Please Kindle my Blog Reading

February 3, 2011 12:17 PM

I am the proud owner of a new Kindle 3, and am already loving the many things it does, including the early AM delivery of the NYT to it every day. So now I'm eying the blogs that can be e-delivered to te device too. Which, if any, does the hive mind recommend?
posted by bearwife to Technology (11 answers total)

Best answer: Before paying for a blog, check to see how easy it is to read for free on the built-in web browser. (Look under "Experimental" if you haven't tried it yet.) That's what I usually do. Some blogs are fine, others have formatting issues that make it too much of a pain. Sometimes a better option is to use Instapaper, for things you see on the computer but want to read later.
posted by Ery at 12:23 PM on February 3, 2011

Best answer: Not quite the same thing, but I'm loving this Chrome extension that lets me send web pages straight to my Kindle. Combined with Longreads, it's been a great addition.

If you don't already have it, Calibre adds to your options as well.
posted by yerfatma at 1:52 PM on February 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Kindle 3 has a very passable web browser (much better than previous versions), so check it out before paying. If a blog has a "print version" of the page link, they generally make for better distraction free Kindle reading.
posted by Ookseer at 2:36 PM on February 3, 2011

Response by poster: Truth to tell, I'm not currently much of a blog reader. I tend to look at blogs when they show up here on the blue. Any blogs which I should consider, in whatever helpful form is best to get said blogs in a readable free version? I am a big history, politics and literature buff if that helps.

Also, the suggestions so far have been extremely helpful. Verfatma, do you know if there is an equivalent Firefox extension?
posted by bearwife at 2:56 PM on February 3, 2011

Best answer: Instapaper. Mark blog posts you want to read and they're delivered to your kindle.
posted by seanyboy at 3:25 PM on February 3, 2011

Not as far as I know.
posted by yerfatma at 3:29 PM on February 3, 2011

I tried subscribing to blogs on my Kindle and quickly gave it up. The problem is blogs are typically things you want live Internet access for, to follow links or mail the URL to friends or bookmark on Delicious. The Kindle web browser is not useful for those tasks, so the blogs I read ended up being weirdly disconnected.

Instapaper or the like is invaluable for marking the occasional article (whether from a blog or elsewhere) you want to read later.
posted by Nelson at 5:17 PM on February 3, 2011

Best answer: To save the subscription fees: Kindlefeeder will send any blog to your Kindle.
posted by mendel at 7:52 AM on February 4, 2011

Response by poster: Many thanks. Are there any blogs you recommend? Again, my big interests are politics, history and literature.
posted by bearwife at 11:53 AM on February 4, 2011

Best answer: It's more an online magazine than a blog (and, full disclosure, it's published by my employer) but I love The Smart Set, particularly Jessa Crispin's Bookslut column. I think it would translate well to Kindle using Instapaper, though I haven't tried it yet myself.
posted by schweik at 12:52 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Try McSweeney's Internet Tendency for smart, humorous essays.
posted by jander03 at 8:01 PM on February 5, 2011