There's Been Some Talk...

on some of the blogs I follow about eReaders. Many voracious readers---of whom I count myself among---are resistant to give them a try. They really don't know what they are missing. Here's my story:

I was on the fence about the Kindle for a couple of years. I felt like I would miss the tactile experience of a real book---plus I have a huge library at home. Butch gave me a Kindle, a nice surprise for Christmas two years ago and I cannot turn back. I even have the cheapest one---nothing fancy, only black and white and no backlight (my booklight clips on just fine).

There are several features that I absolutely love:
---the built in dictionary (I'm obsessive about looking up words).
---you can create categories for you books just like a library.
---I created a category called "Books Read in 2013"---It's really fun to know how many books I've read in a year (I'm already at 15 for 2013 and half way through book 16).
---And best of all---I have the Kindle app on my iPhone. It syncs both devices. Now, I am NEVER without my book---and am always at the exact place I left off. That's HUGE for me.
---Oh, and did I mention FREE books? There are thousands. It's easy to get carried away. I limit myself to only those that have been rated 4.5 stars or above.
---The books are cheaper--about $10-$12 per book---many are a lot less. Way cheaper than a $25. hard back (my preferred book choice).
---I only have to charge it about once a month (without all the fancy stuff and internet access, it doesn't eat up the battery life).

This gives you an idea of my categories. "Books read in 2012" is a little misleading. I actually read 33 books. 2 of them were trilogies which was cheaper to download together. As a result, the trilogy is contained in one book. Stephanie gave me the French design "skin" to cover my Kindle.

Butch got me this pink cover when he gave me the Kindle. It fits nicely in my purse. It stays on all the time, so, just like opening a book, it's ready to go. You can see the charging cord on the bottom. I takes about an hour to completely recharge it.


Now for the downside:
---I often cannot remember the title or author of the book I'm reading because I don't see it constantly when I pick up the "book."
---Plus, without seeing the cover of the book all the time, I do not have a point of reference for it. If I had my way, when the Kindle's in "sleep" mode, the cover of the book I am reading would be the screensaver rather than some random book that they want you to buy.
---you have to turn them off on airplanes---leaving me without it for about 40 minutes---bummer. Still those are minor inconveniences compared to the upside.

A problem:

A friend from bridge loaned me this book. I didn't ask for it. I didn't want it. She just brought it. She said it's really good and wants to discuss it with me. Okay, so now I have an obligation to read this book. I told her that it would be a while. Actually, I'll go ahead and start it next. I'm tempted to just download it on my Kindle, read it and then give this one back after. She would never know the difference. But what a waste of money. I'll go ahead and read it. This will be the first "real" book I've picked up in 18 months. I guess it will be good to see if I've missed "real" books. But I doubt it. Plus, how do I add another book to my "Books read in 2013?" I'll just have to remember to add one to the count every time I look at that. Now we're talking math. Oh, woe is me.

I gave my brother, Ronnie a Kindle for his 60th birthday. I got him just the basic one like I have because, really, it's perfect. I don't need to read my email or access the internet. I just want to read on it. Plus, it was 60 bucks---sort of the perfect idea for a 60 yr. old's gift. I don't know whether he likes it or not. He's retired now, so he has more time for reading.

I'll never forget the year that I got mine, I found out that 5 of the little nieces and nephews on one side of the family ages ranging from 6-11 got Kindle Fires for Christmas. Here they were, little kids with the fancy schmancy ones. They play games and watch videos on theirs. I wasn't about to mention that I had the cheapie (although it wasn't quite that cheap back then). I just want to read on mine.

So, the bottom line is this:
---if you want to give it a try and your basic motivation is reading, then just get the cheapie. That's really all you need. Plus, if you decide you don't like it, you haven't invested a fortune.