The Kindle’s most underrated function is my new secret weapon

I’ve had a Kindle since 2011. Within the 14 years since, I’ve learn 1000’s of tales by way of the E Ink pill and indulged in each style — from younger grownup dystopias to World Struggle II spy novellas. Whereas I largely keep on with science fiction and romantasies these days, my Kindle Library is crammed to the digital brim with my favourite e-books.

As a voracious reader who usually has a number of titles open directly, I do a reasonably good job of holding all my fictional characters and their respective worlds separate. Nonetheless, as an editor who juggles freelance work together with her personal artistic writing, generally my studying behavior falls by the wayside, and my present reads should go on pause. After I lastly click on again into them, I generally get confused and expertise one thing alongside the strains of Jack Sparrow stepping onto the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

Whereas I am not writing that off as a possible avenue for a implausible space-pirate crossover, I actually need to know what is going on on in my e-book if I am studying to chill out or benefit from the story. Certain, I may open my telephone or laptop computer and get a fast reminder, however that simply opens the door to doomscrolling on Instagram or TikTok. There is a purpose folks love e-readers: distraction-free leisure.

Fortunately, there is a hidden function solely two faucets away that may get you in control with out even leaving your e-book. It is referred to as X-Ray, and I feel it is essentially the most underrated Kindle feature.

What’s Kindle X-Ray?

And the place yow will discover it

X-Ray is a reference device inside your e-book that allows you to “see by means of” the story by mapping out each character, place, and noteworthy idea. It affords readers deeper insights, related passages, and generally even exterior context from sources like Wikipedia. It is out there on most books you purchase by means of Amazon, as metadata is pulled from the e-book itself — however some authors additionally add further info to X-Ray manually.

The X-Ray device is not new. In reality, Amazon rolled out the function again in 2011. Nonetheless, most customers nonetheless do not reap the benefits of it, in the event that they even realize it exists in any respect. To seek out X-Ray, full the next steps:

1. Faucet the highest of the web page to open the menu.
2. Faucet the three dots on the far proper.
3. Choose X-Ray.

There are 4 tabs inside X-Ray: Notable Clips, Folks, Phrases, and Photographs. Notable Clips is a curated assortment of vital passages that Amazon and publishers flag as notably important. It exhibits brief excerpts of memorable quotes, character introductions, turning factors, and standard highlights from different readers. It is mainly the e-book’s “biggest hits” reel in the case of excerpts.

The Folks tab is basically a catalog of each character talked about within the textual content. This one’s particularly helpful for those who’re attempting to recollect a love curiosity, an enemy, or just which narrator you are following in that chapter. It first exhibits the characters on the present web page, however scrolling down reveals each character within the e-book, their first or most memorable excerpts, and what number of instances they’re talked about all through.

Phrases acts as a glossary of ideas, areas, occasions, or concepts that seem throughout the textual content. It supplies definitions, descriptions, and related quotes. As somebody who reads largely fantasy and sci-fi, I take advantage of this part essentially the most. In case you’ve ever learn (or wished to learn) Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, I extremely suggest doing so on Kindle. I devoured that e-book in a single sitting and was nonetheless confused by the handfuls of locations, forms of magic, and political alliances in that world.

Photographs is pretty self-explanatory: a visible index of each illustration, map, or photograph embedded within the e-book. Many of the books I learn function solely two photos — the quilt artwork and the map initially — however X-Ray makes referencing them easy. After I learn A Court docket of Mist and Fury, I used to be continuously flipping again to the map of Prythian to see the place my favourite characters had been teleporting to and from.

Once you use X-Ray, you remove all of the confusion, page-flipping (or tapping), and psychological gymnastics it takes to choose up the place you left off — or to remain oriented in a fancy story.

X-Ray isn’t an AI abstract

But it surely did one thing comparable manner earlier than it was cool

In case you seek for something on-line today, chances are high you will run into a fast TL;DR AI abstract. Left and proper, we’re being bombarded with machine-written blurbs that cease our analysis in its tracks with lazy roundups. X-Ray isn’t that — and it by no means has been. It affords a deeper, extra considerate method to interact with a narrative by jogging your reminiscence as an alternative of pondering for you.

Kindle may simply fall down the AI rabbit gap, however it is aware of its viewers. Anybody who calls themselves a reader is in it for the love of the sport, not an AI shortcut. We need to learn and really feel extra — not simply skim a soulless gist and transfer on.

The most effective instances to make use of X-Ray

I by no means need to learn with out it once more

Studying is my favourite pastime. After a few a long time of required studying, I am pleased to say that 80% of the time now, I am studying purely for enjoyment. Whereas I used to like choosing aside The Return of the King for my JRR Tolkien seminar in faculty, today, if I am unable to bear in mind Éomer’s complete arc, I simply open X-Ray for a fast reminder so I can maintain my studying momentum going.

Fantasy and science fiction tales are solely nearly as good as their world-building — however that additionally means remembering varied magic techniques (and their limitations), fictional cities and cities (generally even planets), villains, henchmen, allies, and forgotten facet characters who reappear for a full-circle second on the finish of an eight-book saga.

The clearest instance I can consider is the Throne of Glass collection by Sarah J Maas — it is a hill I am going to die on in the case of character arcs and world-building. However inside these eight books, Maas does not overlook a single character. If you wish to really feel the total emotion of her storytelling, you’ll be able to’t both. So when a beloved facet character briefly talked about within the first e-book makes his comeback 4,500 pages later, it is form of a giant deal — however one which’s simple to overlook.