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 through the E Ink pill and indulged in each style — from younger grownup dystopias to World Warfare II spy novellas. Whereas I largely persist with science fiction and romantasies these days, my Kindle Library is stuffed to the digital brim with my favourite e-books.

As a voracious reader who typically has a number of titles open without delay, I do a reasonably good job of protecting all my fictional characters and their respective worlds separate. Nevertheless, as an editor who juggles freelance work along with her personal inventive 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 unbelievable space-pirate crossover, I actually need to know what is going on on in my guide if I am studying to calm down or benefit from the story. Positive, I might open my cellphone 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 guide. It is known as X-Ray, and I believe 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 software inside your e-book that allows you to “see by” 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 obtainable on most books you purchase by Amazon, as metadata is pulled from the guide itself — however some authors additionally add further info to X-Ray manually.

The X-Ray software is not new. The truth is, Amazon rolled out the function again in 2011. Nevertheless, most customers nonetheless do not benefit from it, in the event that they even understand it exists in any respect. To search 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 necessary passages that Amazon and publishers flag as significantly vital. It reveals quick excerpts of memorable quotes, character introductions, turning factors, and widespread highlights from different readers. It is principally the guide’s “biggest hits” reel with regards to excerpts.

The Folks tab is basically a catalog of each character talked about within the textual content. This one’s particularly helpful should you’re attempting 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, places, occasions, or concepts that seem inside the textual content. It offers definitions, descriptions, and related quotes. As somebody who reads largely fantasy and sci-fi, I take advantage of this part essentially the most. Should you’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, varieties 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 at first — however X-Ray makes referencing them easy. After I learn A Courtroom 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.

If you use X-Ray, you get rid of 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 approach earlier than it was cool

Should you seek for something on-line as of late, likelihood is 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 option to interact with a narrative by jogging your reminiscence as a substitute of considering for you.

Kindle might 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 need to learn and really feel extra — not simply skim a soulless gist and transfer on.

The perfect occasions 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 many years of required studying, I am completely satisfied 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, as of late, if I am unable to bear in mind Éomer’s complete arc, I simply open X-Ray for a fast reminder so I can hold 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 programs (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 with regards to 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 may’t both. So when a beloved facet character briefly talked about within the first guide makes his comeback 4,500 pages later, it is form of an enormous deal — however one which’s straightforward to overlook.