Tips on buying English books in Italy? Or should I just get a Kindle?

Kindle Fire @ $200.00 is the best gift that I ever got for myself. Your book lugging days will be over!

I bought a NOOK several years ago and I'll never go back to regular books when traveling. The Nook is so much lighter than even one paperback book. I can load my Nook up with lots of books and have a variety to read...in the airport, on the plane, on trains, and in the hotel room at night. There are TONS of books available. on the Nook you can find $5 books all the time, and there are Free Fridays...when you can get a book for free (they choose, but I have downloaded some good ones!) The New Nook with the built in light will retail for $139. I think it's amazing...no need to bring a reading light for nighttime or dark places. Still easy on the eyes. The new ereaders are amazing, you never lose your place should you fall asleep while reading...! it is next to impossible to find English books in italy...I highly recommend you check into an ereader and buy it before your trip. Do note, you cannot download books once in italy, you have to have your library loaded before you go! you can even buy guidebooks for your ereader...although I actually rather have a real book for that, so I can tab and see the pictures, etc.

There's a large bookstore in the Rome rail terminal - quite a good choice in books in English. Having said that, I have an e-reader for travel and absolutely love it! Average price per book is 12.00 but to buy a book in English in Italy you are going to pay twice that - and the ion is far from all-
encompassing.

Thank you Bob, Ellen and Mimi! Your advice is exactly what I was looking for. I think I wanted to hear that making the investment in the eReader is a smart one, and I heard from you all that it is! Now, to decide between the Kindle and the Nook ... !

Hi,
While a kindle will provide a solution, I,d suggest seriously looking at an iPad. There,s an app for kindle, maps wifi Internet access. With an rs kindle book, linking from his suggested hotel or b&b is a couple of clicks via safari. This as well as PDF document storage, that app is a couple of bucks. Regards

I have the cheapest Kindle (the $79 one) and I really love it for reading books. It's lighter than a paperback, small enough to fit in my purse, and I don't have to wear my reading glasses because I can just increase the font size.

I have a kindle, and I love it. But, the last time we went to Italy I had not purchased it yet. I lugged books around and wished that I hadn't. I noticed that most of the places we stayed at had a "book exchange" where you could trade the book you had already read for a new one that a previous visitor had left.

When I travel I buy cheap second-hand paperbacks. And leave them in the hotel or with friends once I'm done with them. On my way to the travel destination they simply occupy the space that is needed for souvenirs on the way back ;-) I do have an e-reader but don't like to take it along as I worry about loosing it or getting it stolen. You can't just leave it on your train seat when you want to go to the bathroom. Or on your towel on the beach while you're in the water ...

This is along the lines of the recommendation to get an iPad: I have a second generation Kindle but almost never use it. Instead, I use the Kindle app on my smartphone. I find the phone is actually easier to use. Because I'm carrying it anyway, I always have my e-reader with me. There is a Nook app, too, if you prefer that e-reader.

I love paper books, but I also love my Kindle. I've had three of them and the current $79 one is the best ever in my opinion - very lightweight and easy to use if you just want to read. I also have an Asus tablet as well as a smartphone. I'm taking all three to Italy next month. I prefer my Kindle for reading books. The tablet is going to be for internet access and blogging and the smartphone is going to be,well, just a phone. They all have the Kindle ap on and I've read on all of them, but still prefer the Kindle for reading.

E-reader definitely way to go. I have had mine for a couple of years and it has been a boon by saving weight and space in luggage. You can download guide books as well as novels. I load up with about 10 novels before I go and then am set for long flights, airport waits, etc. Rick's books are all downloadable.

Thank you all for your advice. It's nice to hear from those who've used the eReaders and can attest to whether they were happy or not having them on a trip. Guess I'm springing for one this week! Leaving in 2 weeks!

Renee, no matter if you choose the Nook or the Kindle, you are getting basically the same thing. A great ereader. I have an ipad, in addition to my Nook, but I don't read on it. It's backlit and harder on the eyes,you can't see the screen in sunlight and it's also a lot heavier than the Nook or Kindle. It's also $499 for the least expensive one. you are just looking for a reader, so go with one that fits your budget. I like the Nook because if I have a question or issue, I can go to a Barnes and Noble store for assistance. They have a desk committed to their Nook products, and the sales help there is great, they can help you get it registered, teach you how to download books. And you can go to the store and read a book for free an hour a day, and get specials when in store as well. You can buy Nook or Kindle in Target stores....but I don't think the help there is an knowledgeable as at the Barnes & Noble stores.... you will NOT regret your purchase! (and you don't need a fancy holder for it either...just adds weight. Find a zippered pouch to carry it in your handbag or backpack so you don't scratch the screen. You might consider getting a small reading light that clips onto the ereader too, great for reading on the plane, in bed, or on the train.

