Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Report Card

So I have had my Kindle for about a week now. I have wanted one for a really long time but I have to admit I did have some nagging little doubts in my mind about what it would be like to read a Kindle instead of a "real book". Obviously, those doubts weren't big enough to keep me from purchasing one - but they did nag at me a little bit.

So in case any of you are considering plunking down about two hundred and fifty George Washington's, I thought I would share my thoughts so far.

What I Love:

I love that I can hold it in one hand and drink a cup of coffee at the same time with my other hand. I love that I can pet the dog or scratch an itch or turn down the volume on the tv remote and never take my eyes off the page. It just works.

I love that I can adjust the size of the font for my eyes. The longer I read, the bigger I can make the font. I can change the number of words in a line as well. It is very light weight and it is easy to hold if you are sitting, reclining, or laying down.

I love that I was in Wal*mart yesterday and saw a newly published book that I want to read, "From the Heart" by Laura Bush. Typically I would wait until it came out in soft cover or until I found it at the used book store. This time I simply pulled my Kindle out of my purse, searched for the book, purchased it at a price that was less than the soft-cover edition will be and downloaded it all in less than a minute. I can peruse a bookstore anytime, anywhere. Technology - it's just AMAZING!

I love that it is small and light enough to carry in my purse. I am planning on making a quilted sleeve for it to fit into to prevent any scratches - but it is the most compact thing imaginable. And it has the capacity to hold 1500 books! That means that right now I am carrying more than 30 books in my purse!

I love the free books you can download from Ama*zon. I couldn't believe how many there are. Many classics and many contemporary.

I love that it keeps my place for me. I stop reading, lay it on the nightstand and the next time I turn it on - voila' - there I am. No more searching for my place. No more lost bookmarks.

I love the dictionary feature. If I read a word I don't know all I have to do is put the cursor in front of the word and a window pops open at the bottom of the screen with a full definition.

I can go online with it. If a book or an article has a link I can go to it on the WWW. Wow.

What I would Improve-

I wish there was a light feature for nighttime reading. I know that the reason there is not a back light is so that reading the screen is identical to reading a paper page. I do have a book light I clip on it so mostly that is not a problem. Well, I had a book light clip until Tyler dunked it into my glass of water that it was sitting beside.

I wish there was a way to loan a book to someone else. If I read a really good book I would have to loan my entire Kindle for someone else to read it. It makes me sad to not loan a book.

I would make the page turner button silent. It has a very quiet clicking sound each time I turn a page. I don't know why it has to click.

I wish you could print a page from it. If a book has a pattern or a recipe it would be really cool if you could make a copy of it.

I wish that pictures were in color - but they are black and white, like newsprint.

Although there is a bookmark feature that allows you to mark a page or highlight a section, I have to admit it is much easier to just thumb through a book to find something you want to re-read.

Overall -

I love it. I am happy I saved all these months to purchase it. I envision many, many happy hours of reading. I already have 31 books downloaded just waiting for me to read. And all but four of those were free ones. I will still buy paper books. So many of my books are my friends really. I love having a full series sitting on the book shelf. I love the way a book smells. But there are many books that I don't necessarily need to have on a shelf. Those are the ones that will go on my Kindle.

Now, if my Kindle could just manage my life, allowing me time to actually read the books on it - I would be a happy camper!

p.s. You might wonder why I don't get books at the library. We live in a rural town and our library fits in a single wide trailer! I could order books using the inter-library loan system, but I am much more of an impulsive reader than that. I could also order them from the library at the University I work at, but same thing - I am an impulsive reader. I don't like waiting for books and I don't like having to have them finished by a certain date. I don't always know what books I want to read until I see them and I can't see them if they aren't there - LOL!

I know. Just indulge me, please.

6 comments:

Karen said...

I've always wondered what people really thought of the Kindle -- pros and cons -- and now I know! This is a great review. I'm not sure I'll be looking for one anytime soon, but you've definitely piqued my interest and I would consider it an option. Especially for the ease of handling.

I'm persnickety when it comes to using the library. If it's a book I really love (and sometimes I won't know until I've read it), then I want to own it, put it on my shelf, have it available to share, since my family is full of book lovers and we're constantly swapping back and forth.

Willow said...

I borrowed my son's Kindle to read a book he recommended. I had to wait until he came to visit to do so-- that was a 'con' for me, as was the dfficulty of 'thumbing back' to find a section I wanted to reread, as you said. My biggest 'pro' was being able to KNIT and DRINK coffee while I read!

Donnetta said...

As an avid reader myself I've often wondered if this would suit my needs. Thanks for sharing this info!

Andrea said...

You forgot to mention how fantastic it is when you travel. That fits in a carry-on and you can get newspapers and stuff too. Saves you a lot of money when you don't have to buy the airport books! I agree with your things to improve though. I love mine!!

Dawn said...

Thanks for this definitive review. I love having a book in my hand, but you make it sound okay. It's funny how often I'm reading a book and I want to go back and find something, but can't. I always wish I could hit the "find" button and find it. Now I could??

I have Laura's book on hold at the library - I would love to meet her. I saw her on Today with Jenna and loved watching them together.

I have 3 childhood series that I want to order and have in all their glorious fullness to re-read any time I wish. I have my dollars!

Nancy said...

What a great review! :) It's so nice to know that I'm not the only one who likes the smell of books. Actually, I LOVE the smell of books! :) I do think that I would like to have a Kindle for traveling, though, since I always fill my "busy bag" with books to read on vacation...never knowing what I'll be in the mood to read or how much time I'll have to read. Thanks for all the info!