My Kobo Libra works perfectly with my self-hosted Calibre-Web, it syncs directly with it in the same way as it would sync with their online platform. You can also use both as it uses the later one as fallback.
Agree, I would also recommend Kobo. In addition, at my Kobo I can also borrow books directly from our public library for free in Sweden. Very convenient.
Thanks. Kobo libra h2o is high on my list
I’ve been trying to run this with a Libra but the calibre-web sync has been borked for awhile. Kinda frustrating, tbh.
I like mine. But I have to admit I'm not a frequent reader and only synced a few times.
I’ve tried this and get weird errors. I followed the instructions carefully (I think!), do you have to do anything special to get it to work?
I also use a Kobo with Calibre-web and it syncs fine. It's been about a year so I can't remember specifics. I remember modifying settings in my Kobo to point to my Calibre-web URL and in Calibre-web settings allow Kobo sync and then make a Kobo shelf. All the books in Kobo shelf are what it syncs too
Thanks, will try again. Maybe I just missed something …
Not really, I did have to install and setup kepubify and i always convert the epub files to kepub manually (from the Calibre-Web page) after I upload new books, so far I only had minor issues when removing books from Kobo and suffered a random reset of the reading hours stat.
Thanks! Will try again ...
as in it pulls everything you add to the calibre library on a schedule rather than pulling individually/manually like from OPDS? how do you pull this off?
You basically replace the URL that the reader uses to connect to their cloud platform with the one from your self hosted instance. Then the Kobo will just sync normally like it would do with their platform, the queries not understood by Calibre-Web (usually books not stored there or requests to the Kobo Store) are proxied by Calibre-Web to the Kobo Cloud.
Wow that worked like a charm, thanks for that. Kobo Aura 2 H2O edition 2, for the record
Pretty much all the big brands work with Calibre.
Wirelessly pulling books from calibre and syncing the progress? I doubt my current kindle can do it.
Well, you didn't specify that requirement in your post.
I believe Calibre has the ability to send books via the Kindle email address to get them on your device that way.
This is how I get books to my Kindle. So, take that to the bank for what it's worth.
On the Kindle, you can email yourself e-books.
I use it with calibre. Works perfect. Even displays the book covers (no matter where you got them) as lock screen background of the kindle. Can absolutely recommend this!
I wish to track progress across multiple platform without amazon. So far calibre web and kobo ebook readers look like the go to
You should put your requirements in your post.
Kindle doesn't work with epub which is what majority of ebooks are
It does work with epub now.
They changed it not long ago (afaik)
Can confirm it works now (not sure when change happened; pretty sure I’ve been using since early 2022). I regularly use epub on kindle.
They did recently drop mobi (or at least threaten to - they send me an email saying they are going to drop mobi capability after I send one to my kindle).
You can convert them to azw3 with calibre. It's what I do.
Also idk about the newer ones but the old ones last forever. You might need to change their battery but that's not too hard. I got a kindle keyboard that's been going strong for over a decade now.
Also kindles work fine with calibre, you just need a different file format. Mine can read PDFs! (I do not reccomend reading PDF scans on a kindle)
I run Koreader on a Kobo Libra 2. I just connect to my OPDS catalogue on my Calibre-Web instance. It's not exactly a sync setup; it just gives me access to my library whenever I need to download something, and that covers my needs. There are several other sync options; check out Koreader's features here: https://github.com/koreader/koreader/wiki
If you like it and decide you want to it, go through the list of supported devices and see what sort of sync capabilities are available for them (support for Kobo devices seems to be the best/have the most options).
I just use Kindle for my calibre/calibre-web stack, all within the KOReader app)
I use an iPad. Apple doesn't seem to care where the file came from, they just make it readable. I was somewhat mad about it, as I have never been an Apple fan, but the actual experience of using the iPad as a reader converted me.
I just use Kindle for my Readarr/calibre/calibre-web stack.