Ellen, Thanks for your advice. I was looking at the covers and flabbergasted at the prices half as much as the eReader! I'm happy to hear a pouch is the best option. It's almost as if you read my mind: I was thinking last night, "What about it getting bumped and bounced in my bag while I'm traveling to and from Italy, and between different cities?" It's good to hear a cushioned pouch is recommended. In terms of choosing between the Kindle and Nook, it's nice to know they're so close in what they offer. I've read a hundred articles on the two by now I think! I think I'm leaning toward the Kindle because of it's ability to hop online to look something up I may be wondering as I read, and also for it's fun audio feature and MP3 capability. I can see myself letting it play a RS audio app for my mother and I as we take a little break between sights. Thank you all again for your advice!

I don't know if this is still true for newer models, but I went through three Kindles the first year I had one. If the screen gets even a tiny whack, it stops working. Just a big blank space on the screen. To its credit Amazon replaced them under its warranty, but they are fragile. This fact is one reason I prefer reading Kindle books on my more durable phone.

Speaking of Amazon's Kindle, the Seattle Times recently did a series on Amazon over several days that was less than flattering, to put it mildly. According to the LA Times: "The newspaper's four-part series documents Amazon's poor record on local philanthropy, its take-no-prisoners pricing war with book publishers, its showdown with states over sales tax collections and working conditions in its warehouses. The lack of air conditioning in a few workplaces, the Times reports, has turned some into literal sweatshops." Here's the link to the series, if you're interested: Seattle Times on Amazon It's caused me to rethink all the business I have been giving to Amazon.

Renee, I have both a Nook and iPad. Definitely buy a Nook! You can get online with it as well if you get the Nook Color/tablet version, which I definitely recommend for ease of downloading books. My Mom has last year's version and she has to hook up her Nook to a computer to download, I think). BUT - To answer a very important part of your question, you can also go on the Boston Public Library Website and sign up for an e-card library card from them as well! The have a much larger choice of books than the Merrimack Valley libraries. However, you still may need to wait for really popular or newly released book. You DO need to install a program called 'overdrive' on your computer and hook the nook up to your computer for this to download. Also, Nook offers TONS of classic books for free. You just need to go into the 'shop' button on the Nook and then type in "0.00" and a category, such as fiction. (the 0.00 is essentially 0 dollars and 00 cents when shopping). However, there aren't really current fiction authors when you do this, but if just wanted to read a good old fashioned classic, it's a good option. I also figured out a way (after a recommendation from someone here) to " shrink" movies I own on DVD down to 'Nook' size, put them on a microSD card and then I can watch them on the Nook while on the plane ( it was a computer program that costs 9.99). This was surprisingly easy! If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me. Enjoy the Nook!

Thank you so much for all of your tips, Gretchen! What great advice to get an e-library card from the Boston Public Library! (I often use the Andover Library ... but BPL is way better!) I ended up opting for the Kindle after intense research ... I wanted an ereader over a tablet, and the Kindle offers online access where the Nook does not. Thank you! Off to find out about this Overdrive program :)

I took my Nook to Italy last year (April 2011) - worked great. But note one thing - I read all the books I had downloaded and then wanted to download an additional book. Got an email from B&N that it would not allow a book to be purchased while I was out of the country. Solved that problem pretty easily - called my girlfriend back home, gave her my account info, she purchased the book. Even though I couldn't purchase the book, I could download - Success! To avoid going thru that hassle, if you buy a Nook, download enough books before you leave on your trip. Maybe B&N has changed their policy but that is how it was last year.

we have nooks and downloaded everything before we went to Italy.

If you have an iPad, you can download a Kindle app from Amazon for free. I just did it last night. While I get most of my books from our public library, I'm in agreement with you about travel. Don't want to lug books around, but the Kindle app addresses that. You will still have to buy the Kindle version books.

Since I've had my kindle, I no longer travel with books. I enjoy reading at the pool or on a beach, and the kindle reads just like a book in direct sun, black letters on white. A normal computer screen is not readable in in sunlight.

I would definitely get an ereader of some sort before you go. I have a low end Kindle and love it, especially for travel. Right now I am reading a loaned paperback and I wish it was on Kindle, because after seven or eight books I have gotten used to reading on an ereader. I have found mine to be quite durable. I am a lot less worried about dropping my Kindle than my iPad. An iPad is very, very fragile. Plus the Kindle is much easier on the eyes. I still get hard copies of guidebooks though.