ode to the kindle...

Kindle, how I love thee, let me count the ways...

I realized that I have had this wonder for a few months now and, despite having been asked a few times, had yet to write a pseudo-review and my experience so far so...

My husband and in-law's bought me the Kindle for my birthday in December and my parents gave me the green, lighted case - thank you all again.  When I opened the gifts, we were out to lunch and I kept the boxes shut.  That didn't last long.  By the time we were in the car on our return trip home, I had opened both the reader and cover boxes and was already plowing my way through the quick start guide. 

I had been collecting e-books in my Amazon account for awhile through the Kindle iPhone app, though I ended up never really reading with it because, well, hello tiny itty bitty screen that fits about 25 words at a time! But, the app ended up serving me well in the end because, as soon as my new toy was charged up, I synced it to my account and BAM! nearly 100 books were on my device, ready to read within minutes.

Score one for instant gratification.

Having had a long term love affair with reading, with the scent of ink on a page and the sound of spine of a book the first time it is cracked open, I had a moment's hesitation when I opened up my first book.  Would I really learn to love reading without the sensory experience?  Without physically turning a page?  Within the first chapter, I had my answer... 

Love at first read.

The reviews all said that the device would just disappear in your hand.  It truly does.  When I am lost in the text, I don't notice the difference between the e-reader and an actual book.  Pressing a button instead of turning a page?  Not a problem.  The biggest difference?  If I need to stop reading quickly or fall asleep with book in hand, I no longer have to worry about losing my place.  Ah, bliss!  Now, on my frequent train commutes to the city, I have multiple books at the ready, where I used to need to duck into a bookstore and search for a new title to read on the way home if I finished one during my morning trip. See, saving money.  That's always good, right?

My favorite downloaded reads so far have been: The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanna Collins (highly recommended) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Laarson.

On the fence about an e-reader?  Find someone you know that has one or use a store demo and give it a try. You might just be surprised by the experience. 

And the plethora of shelf space to be reclaimed.

This review was written without Amazon.com's knowedge and thus, regretably, without any compensation or freebies.  I just really, really love the darn thing.