Things I Love: Amazon Kindle

Well, what started out as a simple cold, of course, couldn't just stay that way. I'm not sure why, but for some reason, I never get just the cold that everyone else gets. I end up with some whopper of an infection. It's odd, because in general, I'm a pretty healthy person! So, my virus somehow turned bacterial and I now find myself at home, hopped up on codeine so I can actually sleep. I went about an entire week of coughing my head off all night, so last night was blissfully restful! I only woke up a couple times and the cough attacks weren't very bad. The best part is that I actually felt like I really slept and got some rest!

The Amazon Kindle

In other news, using some of my birthday money, I bought a Kindle. Those of you who know me well know that I'm an avid reader. I love my Sunday afternoon reading a naps. Every night before I go to bed, I have to do a little bit of reading to help shut my brain down. I've always loved the feel of a good paperback book in my hands. Needless to say, I was a little skeptical of the e-reader trend. One of my biggest concerns was eye fatigue. Reading on a computer screen (like I do all day long) is a big strain on your eyes - the last thing I needed to do was add some more at night. Amazon has come up with a new technology called e-ink electronic paper. It mimics the appearance of ink on paper and reflects light the same way paper does (as opposed to flat panel LCD displays that back light to reflect their pixels, causing eye strain). Basically, it looks like you're reading a book. It uses 16 different shades of grey, so the one downside is that you don't have a color display. But when you really think about it, what book have you read that really needed color? The other added bonus is that you can continue to read in different light settings (like bright sunlight) that you would have difficulty reading an LCD screen in.

My second concern was the availability of books. At which point, I realized that when I can't find a book in the store, the place I typically go to order it is Amazon. I checked out their Kindle store to see how many books were available for download - they're currently right around 802,000 books. I suppose it will take me a long time to get through 800,000 books, so that issue is solved. Not to mention, the books tend to be a lot cheaper than if you bought them in the store (somewhere between $5-$10).

My final concern was that I just plain love having a book in my hands. I think I'm just a little sentimental that way. I am definitely one to embrace technology, but giving up books is something that is still a little hard for me. I think it's going to grow on me because I'm already loving reading the first book that I've downloaded (the new John Grisham book). As my mom said, our society as a whole is moving toward using technology and a paperless world, so why fight it?

I give my new Kindle (in graphite, in case you were wondering what color I got) an enthusiastic two thumbs up!