Depending on the type of books that you read, it could be similar. It seems to be that most books are comparable to the prices listed for other formats. It's just that I tend to buy more recent books on the Kindle than I would normally buy, usually I'd wait for the paperback, so I'm ending up with a lot of $9.99 or even $12.99 books, but that's a deal compared with hardcover prices and you save on shipping. Not to mention saving on space. People who have them usually marvel about it - it's a really fun toy. I'd say go for it.