verb [ trans. ]
light or set on fire.
• arouse or inspire (an emotion or feeling)
I am not a Luddite. Even though I eat organic food and have been a vegetarian for almost 40 years and I live out in the country, I still love technology. I love texting. I obviously love my Mac computer. We've always had good audio equipment, etc. etc.
So I pondered, why am I so resistent to a Kindle? The usual reasons came to mind. I love the feel and look of print. I don't think I'd enjoy reading on a device. But then the little voice in my head said, wait a minute, you read and read and read on such a device - the computer. I could spend all day sitting here reading your blogs. And after that I thought, wouldn't it be nice to read a great big biography and not have to hold the book?
When the price came down to $139, we said, why not? So, I preordered the end of July and here it is. My little bundle of electronic reading joy.
My camera died a week ago, and I have a new one on order, but Tom borrowed one from a colleague so I could document this huge excitement at Windy Poplars Farm.
When it arrived today the UPS fellow said, 'I know what this is!' He told me he had delivered quite a few. He then asked how I thought I'd use it, and I said, probably old books that are quite cheap and heavy nonfiction books. He talked about holding such books when one is lying in bed, and I said that I've already hurt my shoulder/arm in this way. He called it 'reader's shoulder' which I just love. I think what I'll do is have a downstairs print book and a bedtime kindle book.
Now the great decision was what to buy for my very first book. I had given it quite some thought and even begun a bookmark, 'kindle books I want,' but still that first purchase is kinda special. Should I buy one of the nonfiction titles I've been dying to read? A new installment in a favorite mystery series? An old beloved title? Something by Agatha Christie? I ended up buying three.
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall
Asleep by Molly Caldwell-Crosby
I can't wait to hear what you think of this contraption when you have used it for awhile. I have been tempted by it but can I prop that thing on my reading pillow and read myself to sleep?? How big is it?? I wish I could see one, hold it, read a page or two.
ReplyDeleteWhile my ereader equivalent (Barnes and Nook's Nook) is not the answer to everything (what is?) I really enjoy it. I like that I can enlarge the print when my contacts are in, and I can't see near; as you said, I like having classics and heavy novels on it. I just bought Dickens' Bleak House for $2.99. So often, the classics are less expensive. I don't know how amazon works, but I can do a search on Barnes and Noble for 0.00 (free) books and come up with a huge list to download. I hope you can do the same with your Kindle. Either way, I know you'll enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!! $139!! I am going to have to look into that!! Thanks for the tip. Happy reading and pass on what you find is a 'good read.'
ReplyDeleteWahoo!! And you have a great book to start with. Hope you love the device. I think you will like it for exactly what you are buying it for. And then you'll also read your regular books. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have been resistant as well but I like your attitude of an upstairs and a downstairs book/kindle (my mom always had an upstairs book and a downstairs book going on- this way, she said, when one ended she would never be bereft as she still had a book going on). I am interested to see what you think about it and whether there is any eye strain, etc. I read recently in a magazine how one man said he had a number of books, his Bible, and the New York Times all on his kindle and I thought, hmmm...this sounds rather convenient.
ReplyDeleteHave fun with your new shoulder saver!!! My son is going to let me babysit his kindle when he's at boot camp!
ReplyDeleteLast year at the Frankfurt Book Fair, I presented our version of the Kindle, the Flatreader (www.flatreader.de) to the public. It really is a good idea to use electronic reading devices - if no other argument is convincing, then at least the one of it being enviromentally more friendly than cutting down so many trees to produce the paper needed for all those printed books should make one consider it.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, when Ken Follett's "World Without End" was released, my mum got it for me from our local library. It was incredibly heavy and I could only read it in bed when I propped it up against my knees; there was no way I could simply hold it in my hands as I would do with other books :-)
So, yes, an electronic reading device does have advantages. Still, I don't own one myself (the company never gave me one which is, I think, a bit tight of them!).
