I have two, the ordinary Kindle, and a kindle fire which was given to me as a Christmas present. You can download books for free in some cases, oder titles can be had for a few pence, and it's a bit cheaper to download newer titles than to buy the actual book. The kindle syncs to your broadband and automatically downloads when you complete the purchase. It it possible to download kindle sotware onto your laptop so you can buy and read online as well and when you purchase a book from the kindle store it downloads onto that as well as the kindle. If you just want to use your kindle to read I would simply buy and ordinary kindle - maybe one that allows you to read without a separate light. I find I use my older kindle more than the Fire.