Sunday 10 April 2011

K is for...Kindle

When I first heard of ereaders, I was disgusted. I was a bit of a purist, the idea of a machine didn't appeal to me.  I love the feel of the paper, the smell of a new book, the smell of an old book (I do have two history degrees after all) the whole sensation of reading a proper book. But slowly I'm beginning to change my mind. Partly, it's because my illness makes it difficult for me to hold a book for a long time. I spent a day reading a couple of weeks ago, and spent the next day in pain with heat pads on my wrists. The thought of not reading, or even of reading less horrified me. I'm addicted to books. I read every day, and get uneasy if I can't for some reason. I get antsy if I don't have another couple of books lined up for when I finish my current one. I like the fact that if I'm too sore to leave the house, I can still buy books.

So, still not enthusiastic, my husband and I went to PC World to look at various readers. I'm not mad on the iPad or the Sony reader, so we looked at the Kindle. It was really light, much lighter than a standard book. But I still wasn't sure. I decided to think about it. I mean, we're not exactly rolling in money right now, and we can't afford to pay that much for a machine I think I might use.

But then something happened that changed my mind. For we are moving house. My husband packed loads of boxes of books last week. I packed loads of boxes today. We gave some books away to charity. And you know what? We still have an entire bookcase left to go. It's not good for my back, my wrists or my hips and I'm sore now. I could store 3,500 books on my Kindle, I think that's a good investment. So I think if I get knocked out of ABNA on April 26 then I'm going to buy myself a Kindle to reward myself for getting so far.

Is it true that I can lend ebooks to other Kindle users if I have one myself? Or is that just a scurrilous rumour?

4 comments:

  1. I want a nook color or a kindle. I can't afford it right now, so I am saving my money for one. I have the same reading habits! I must read, although, I will say, after my mom passed away in October, I didn't read for months because I couldn't focus on much. I can read again and have been at my usual crazy pace. I have heard you can loan books with kindle but I am not sure because I don't have one right now. Good luck with your new ereader!!

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  2. I haven't given in yet but I'm sure I will eventually. I do like the idea of putting ten books on a kindle and then going on a vacation. And I think it depends on the book you buy whether it's "loanable" or not. But most are, from what I understand. I think that's a great present for you either way!

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  3. Christine, I don't know if one can lend ebooks or not. But a kindle seems like a nice reward to yourself either way.

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  4. The book has to be "lendable" which many aren't. I love my kindle. The only thing I would say is if you borrow a lot of books from the library you won't be able to on the kindle, since Amazon is a proprietary company. In that case you may want to look into the Nook, which does allow you to download books from the library.

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