Is this the wrong spirit for a gift?

[Aeris]

I was recently given a Kindle. Much to my surprise, I *love* it. I've already bought a number of books on it.

My SO has very similar literary interests, and so it's been natural that when I've finished with a book I thought was particularly good, he wants to read it. He doesn't have a Kindle though, so he resorts to borrowing mine. I've said offhandedly a number of times over the past few weeks that he should get a Kindle, so he could simply access the books on his own device, but he's waved it off.

I feel like I shouldn't mind him borrowing my Kindle, but well, it's getting annoying! We want to sit down and read often at the same times, he hates the cover on my Kindle so with fidgets with it or removes it (it's not designed to be removed and replaced constantly), and he changes the preferences like font size and highlighting.

So, I'm inclined to buy him a Kindle for an upcoming occasion. Is this a bad motivation for a gift? It's not a Homer gift, exactly, as it is something that he'll obviously get a ton of use out of and enjoy. But my real motivations are for *me*!

1) He could use the kindle any time he wanted (and I would ensure *my* kindle was available for *me* whenever I wanted!)
2) He can put whatever kind of cover, or no cover, he prefers on it (and my cover will stay unfigdeted and in place!)
3) He can set his preferences to exactly how he most enjoys them (and leave my preference alone!)

I don't want to get a gift for an occasion for him that screams 'and keep your mitts off my stuff!' passive aggressively..... Do you think this would?

[LizC]

Not rude or wrong-spirited, for the following reasons:

1: He's demonstrated that he enjoys reading on a reader.
2: He can customize the cover to suit his needs.
3: He can customize the settings to suit his needs.
4: You can most easily share great new books with one another.
5: You can enjoy companionable reading time side by side.

NOT P/A.

[kudeebee]

I think it is a great gift as he has shown you he enjoys it.

He can also put the kindle app on a laptop or ipad or iphone if he has one of those.

[The Wild One, Forever]

Not rude or wrong-spirited, for the following reasons:

1: He's demonstrated that he enjoys reading on a reader.
2: He can customize the cover to suit his needs.
3: He can customize the settings to suit his needs.
4: You can most easily share great new books with one another.
5: You can enjoy companionable reading time side by side.

NOT P/A.

All of the above, most definitely!  Sounds like the *perfect* gift to me. 

[AdakAK]

I agree!  It's nice to try something out so you don't discover you hate it.  Now that he knows he loves it, he needs one!

[DottyG]

A perfect gift!  And for the reason that everyone has stated above.

Now that he knows he loves it, he needs one!

[buvezdevin]

It sounds like it would be a thoughtful gift - the very same reasons you may prefer he has his own Kindle are among the reasons he would likely enjoy his own device.

The only caveat I can think of is if you know of something he may hope to receive as a gift (no reference intended to other threads I started)  - for example if you knew he was longing for hiking boots and gave him a Kindle, still  perfectly lovely gift, but perhaps disappointing to him.  So I do think it worth weighing against other things you may know he would like. 

Though I do want to add that my DBF sometimes uses my Kindle, which I encourage, but he doesn't want his own - in my case, his use doen't interfere with My own use materally, if it did I would totally be getting one for him.

[Bijou]

He would probably love it.  And the two of you could get different books and then read one another's kindle to 'trade' books.    Sounds like a great set up and both of you cold benefit from having access to twice as many selections to read.    Win-win.

[AdakAK]

He would probably love it.  And the two of you could get different books and then read one another's kindle to 'trade' books.    Sounds like a great set up and both of you cold benefit from having access to twice as many selections to read.    Win-win.

Given that you are one household, I think you can register the devices to one account.  Then you don't have to worry about trading them, just make sure that you deliver any you buy online to the right kindle.

[Aeris]

He would probably love it.  And the two of you could get different books and then read one another's kindle to 'trade' books.    Sounds like a great set up and both of you cold benefit from having access to twice as many selections to read.    Win-win.

Given that you are one household, I think you can register the devices to one account.  Then you don't have to worry about trading them, just make sure that you deliver any you buy online to the right kindle.

Oh, I'm not worried about that. You can register, deregister, and reregister a kindle to various accounts fairly easily. I think the only real restriction you need to be concerned about is that each amazon account has a limit on the number of devices you can register to it.

So he and I could register our devices to our own accounts, then hop off and register to each other's accounts to pull books whenever we wanted.

I register and deregister from my mother's account all the time, when she wants to 'lend' me a book.

[hobish]

I am in the same position with Gish and i totally plan on getting him a Kindle. Maybe?  I let him use mine when i was camping and not going to use it. That was a real act of love; i treasure my Kindle.  I didn't really care about having a one until i had one, and i Love it. Like, possibly more than my Gameboy Love it. We have been  reading the same book series, but Gish has been reading it on his iPhone and i've been reading it on my Kindle.

His main argument against the Kindle is that it's another thing to carry around. He already carries his phone everywhere, so reading things on that doesn't involve another device.

Also, i have a Kindle book collection of about 1200-1700 books and we share a computer, so i am biased there. I have books on there that i know he will like more than i do and if he had his own he could have them all and mush them around as he pleases.

[Snowy Owl]

He would probably love it.  And the two of you could get different books and then read one another's kindle to 'trade' books.    Sounds like a great set up and both of you cold benefit from having access to twice as many selections to read.    Win-win.

Definitely, I didn't think I wanted a kindle until I went on holiday with my mother and she let me borrow hers to read a book on and I discovered how neat they are.  She then gave me one for my birthday so I wouldn't want to steal hers. 

[JenJay]

He would probably love it.  And the two of you could get different books and then read one another's kindle to 'trade' books.    Sounds like a great set up and both of you cold benefit from having access to twice as many selections to read.    Win-win.

Given that you are one household, I think you can register the devices to one account.  Then you don't have to worry about trading them, just make sure that you deliver any you buy online to the right kindle.

Oh, I'm not worried about that. You can register, deregister, and reregister a kindle to various accounts fairly easily. I think the only real restriction you need to be concerned about is that each amazon account has a limit on the number of devices you can register to it.

So he and I could register our devices to our own accounts, then hop off and register to each other's accounts to pull books whenever we wanted.

I register and deregister from my mother's account all the time, when she wants to 'lend' me a book.

I didn't know you could do that, very cool!

I'd get him one, sounds like a great gift!

[Piratelvr1121]

I think it is a great gift as he has shown you he enjoys it.

He can also put the kindle app on a laptop or ipad or iphone if he has one of those.

This. I've gotten a couple books my sons would like on my Kindle but for them to read on the Amazon Cloud reader rather than on my Kindle.  We have a computer that's mostly for their use, and I could possibly print it out if they didn't want to read it online.

[Redsoil]

Two of the greatest things ever invented - Kindles and electric vests (oh, and computers, and the internet, and chocolate, and...)

If he's impingeing on your quality time with your Kindle, definitely get him his own!  Changing settings and otherwise fiddling should be a stabby offence!

Kindles have really spoiled me for actual books - something I never thought would happen!  (One needs generally use two hands for a book.  Plus there's that terribly inconvenient "holding it open" thing, plus the "big book weight/size" thing. And the storage space thing.  I'm just disappointed that I can't get every book I want on Kindle!)