Kindle Mania

Our family was part of the Kindle Mania this year. We’ve been talking about the Kindle for awhile, and I’m now the proud owner of one of these sleek little devices about which everyone says, “No no, I prefer paper and ink — oh wait, that’s really cool.”

It bears repeating: the number of free books available on the Kindle is growing steadily, many of them books I’ve wanted to read anyway but couldn’t find at the library. The ones who benefit most from this newer technology are those who read lots of older books, the copyright of which has expired and which are now in the public domain.

Things I’m liking so far include:

• The aesthetic appeal of the device and the visual ease of the screen;
• The reading experience is essentially unchanged — enough so that several times I’ve caught myself reaching to the upper righthand corner of the Kindle to turn the page;
• It’s easier to read on the treadmill;
• The intuitiveness of use;
• The free books (oh wait, already said that);
• Occasionally the Kindle version of a book is a few dollars more than the paper copy, but generally I’m finding that it’s the other way around;
• The compactness — I can reread Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and it will be no thicker than a pencil this time;
• The sheer number of books it holds;
• It stays open when laid on a table, or stood up using the stand built in to the case;
• The adjustable font;
• The “text-to-speech” feature — not because I’ll probably ever use it, but because the computerized voice makes me laugh;
• The nifty screen savers;
• The “clippings” — passages I underline get stored altogether, so there’s no flipping through all the dog-ears to find that great sentence;
• My husband has the Kindle app on his phone, so we can share books;
• Speaking of my husband: he’s glad e-books don’t require more shelf-space;
• The Kindle meant he didn’t have to do a lot of wrapping for Christmas this year;
• Kindle books don’t need to be dusted.

Things I’m not sure about:

• Though it has a progress bar, it’s going to be an adjustment to get used to reading without that visual-tactile sense of the bookmark working its way through the physical thickness of a book;
• Context in general; so far I feel like each page of what I’m reading is an isolated entity (this might get better as I get to know the device and can navigate better);
• Some books are a pain to navigate without a touch screen;
• I already feel the pressure of consumerism — it’s such fun to search for books, and being able to read free samples only whets my appetite;
• I want to maintain my physical-book-reading habits, which include reading one book at a time till it’s finished — but the temptation to multitask with so many items of interest a click away is strong.

The Kindle won’t replace “real” books for me, but it seems like it will enhance what I’m already doing — reading. I don’t have the model that will enable me to be online at all times. It’s an e-reader. I’m a human reader. We should get along well together.

Are you a Kindle-owner? Feel free to share your tips with a newbie.