Nobody was more shocked than I was to receive a Kindle for Christmas. I should have known what was coming when I declared loudly a week before Christmas that I didn’t see why anyone would ever own one and the room grew strangely silent. Anyway, my dear husband knows that I experience severe book panic before any trip (Do I have enough books? Do I have enough room for all of them? Do I have enough strength to drag them through airports?) and he decided to relieve me of that stress. Although it took me several days to get up the courage to plug it in and read the user’s guide, I found it to be quite simple to use; I easily downloaded ten books and a word game.
I am very pleased with the thousands of titles that are available for free. Books that are in the public domain because their copyright laws have expired are just the kind I enjoy: good stories without the gratuitous sex, violence and swearing. Some of the authors that are available are G.K. Chesterton, George McDonald, Edith Nesbit, Gene Stratton Porter, P.G. Wodehouse and Shakespeare. There are hundreds of “light” novels by authors such as Wilkie Collins, James Oliver Curwood, Harold Bell Wright, Kathleen Norris and Louisa Mae Alcott. In addition I found books by D.L. Moody, Anthony Trollope and Samuel Logan Brengle. Quite a treasure trove! The best thing about it: I never have to wonder which book to grab as I’m going out the door for an appointment. With the Kindle I’ve got plenty of options in an instant.
Now for my true confession: I’ve read one entire book and two half books on my Kindle, BUT the main thing I like to do on it is play the word game while listening to audiobooks on my iPod. Is that weird or what?!
5 comments:
For the longest time, I've though I didn't want a Kindle because I much prefer a real book. But I almost think it would be worth having a Kindle just for all the free books that Amazon provides.
Aha, I completely understand this! I've been an opponent of e-readers for the longest time, and then I recently got a Kindle. I see it as a wonderful accessory for the avid reader, and my year's reads are mostly hard copies of books. Enjoy!
I got a Kindle in May, and I love it. I don't see it as a replacement for hard copies of books, but as a supplement. It's especially wonderful for those of us who live in places where access to English-language books may be limited.
My Kindle has a book-like cover, and that contributes to the illusion that it is a "real" book. I can't tell you how many times I've glanced around looking for a bookmark before I flip the cover closed. And then there was the time I tipped it forward to look at the pages and see how far along I was in the book...
When just goes to show, for me, that reading on the Kindle isn't all that different from reading a regular book, and when you are engrossed in the words, the medium fades into the background.
Also, the 200 or so books I have on my Kindle didn't take up an space in my luggage at all.
Hehe. I think I would would make a similar statement right before receiving an ereader. Since I rarely buy a book, my thought is that I would use one for the freebies, too.
Wow, what a great surprise! Not just the gift, but that you really do like it for what it does. :)
I can easily see myself using one in the near future. Enjoy it!
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