Monday, August 15, 2011

Now that I have a Kindle...

When I first heard about e-readers I was scornful. Why would anyone want to give up the comfort of a nice durable paperback to read on a cold flat screen of some fragile, expensive dillywacker? Then when e-books began hurting print sales, I became hostile. Over the years my opinion slowly began to change.

Though I still love print books and they'll always be my favorite, a few things made me decide I'd like a Kindle.

1.) I can crit fellow writers' work on the Kindle.
2.) I keep winning e-books online but hate reading them on my laptop
3.) This is my bookcase. Books are stacked 3 deep and piled on top and on the floor in front...and it's still not enough! This is why my husband thought a Kindle would be a good idea...but now he thinks I should get rid of some books....meanie.

4.) Many publishers are e-book only. Not only do I want to read many of those books, but a few pubs I submitted my work to are e-pubs. It's be pretty silly if I ended up not being able to get my own book.

5.) Instant access. Many people would put this as a higher priority, but when I want the next book in a series, I have no problem getting into my car and driving to the library or bookstore. However, if they don't have it, or it's 2am, I can still get it on the Kindle.

All these factors made me go from "F&ck e-books" to "I WANT A KINDLE!" But I still couldn't afford one. This remains one of my biggest complaints on e-readers. Hell, if money weren't tight, I'd get a bigger house and put in more bookcases. :) Still, I watched Craigslist and e-bay for an affordable used model and entered contests to win one.

But.....this weekend I celebrated my birthday and was presented with a brand new Kindle! I was so happy I was literally hyperventilating and speaking in tongues. My critique partners, my husband, and another friend plotted together and pooled their money together to get me one...and a $25 Amazon gift card to get me started ::Excuse me a sec, I need to brush away another tear::

I am totally in love with it and have been having a blast downloading books and exploring its bells & whistles. However, now that I have a Kindle, I will still buy and read print books. I've heard so many people say "I'm never going back to print again!" Not me. In fact, I still have a stack of print books in my TBR list. And when I'm eating Cheetos, I'll feel safer with a trusty paperback.  

3 comments:

  1. I have both. Nook (which i love because it is filled with classics and all of my shit which would have cost me over $500 to get paperback/hard copies of) and i can take it with me everywhere. BUT i still spend $200 at B&N a month on books for my shelves. I can't do online reference books. i tried on the nook and i couldn't. I have to be able to flip through them and bookmark them. Also, there is just something so perfect about reading Brooks and Salvatore on paper. the nightstands next to our bed is filled with books from both of them.

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  2. Paper books have a special place in my heart, but so does my kindle :) I travel, so my kindle is sort of essential to keep my habit alive and thriving!

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  3. Yes, I see the major advantage this has with travelling. :)

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