Continuing Thoughts on the Kindle

The Kindle and I have now been together for four months and 15 days, and I'm happy to report that the love affair continues.  I've not cheated on the Kindle and it's been awfully good to me, giving me more than I'd hoped for in this relationship. And I continue to love the green-ness of it; professionally, I'm a forest's worst nightmare (although we've moved to recycled paper for many of our books) but I don't have to make the same personal choices.

I did notice that I missed the bookstore.  I missed watching other readers pick up a book, read the back cover copy and make a decision to hold or put back the book. I missed picking up a book and reading back cover copy.  I missed book covers. So, now I visit the bookstore to browse and take in the atmosphere (bookstores are to me what shoe stores are to Celine Dion) and make purchasing decisions for the Kindle.  90% of what I want to read is available in Kindle format and that's more than enough to keep me occupied. 

But summer is almost here and I've found that the Kindle can't fulfill all my reading needs. First, my tennis group is also my book club, so almost every time we play tennis, books are being exchanged.  When one of us finishes a good book, we pass it along to another and we discuss it while we sweep the courts or while we're warming up.  I miss sharing books with my friends.  I can still recommend a good book (like Olive Kitteridge, an excellent novel in short stories by Elizabeth Strout) but it's not as fun as physically passing it to someone I just know will enjoy it as much as I did. 

Secondly, now that it's beach weather, I've started to wonder about the wisdom of taking the Kindle to the beach where sand and water and other beach-goers might create an issue (like a missing Kindle or a gritty, sandy Kindle).  I also can't imagine taking it down to the float  (in Cushing) to read. There are some wide spaces between those boards and I don't think the Kindle floats.  I've enough paper books on bookshelves around the house to find something to read at the beach or on the dock, but  it's a limitation that I think will bother me more as time goes on (don't want to take the Kindle on the boat, in the kayak, on my bike, etc). 

Comments

[t5m]

I don't think I could ever go Kindle - I LOOOOOVEEEE the paperness of books. I have been caught sniffing them in public (which my husband found somewhat embarrassing, but we were in an airport and I thought that there were odder people around).

[Tonya]

I really thought that I would miss the feel of Real Books when I got my Kindle, because I do LOVE a Real Book (especially hardbacks). But surprisingly, I don't miss them! I don't miss having to hold the book open, or awkwardly balancing it on my lap or whatever, or losing my place. But there will probably be instances that it wouldn't be smart to take my Kindle along. I'd hate for it to get stolen (or waterlogged).

[Lisa]

I looked into buying a Kindle but got the vapors from the price.

I do love books on my mp3 player, though.