Calibre is amazing
What model?
Just the cheapest model. I got on one of the sales for $60
I think it's this one:
https://a.co/d/aPrLhYG
Can you share your setup by any chance? Im using arr stack and its perfect, but failing with calibre + calibre web. I get to a point where I see books in calibre and can send test email, but calibre-web just hates me lol. I cant find a good guide that I can follow or just my skill level is not enough. Tried linuxserver images that usually work perfectly fine for me
Absolutely would be happy to! Shoot me a DM with what you have and what you're having trouble with, and I can try to help you out.
Amazing thank you! Im gonna refresh memmory tomorrow and come back to you.
I’m interested as well. I hope there’s a different answer than Amazon Kindle, as I refuse to buy anything from them
Been enjoying using my Boox Nova Air that connects to my Kavita through Moon Reader+. I just download my epub or PDF to read. That flow has been working like a charm to me.
Keep in mind that it's an e-reader, so it's black and white only. May be fine with you or you may want an iPad or an Android tablet for color and speed
EDIT
Have read also from my Kindle and Kobo library as it is an Android device and have both apps downloaded
I have a Kobo Forma and a Boox Lumi.
The Lumi is huge and works well for manga, especially considering the sad state of legally obtainable manga in the United States where everything requires proprietary Android apps, or if you want to do workbooks or something using the stylus. It's surprisingly good, even for things you wouldn't normally do an an ebook device. I've never used any of the smaller Boox devices so I can't say whether it's the same for all of them.
The Forma is a normal size so it's much more portable.
Both of them have wifi and you can run your own software on them, but I think running your own software on Kobo devices is less well supported than running your own software on Boox devices.
Onyx Boox Leaf 2, and use the OPDS feature of calibre(web) to download books and read them, all within the KOReader app
Thank you i will check it out
This is the exact setup I use and it works great!
I use a Kobo Libre 2 with Calibre Web to sync.
Do you use koreader? I primarily want to be able to switch between reading on my phone and my kobo.
No, I just use the built-in reader. I tried a couple of additional third party ones and my battery drain was pretty bad. Might have been a me problem though.
Not the answer you're looking for, but I have a self-hosted Calibre server and I stuck to a second hand Kindle I got. It would be neat to be able to browse my remote library like on the Kobo, but I'd rather buy what's second-hand, cheap and readily available (lots of these perfectly working pre-loved Kindles and Kobos). Transfer lots of books at once and I rarely have to do it since I read slowly. If you use it for magazines/news/comics, then other more libre and open recommendations seem quite good.
I have a Paperwhite 2015 version that I got back in 2016 for only $30 when they had a big sale on them to unload for their new version. Looks like on eBay that 2015 version goes for $30-50 today.
I transfer books to it via a USB using Calibre. It doesn't need nor do I connect it to WiFi. Newer models might also be able to work via USB only, I don't know, but I know my 2015 works that way.
True,you dont need daily connection to an ebook server. I'm using an old kindle but I wish i could sync my progress across multiple devices without amazon.
I use a kobo- has a blue light filter, waterproof, backlight. Not sure about the selfhosted library, I throw everything into memory which is enough for thousands of books.
Anything but amazon.
Check out the Onyx Boox which might cost a bit more but run a version of Android.
My boy pointed me to this one the other day, it’s like completely open. Does not care where you get the book from and can do books and comics ( even though this particular model has a smaller screen)
Pocketbook Touch Lux 5 | E-Book Reader | Glare-Free & Eye-Friendly E-Ink Technology | 6ʺ Touchscreen with HD Resolution | Wi-Fi | Adjustable SMARTlight | Micro-SD Slot | E-Reader in Ink Black https://a.co/d/gXY8b2e
I think the major ones are actually just android. If you were to jailbreak them I don't see why you couldn't just use any app then.
I am very happy with my Pocketbook. Can easily install koreader (an ebook reader app) and connecting to a calibre server on my local network works very well.