Mine's coming this week; I'm so excited! I've pre-ordered some free downloads so It should come with those ready to go. Shocked to see how much more expensive they are here.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you will keep making the case for these devices, although I'm just not ready to pay to read as I have always been a fan of the free library. Oh, let's face it, I'm cheap, too.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new arrival! I'm sure you will have years and years of pure enjoyment. :)
ReplyDeleteI use my iPad for as my eReader and LOVE it! It hasn't stopped me from reading or buying paper books, it has only enhanced my reading. I mainly use it at night for bedtime reading. The best part in that is no more lights on or rustling pages, so Mr. Joy can sleep in peace, and I can read to my heart's content. :) I did take it on vacation and read a little there, but our vacation was busy and short with not much time to read. Anyway - I'm thrilled with having an eReader and can tell that you have already arrived at the same conclusion!
Enjoy!!!
I'm resistant to the 'K' word.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to let me know if you miss the rustling of pages, the smell of glue and paper and satisfying thud as you shut it and place it back on the shelf.
Julie
Lisa, I should do a followup post, and will at some point. I LOVED it. You may indeed 'prop that thing on my reading pillow and read myself to sleep' It is very small - wait I'll go measure... just about the size of a 5x7 photograph. Thin as a pencil, as amazon said. light, light, light. Go for it, Lisa. :<)
ReplyDeleteBellezza, you are so right about cost. I just 'bought' two Sarah Orne Jewett books for 0 dollars. I am thrilled beyond words.
Mare, it is so worth the price. I loved using it last night.
Kay, I am so excited! Using it was such a pleasure, I barely slept - like a kid at Christmastime!
Susan, no eyestrain at all. Although many like a lighted background, I really prefer using a light. It makes it feel more like a book. And I could increase or decrease the font as I wanted. I couldn't be more thrilled.
Staci, can you add books to his Kindle??
Librarian, you presented it?? A celebrity! The company certainly should have given you one!
Call me madam, sisters separated by an ocean, yet again. Amazing. I'll be interested in what free downloads you got. I just got 2 Sarah Orne Jewett books.
Clair, I use the library a lot, too, but I really do like having my own books. And this is yet another fun way of doing so.
Karin, I went in and changed my wording to make it clearer that I did buy all three! I'm 27% through The Murder in the Vicarage - that's how they do it instead of pages. :<) I'd say jump off that fence and get one!!
Thank you, Thoughts of Joy, I am so enjoying it!
Julie, I won't have to miss any of that because I still have lots and lots and lots of books, and will buy them always. The Kindle makes a very soft, sweet sound as I put it gently on the shelf. I marvel that I can open it up and find books there. It is like a complement, just as the library is, or as an audiobook is for me. Do you read Simon's blog? He had the best quote from E.M.Forster which describes just how I feel - it is the words that I care about. You may find it here:
http://stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.com/2010/08/probably-on-his-landing-too.html
Looking forward to how you like this. Old fashion - I like my stacks of books by my chair, bed, desk and on and on.
ReplyDeleteThought it might make a nice gift for my son who is in Thailand and usually travels with books in his backpack.
Ernestine, it would be perfect, perfect for him!! It would lighten his load enormously.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Nan....You are right for $139.00 everyone should have it....that is everyone who LOVES technology. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteBibliophile, I am having such fun with it!
ReplyDeleteKindle...humbug...
ReplyDelete- Jeff
Jeff, I knew you'd stop by! If we lived closer, Tom and I would come over and loan it to you for a night! I bet you would be
ReplyDeletewooed. :<)
Reader's shoulder! How funny. I've definitely had problems with that. How fun to get a Kindle. They are quite cheap now, and I was tempted for a moment -- why not? But I don't quite feel the need for one yet, so I'll wait, for now. Enjoy your new device!
ReplyDeleteNan -- please follow up and let us know how you enjoy reading on it! I'm really having trouble finding books along the way as we travel this time == and so I am gradually selling myself on the idea of owning one.
