding time to read.

 

Stan

[ExArkie]

I understand that the Danish public libraries lend out more than a million ebooks a year, but you are limited to no more than three at any one time (according to my Danish friend). The on-line portal is called eReolen. You can Google that name and get to the site.

[raudacruise]

Well, I don't intend to swim with my Kindle, but sometimes I just wade in the water and splash around. Then a waterproof bag would come in handy. Should add that to my packing list. (Already use a small one for cash, etc.)

 

This thread reminds me of the pre-Kindle "old days" before airlines restricted bag weight and dimensions. Used to pack LOTS of books. Suitcase was hard to pick up. But I had plenty to read. :cool:

Edited October 5, 2017 by raudacruise
Left out "me"

[Merly]

Kindle paperwhite all the way. Can hold tons of books, loads of free books on Amazon, or very cheap ones. Can read in the sun, or in the dark in bed as it is backlit, light to carry and slips into your bag.

[Baron Barracuda]

Local libraries here often overwhelmed with donated books which they then sell as fundraiser. Often pick up hardcovers for $1 and paperbacks for $.50.

 

Ships books must enjoy sunlight. Have seen them spend entire days occupying loungers around pool.

[MagPie60]

I take one or two large paperbacks, and my Kindle. That usually does the trick...I do peruse the shelves of the library and sometimes score a hit (a bestseller abandoned at the end of the last cruise, or a NF that I would not generally read), but I wouldn't rely on the library. I also donate the paperbacks if I finish them.

 

I was finishing a paperback by the pool once, and a gentleman approached me and said "I really want to read that - will you consider swapping it for ***** which I have just finished?" Well I didn't want to read whatever ***** was - but was happy to hand over my book. Quite an interesting approach, but it worked.

 

The only thing about e-books is that you can't see what everyone else is reading :(, but they're fantastic for carrying a library with you.

[broadwaybaby123]

I usually take both a hard copy book and a book on my tablet. Usually I use my tablet to watch movies and tv while an route to the port and read the rest of the time.

 

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[Baron Barracuda]

Currently aboard Equinox which has a pretty substantial library. Yesterday dw overheard woman complain to cd Rich Spacey that the library was a disorganized mess. Books all mis-sorted. She told Spacey that as it was probably a small issue for him she was willing to organize the library herself. Well, apparently Spacey took the issue to heart, as several dancers from the performance troupe have spent the last two days sorting books.

[Luvcrusn]

Kindle paperwhite all the way. Can hold tons of books, loads of free books on Amazon, or very cheap ones. Can read in the sun, or in the dark in bed as it is backlit, light to carry and slips into your bag.

I agree completely! Light to carry and I can take a bunch of books along. I can easily finish 4 or 5 books on a 2 week cruise and it's so much lighter to pack than hardbacks or paperbacks. I can also take along more than that in case I don't care for a book. A friend of mine told me about a great site called bookbub. You go on and fill out a profile of what genres of books you like to read, authors you like, etc. Then each day you get an email with selections fitting your selected profile ranging in price from free to $2.99. Get the ones you want or delete the email. They are not current best sellers, but I've read and enjoyed some books I'd have never come across. Also there are some books I've never gotten around to reading. So, for my upcoming cruise I've a bunch to choose from.