I used an Asus Android tablet (Android 7, it was OLD) with a giant SD card +& Moon+ Pro reader app. It syncs reading progress & bookmarks via Dropbox, WebDAV, or Google Drive. I moved to a Fire 10 that I added Google Play Services to. It can sync with my phone or any other Android device. I don't bother with calibre-web as I don't have a PC I can keep turned on 24/7 yet, so I just copy over my Calibre library to the SD card. 15k books, 512 GB SD card with ~300 GB left. Moon+ does take a bit to add new books to its database after I think 10k books.
selfhosted ebook library
Is that what we call hard drives, now? :P
I have two android tablets, one 7" to read small books, and one 13" to read US Letter format books, I took the cheapest ones I found, disabled Google Play and installed F-Droid to install FOSS readers, and it just works perfectly. You really don't need anything specific to just read text, you just want to make sure that you can display an entire page on your screen in a size you're comfortable reading, otherwise PDFs becomes quickly insufferable.
My Kobo Libra works perfectly with my self-hosted Calibre-Web, it syncs directly with it in the same way as it would sync with their online platform. You can also use both as it uses the later one as fallback.
Agree, I would also recommend Kobo. In addition, at my Kobo I can also borrow books directly from our public library for free in Sweden. Very convenient.
Thanks. Kobo libra h2o is high on my list
I’ve been trying to run this with a Libra but the calibre-web sync has been borked for awhile. Kinda frustrating, tbh.
I like mine. But I have to admit I'm not a frequent reader and only synced a few times.
I’ve tried this and get weird errors. I followed the instructions carefully (I think!), do you have to do anything special to get it to work?
I also use a Kobo with Calibre-web and it syncs fine. It's been about a year so I can't remember specifics. I remember modifying settings in my Kobo to point to my Calibre-web URL and in Calibre-web settings allow Kobo sync and then make a Kobo shelf. All the books in Kobo shelf are what it syncs too
Thanks, will try again. Maybe I just missed something …
Not really, I did have to install and setup kepubify and i always convert the epub files to kepub manually (from the Calibre-Web page) after I upload new books, so far I only had minor issues when removing books from Kobo and suffered a random reset of the reading hours stat.
Thanks! Will try again ...
as in it pulls everything you add to the calibre library on a schedule rather than pulling individually/manually like from OPDS? how do you pull this off?
You basically replace the URL that the reader uses to connect to their cloud platform with the one from your self hosted instance. Then the Kobo will just sync normally like it would do with their platform, the queries not understood by Calibre-Web (usually books not stored there or requests to the Kobo Store) are proxied by Calibre-Web to the Kobo Cloud.
More info here
wow, i completely missed this the last time i tried out calibre-web, if it was even integrated. awesome, thanks. i also found this guide: https://code.mendhak.com/kobo-customizations/#syncing-kobo-with-calibre-web
Wow that worked like a charm, thanks for that. Kobo Aura 2 H2O edition 2, for the record
Pretty much all the big brands work with Calibre.
Wirelessly pulling books from calibre and syncing the progress? I doubt my current kindle can do it.
Well, you didn't specify that requirement in your post.
I believe Calibre has the ability to send books via the Kindle email address to get them on your device that way.
This is how I get books to my Kindle. So, take that to the bank for what it's worth.
On the Kindle, you can email yourself e-books.
I use it with calibre. Works perfect. Even displays the book covers (no matter where you got them) as lock screen background of the kindle. Can absolutely recommend this!
I wish to track progress across multiple platform without amazon. So far calibre web and kobo ebook readers look like the go to
You should put your requirements in your post.
Kindle doesn't work with epub which is what majority of ebooks are
It does work with epub now. They changed it not long ago (afaik)
Can confirm it works now (not sure when change happened; pretty sure I’ve been using since early 2022). I regularly use epub on kindle.
