October 15,2010
About five or six years ago Amazon came out with an amazing invention called the Kindle. Because I have an Amazon account I was notified of the Kindle's existence the day it launched. I clicked on the link that said something like "What's a Kindle?" read all about it and fell instantly, completely in love. I knew I wanted one with all my heart and I knew someday, if I ever had the disposable income, I would have one. I also knew that new technology starts out buggy and expensive so the fact that I would have to wait was less painful than it might have been.
So, what's a Kindle? For anyone who doesn't know, it is what is now called an E-reader or electronic book. You can go to Amazon.com to learn all about it but let me highlight some of the fantastic features that made me fall so hard and so fast.
The Kindle can hold 3,500 books in its memory, weighs less than a paperback and is maybe a third of an inch thick. Now I am a great lover of books and reading may be my all-time favorite pastime. I had accumulated a rather large library which never got unpacked when I made the move to NH years ago.I was perfectly happy to use my town's library and must admit that the books I owned had become more of a chore over years of moving them from place to place than a joy to own. So I was enjoying borrowing books rather than owning them more with each passing year. Then some unfortunate weather events combined to destroy my packed away books which were in an outbuilding. It was a devastating loss and I could not imagine attempting to replace them. As I age I become less inclined to accumulate "stuff" even if it is stuff I love. The fact that my library had been destroyed seemed like fate to me.
But the minute I saw the Kindle I knew I could own a personal library of books again. As many as I could ever read (the Kindle has thousands of books you can download for free if money's tight, can archive an unlimited amount of books for you and still keep that 3,500 ready to read instantly.) In my mind's eye I could conjure one of those libraries you see in mansions or castles in movies. You know... two or three stories of just books with those ladders on wheels to get you to any book you might want. That I could carry that around in my purse made me weak with longing.
And so I waited... and waited. Finally my time came. The latest versions of Kindle are completely amazing and the standard by which all other E-books are judged. The most expensive model is half the price of the first Kindle that snagged my heart and mind years ago. This past Monday not one but four Kindle's were delivered to my home. One for me of course, two for my daughters, and one for a dear friend. I cannot imagine ever giving a better gift frankly... what could top having all the world's great writing at your fingertips (Kindle offers over 700,000 titles at the moment and adds more with each passing day)?
So Monday night I slipped into bed with my Kindle. After much deliberation I had chosen a novel by one of my favorite authors, John Irving, to be my inaugural "read." The room was dark and the reading light attached to my Kindle emitted a beautiful icy blue circular glow onto my "page." The "pages" melted into one another as they "turned." To say it was a sensual experience of pure delight does not do it justice.
So yes... I'm in love with my Kindle. I know it will be my constant and true companion for the rest of my days. It will never show me anything I do not wish to see, nor tell me anything I do not wish to hear (did I mention the Kindle has a voice and can read thousands of the books it offers if you wish to be read to?).
So here's what I think. Love is grand!
