After wondering whether it would be a betrayal of all I hold dear to become a Kindle reader (see Jan 08 entry below), I was given one for my birthday. At first I felt like I'd gone over to the Dark Side, but it didn't take long to develop the zeal of the convert. Maybe it was the first time I Kindle-read a newspaper over breakfast and I could "turn the page" without putting down my cereal spoon. Or maybe it was being able to turn up the font size so that I could read without glasses while lying on my side in bed.
I used to carry several novels and magazines when I traveled so I could indulge whatever reading whim grabbed me. Now I just take my Kindle. I can download a book from anywhere in thirty seconds. Even better are free first chapters and sample periodicals.
Learning to use the Kindle is easy, since its functions are focused and limited. And the actual reading experience is just what amazon's Jeff Bezos said he wanted Kindle to provide, one that makes the vehicle invisible so that you can just READ.
Do I miss "real" books? No, since I still buy and read them, and my home will always be full of them. I do occasionally miss book covers and blurbs, as hokey as they are. I love the thrill of anticipation I get when a book begins with pages of rave reviews, which I haven't seen in a Kindle edition. But I can easily find those elsewhere if I want.
The Kindle isn't perfect. It sometimes fails to list the source on passages I've clipped, and some of the New Yorker cartoons are illegible. But it's a great option for avid readers--or will be once the price comes down.
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