They did recently drop mobi (or at least threaten to - they send me an email saying they are going to drop mobi capability after I send one to my kindle).
Kindle supported file types: • .EPUB • .PDF • .RTF • .DOC, .DOCX • .HTML, .HTM • .JPG, .JPEG, .GIF, .PNG, .BMP
https://www.amazon.com/sendtokindle/email
I email ePubs to my kindle, I'm told Amazon automatically converts them, I've had 0 issues.
But calibre can convert them anyway.
I always find you with that iconic user name around the Fediverse!
Join me in the emoji shit post club!
Also I just realized my username looks extremely different on desktop vs mobile lmao. I just see the Android version.
Really? How different?
@mojo @protokaiser
You can convert them to azw3 with calibre. It's what I do.
Also idk about the newer ones but the old ones last forever. You might need to change their battery but that's not too hard. I got a kindle keyboard that's been going strong for over a decade now.
Also kindles work fine with calibre, you just need a different file format. Mine can read PDFs! (I do not reccomend reading PDF scans on a kindle)
I run Koreader on a Kobo Libra 2. I just connect to my OPDS catalogue on my Calibre-Web instance. It's not exactly a sync setup; it just gives me access to my library whenever I need to download something, and that covers my needs. There are several other sync options; check out Koreader's features here: https://github.com/koreader/koreader/wiki
If you like it and decide you want to it, go through the list of supported devices and see what sort of sync capabilities are available for them (support for Kobo devices seems to be the best/have the most options).
There's this company, which makes ebook readers that don't seem to be tied to any particular vendor:
https://shop.boox.com/collections/all
They have so many models, though, that I have no idea where to start with them.
They use GPL and won't release the source. Fuck Boox
I am very happy with my boox note 2. Use it to read books, manga, and take notes in OneNote for classes.
It looks like it’s Android based. Can you run eBooks readers on it?
Yes, I haven't come across any apps so far that didn't work. Performance is an issue with some apps, but nothing major.
Thanks!
I have the Leaf 2 and like it a lot. Can be a little slow sometimes, but nothing worse than any other ereader I've used.
I have a Kobo Libre and with KoboCloud[1] it syncs automatically with Nextcloud and other cloud providers. It’s awesome.
[1] https://github.com/fsantini/KoboCloud
I just use Kindle for my calibre/calibre-web stack, all within the KOReader app)
I use an iPad. Apple doesn't seem to care where the file came from, they just make it readable. I was somewhat mad about it, as I have never been an Apple fan, but the actual experience of using the iPad as a reader converted me.
I just use Kindle for my Readarr/calibre/calibre-web stack.
Calibre is amazing
What model?
Just the cheapest model. I got on one of the sales for $60 I think it's this one: https://a.co/d/aPrLhYG
Can you share your setup by any chance? Im using arr stack and its perfect, but failing with calibre + calibre web. I get to a point where I see books in calibre and can send test email, but calibre-web just hates me lol. I cant find a good guide that I can follow or just my skill level is not enough. Tried linuxserver images that usually work perfectly fine for me
Absolutely would be happy to! Shoot me a DM with what you have and what you're having trouble with, and I can try to help you out.
Amazing thank you! Im gonna refresh memmory tomorrow and come back to you.
I’m interested as well. I hope there’s a different answer than Amazon Kindle, as I refuse to buy anything from them
Been enjoying using my Boox Nova Air that connects to my Kavita through Moon Reader+. I just download my epub or PDF to read. That flow has been working like a charm to me.
Keep in mind that it's an e-reader, so it's black and white only. May be fine with you or you may want an iPad or an Android tablet for color and speed
EDIT
Have read also from my Kindle and Kobo library as it is an Android device and have both apps downloaded
I have a Kobo Forma and a Boox Lumi.
