Kobo is the answer. It used to require some finicking to get it so you didn't have to sign up with Walmart, but now that's supposedly no longer an issue (I've had my Kobo for a long time). Install Calibre and the Kobo extension for Calibre. You now can borrow epubs from your local library, purchase them from your favorite online ebook store, or sail the high seas if you don't give a fuck.

Kobo. Simple as that. 😊

Buy a Kobo, never connect it to WiFi. Or flash KOReader on it. Either way much better than the alternatives.

I was on the same journey as you a month or so back and luckily the PineNote just got a second batch produced.

I wrote down some of my thoughts here, maybe that helps: https://domistyle.gitlab.io/pinenote-2024/

I have an old Kindle Paperwhite. I put use Calibre and USB to manage the library, no Amazon connection necessary. Works great.

Just... Another kobo. I don't actually use calibre though, i just get the books in epub format. Then when you hook the kobo to the PC, it shows as mass storage anyway. Just dump your files, and after ejected it does its cursory file scan, and it shows them properly listed in the device.

Of course Calibre offers a lot more functionality, so if you want to have a proper library it might make sense to manage your books from there. I'm basically saying no conversion is needed a it natively reads epub.

I'm very surprised the top answer isn't pocketbook. Their entire business model is reworking Chinese e ink tablets to make them GDPR compliant and privacy respecting. I'd recommend the pocketbook verse pro if you want a lit screen and USB C, but they have a cheaper model without those features.

Here is a good spec comparison table for ereaders in general. I'd point out basically all e-readers have great battery life.

https://ewritable.net/comparison-tables/comparison-table/

Pocketbook devices mostly run on Linux, except for a few android models. I have the Pocketbook Basic Lux, and I side load manga onto a SD card for it. It has a bookstore that can be entirely ignored, and you can use it without ever connecting wifi. I use Kindle Comic Converter to resize all my manga to the same resolution of the screen to prevent artifacts when the software downscales the images, as well as significantly reducing file size. It has a very simple menu and does not come with any bloatware or unnecessary additions. It is simply an eReader.

I use a Boox Note, and I like it a lot. Its an android based eBook reader so you have full access to android apps including side loading apps from other stores.

By default it does not have Google services set up but you can use the Play store should you want. But its not integrated to googles services. Obviously there is some integration to Onyx Boox services which is based in China. However infindnit is unobstrusive and you dont have to use their store or any of their tools.

Personally I use Calibre on my Linux PC to manage my books on the device, and I use fbreader as a reader (closed source) but you can install open source software if thats your preference. KOReader certainly works but I'm not a big fan of the interface personally.

I use ebooks.com to buy books (and calibre to remove DRM so I can use my preferred software), and you can install the Kindle app to access a kindle library if you haven't liberated your books yet. Ebooks reader works on the device too. Obviously DRM free books from any source and format can also be used.

My device - the note - has an nice crisp screen, is well made with a nice aluminium chassie and is comfortable to hold. I read books in portrait mode so you have 2 pages visible at a time. Its also good for a4 size documents. They do also have smaller sizes that match a kindle paper white.

used kindle paperwhite, check firmware version to ensure jailbreak

jailbreak, install koreader

use calibre to manage library, source books from uh. the seas

amazon devices have quite good screens for the price

however, if you are reading comics, you should get a bigger screen probably a tablet, look into boox and meebook, both are android based

i would not recommend color screens rn, they still have significantly lower contrast and resolution and refresh is slow af

I use a Kobo with Calibre! I use it for fiction and theory alike.

Haven't tried any other similar product (except the pro version), but I have the Remarkable 2 and in my experience it's pretty good as an e reader as well. Maybe expensive for just using it as an e-reader but you can also use it as a note taking device. It's pretty big but still really thin and light, so it's a pretty good reading experience especially if you have bigger hands, some people may find it too big as an e-reader tho, but I really like the size.

One recommendation I can make is that if you are interested in it, if you have the money consider the pro version. If notetaking matters to you, the little I experienced writing on the pro version was so much better. The pen is much better as well as the tracking. My version tends to be off by about a millimeter at some places and the edges. This becomes extremely frustrating when you're trying to e.g. dot the i-s and you keep missing where you want to write. From what I saw, the pro version is much better at this and is in colour.

I was on your point 4 years ago. After some research, I'm using Kobo + Calibre-web with Kobo Sync integration:

https://brandonjkessler.com/technology/2021/04/26/setup-kobo-sync-in-calibre-web.html

I use a boox leaf 2, it has android without google play services OOTB, you can install that if you want and you can side load apps like normal android too. It has a nice crisp screen, adjustable backlight (color and intensity) micro SD slot in addition to the 32gb internal storage. It will open pretty much any eBook format out there, and you can also use kindle app and adobe digital editions for DRM books (if you don't strip the DRM)

I highly recommend it.

Instead of self-hosting, I have a device that can hold a large amount of sideloaded material and sync between my PC and device with syncthing. Boox devices work well for this.

I really like my era. Pocketbook allows me to have the website of a local bookstore as the "shop" button on the home screen, so I can support them. It is comfortable to hold and the front light is pretty good.

In the summer months when I don't use the backlighting, I need to charge it every 2 weeks with very heavy reading or even 2 months with light reading (~20 mins a day)

I have a good experience with PocketBook.

I read on my phone amoled display in dark mode with the app Cool Reader.

I've had an e-ink device, and read ebooks on a number of devices. Some notes:

• If it's a casual read and I can get the book in epub or mobi format, I might just have it on my phone and use Librera.

• I did not like e-ink displays at all. The text itself doesn't appear easier on the eyes to me, and if anything the jarring refreshes on each page turn make the overall experience even more straining. For this reason regular Android tablets have become my preferred way to read books.

• For tablets I suggest one that is at least 10 inches. A lot of ebooks are still only available in pdf format, and I've found that anything smaller than a 10 inch display makes for bad pdf reading.

• Following from all that, I would suggest the Pixel Tablet, because from a privacy perspective, you have the option to install GrapheneOS on it. From there you can get F-Droid, install any of those ebook apps, and now you have a reasonably secure and private ebook reader - and the best part is, because it's a general purpose tablet, you're not accumulating unnecessary single-purpose devices. You never know if the tablet might have other important uses down the line.

I recently got a Boox Go 6. It's just a really simple android tablet with a paper type display. So whatever android reading app you use you could probably run it. Strictly in terms of privacy I'm not sure if it's uniquely well suited. But I would expect it's better than Kindle or Kobo.

I can't speak to the privacy of it, but I love my Kobo Elipsa 2E setup. I've got NickelMenu, Synching and Autoshelf installed, so I can sort books by directory and have them sync. I also have KOReader installed with some other goodies, but rarely use it. The reading experience in the stock firmware is way nicer. And the screen is big enough to read full size PDFs comfortably. Kobo runs Linux under the hood, and there are extensions to give you Telnet/SSH access so you can mod what you need.

Also, being able to borrow books from Overdrive/Libby on it and support my local library is rad.

I did the whole Calibre with Kobo extensions thing for a few weeks, but it just didn't work out very well for me. I like to have my books synced to multiple devices and Calibre just isn't built for that.

I use a Kobo Libra 2 and it's been great