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 hundreds of tales through the E Ink pill and indulged in each style — from younger grownup dystopias to World Warfare II spy novellas. Whereas I principally 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 without delay, I do a reasonably good job of retaining 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. Once I lastly click on again into them, I generally get confused and expertise one thing alongside the traces 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 guide 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 motive individuals love e-readers: distraction-free leisure.

Fortunately, there is a hidden function solely two faucets away that may get you on top of things with out even leaving your guide. It is referred to as X-Ray, and I believe it is essentially the most underrated Kindle feature.

What’s Kindle X-Ray?

And the place you could find it

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

The X-Ray instrument is not new. The truth is, 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 understand 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 Pictures. Notable Clips is a curated assortment of essential passages that Amazon and publishers flag as notably vital. It reveals brief excerpts of memorable quotes, character introductions, turning factors, and fashionable highlights from different readers. It is mainly the guide’s “best hits” reel in terms of excerpts.

The Folks tab is actually a catalog of each character talked about within the textual content. This one’s particularly helpful should you’re making an attempt to recollect a love curiosity, an enemy, or just which narrator you are following in that chapter. It first reveals the characters on the present web page, however scrolling down reveals each character within the guide, their first or most memorable excerpts, and what number of occasions they’re talked about all through.

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

Pictures 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 at first — however X-Ray makes referencing them easy. Once I learn A Courtroom of Mist and Fury, I used to be continually flipping again to the map of Prythian to see the place my favourite characters had been teleporting to and from.

Whenever you use X-Ray, you eradicate 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 posh story.

X-Ray is just not an AI abstract

However it did one thing comparable method earlier than it was cool

If you happen to seek for something on-line today, chances are high you may 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 is just not that — and it by no means has been. It provides a deeper, extra considerate method to have interaction with a narrative by jogging your reminiscence as an alternative of considering for you.

Kindle may simply fall down the AI rabbit gap, nevertheless 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 wish to learn and really feel extra — not simply skim a soulless gist and transfer on.

The very best occasions to make use of X-Ray

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

Studying is my favourite pastime. After a few a long time of required studying, I am blissful 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 can not bear in mind Éomer’s complete arc, I simply open X-Ray for a fast reminder so I can preserve my studying momentum going.

Fantasy and science fiction tales are solely pretty much as good as their world-building — however that additionally means remembering numerous magic methods (and their limitations), fictional cities and cities (generally even planets), villains, henchmen, allies, and forgotten aspect 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 terms of character arcs and world-building. However inside these eight books, Maas would not overlook a single character. If you wish to really feel the complete emotion of her storytelling, you’ll be able to’t both. So when a beloved aspect character briefly talked about within the first guide makes his comeback 4,500 pages later, it is sort of a giant deal — however one which’s straightforward to overlook.