ReplyDeleteI do think I'd be like you when I'm home and have a "real" book going as well.
thanks for sharing your adventure; can't wait to hear more.
Congrats on the new addition to the family! I hope you enjoy your Kindle as much as I've enjoyed my Nook. :D One great, engrossing read and you won't notice the "device" anymore.
ReplyDeleteDorothy, I can't tell you the difference reading at night with it instead of a print book. It is light as a feather. I can either hold it or put it down and touch it only to 'turn the page.' I am so pleased.
ReplyDeleteSallie, if I were you, I'd buy one today! You are in the perfect situation for a Kindle. You will love it, I'm positive! Let me know. :<)
Andi, I'm already enjoying that read - I am completely caught up in the first Miss Marple book. (I laugh everytime I see that picture of you!)
Isn't it a great thing, Nan? When mine was delivered last Thursday, the UPS driver said he had never had so many smiling customers greeting him at the door!!
ReplyDeleteMy husband's reaction was, "Does that mean there will be fewer piles of books around the house?" Well, no, of course not!
Marcia, tell him there will be 'invisible' piles now. :<) When the same UPS fellow showed up this morning, I ran out with my Kindle so he could see it. He was quite thrilled. He said his house is full of books; that his wife has certain authors that she has to buy everything they write. I didn't have a chance to ask him who they are.
ReplyDeleteNan
ReplyDeleteCongratulations.
I went with the "nook" and am finding that reading in bed is perfect with an e-reader.I originially thought I'd probably just read fiction on it, but who knows. Thanks for your 3 book reading ideas! Keep us posted.
It's so fun isn't it!!!
Mim, I've already finished the Agatha Christie title and begun the Tarquin Hall book. It really is so much fun!!
ReplyDeleteMy friends who have e-readers swear by them, but I'm still resisting. Heck, I just recently got a phone with a camera! I'll be interested to hear how your experience goes.
ReplyDeleteJ.G., I could not be any happier. If for no other reason than having a light book to hold at night, it would be worth it. All I need is one finger to 'turn the page.'
ReplyDeleteThis is exciting!! Will you give us an update in a little while to let us know how you like it?
ReplyDeleteI am still resistant.....but it might be good for going on trips when I haul a lot of books....
I have also been thinking about purchasing one of the readers. I like to take books on trips and this would leave so much room in my luggage.
ReplyDeleteI've been resisting the Kindle, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out. After all, I'm about to spend a lot more than $139 to upgrade my shelving, because my book collection has once again taken over the house. Plus there are several Kindle editions of G.K. Chesterton's "The Complete Father Brown Mysteries" for less than $2.00. Such a deal, and just one of many!
ReplyDeleteLaura, I loved it immediately. It is wonderful, wonderful. So much easier to read in bed. I just keep it upstairs.
ReplyDeleteJodi, it was made for travel! All the choices you want with no weight. :<)
Karen, there are amazing deals. I've bought three books for 0. :<) Well worth the price, I feel.
I love your enthusiasm for your new toy, Nan! I've been working at the Nook desk (at work) a couple of hours every day and I've really become quite a fan of eReaders. I've started downloading newspapers from LA, Chicago, and Dallas to demonstrate to our customers and have fallen in love with the ease of reading a large newspaper via an eReader. Not to mention all the books available at such low prices.
ReplyDeleteAndi said, "One great, engrossing read and you won't notice the "device" anymore." Isn't this the truth. When I was reading my first ebook on my iPad when we were traveling this summer, I was so engrossed, I reached up to the right corner of the iPad, as if I were about to turn the page. I'd completely forgotten I wasn't holding a "real" book!
Have fun!
Les, that is so funny about reaching to turn the page! I so loved Andi's words that I am quoting them in my book report on the first book I read on my Kindle. Count so far: 3 this month!
ReplyDelete