The Lumi is huge and works well for manga, especially considering the sad state of legally obtainable manga in the United States where everything requires proprietary Android apps, or if you want to do workbooks or something using the stylus. It's surprisingly good, even for things you wouldn't normally do an an ebook device. I've never used any of the smaller Boox devices so I can't say whether it's the same for all of them.
The Forma is a normal size so it's much more portable.
Both of them have wifi and you can run your own software on them, but I think running your own software on Kobo devices is less well supported than running your own software on Boox devices.
Onyx Boox Leaf 2, and use the OPDS feature of calibre(web) to download books and read them, all within the KOReader app
Thank you i will check it out
This is the exact setup I use and it works great!
I use a Kobo Libre 2 with Calibre Web to sync.
Do you use koreader? I primarily want to be able to switch between reading on my phone and my kobo.
No, I just use the built-in reader. I tried a couple of additional third party ones and my battery drain was pretty bad. Might have been a me problem though.
Not the answer you're looking for, but I have a self-hosted Calibre server and I stuck to a second hand Kindle I got. It would be neat to be able to browse my remote library like on the Kobo, but I'd rather buy what's second-hand, cheap and readily available (lots of these perfectly working pre-loved Kindles and Kobos). Transfer lots of books at once and I rarely have to do it since I read slowly. If you use it for magazines/news/comics, then other more libre and open recommendations seem quite good.
I have a Paperwhite 2015 version that I got back in 2016 for only $30 when they had a big sale on them to unload for their new version. Looks like on eBay that 2015 version goes for $30-50 today.
I transfer books to it via a USB using Calibre. It doesn't need nor do I connect it to WiFi. Newer models might also be able to work via USB only, I don't know, but I know my 2015 works that way.
True,you dont need daily connection to an ebook server. I'm using an old kindle but I wish i could sync my progress across multiple devices without amazon.
I use a kobo- has a blue light filter, waterproof, backlight. Not sure about the selfhosted library, I throw everything into memory which is enough for thousands of books.
Anything but amazon.
Check out the Onyx Boox which might cost a bit more but run a version of Android.
My boy pointed me to this one the other day, it’s like completely open. Does not care where you get the book from and can do books and comics ( even though this particular model has a smaller screen)
Pocketbook Touch Lux 5 | E-Book Reader | Glare-Free & Eye-Friendly E-Ink Technology | 6ʺ Touchscreen with HD Resolution | Wi-Fi | Adjustable SMARTlight | Micro-SD Slot | E-Reader in Ink Black https://a.co/d/gXY8b2e
I think the major ones are actually just android. If you were to jailbreak them I don't see why you couldn't just use any app then.
I am very happy with my Pocketbook. Can easily install koreader (an ebook reader app) and connecting to a calibre server on my local network works very well.
I used an Asus Android tablet (Android 7, it was OLD) with a giant SD card +& Moon+ Pro reader app. It syncs reading progress & bookmarks via Dropbox, WebDAV, or Google Drive. I moved to a Fire 10 that I added Google Play Services to. It can sync with my phone or any other Android device. I don't bother with calibre-web as I don't have a PC I can keep turned on 24/7 yet, so I just copy over my Calibre library to the SD card. 15k books, 512 GB SD card with ~300 GB left. Moon+ does take a bit to add new books to its database after I think 10k books.
Is that what we call hard drives, now? :P
I have two android tablets, one 7" to read small books, and one 13" to read US Letter format books, I took the cheapest ones I found, disabled Google Play and installed F-Droid to install FOSS readers, and it just works perfectly. You really don't need anything specific to just read text, you just want to make sure that you can display an entire page on your screen in a size you're comfortable reading, otherwise PDFs becomes quickly insufferable.
@Anafroj @daninet
I got an e-ink device because it's easier on the eyes and battery easily lasts a week when I go camping.
If it were possible to get an e-ink display, I would definitely use one for programming.
These guys sell eink monitors: https://shop.boox.com/products/mira
@feitingen Huh, I stand corrected.
Kobo Clara 2e