I heart my kindle

So, I finally decided to get an e-reader. I bought a kindle, because I wanted it to be exclusively for reading books. I've been putting this off for a long time, since it seemed wrong to give up paper books when I love them so much.

I adjusted really quickly to reading electronically, like, in one day. The very most awesome shocking thing about this kindle is that I can read it in the car for hours, where I'd normally get carsick after reading a book or magazine for just a few minutes. Since we travel so much, this has greatly increased the time I spend reading, especially when new books are just so easy to get now. I love the fact that you can get a free sample, and if at the end of it I don't wish there was more, I know not to buy that book.

The free classics put me over the edge, after spending about $30 for Candide and Crime and Punishment. If you are a lover of classic literature, the kindle can quickly pay for itself. I have about 55 books on it already, and only paid for 6 of them.

There were also a few books that I wanted to read, but knew wouldn't be keepers (Committed, for example). I've read some complaints about the kindle versions of books being the same as paperbacks on amazon, and much more expensive than a used hardback in some cases. This didn't really affect me too much, since I usually wind up picking up books expensively in airport bookstores rather than amazon.com, and I also factor in the book's cost as far as space and clutter.

I opted not to get the 3G version, which has been totally fine. I also didn't get the keyboard, and since I generally search the books on laptop, order the free sample, and click to buy from the kindle if I want it, the lack of keyboard hasn't been an issue at all. I also decided to buy the one with ads, but at the last minute changed my mind because I thought it would bother me too much to have paid for something with ads. What I didn't know is that even after purchasing, you still have the option to pay the difference and have the special offers removed. If I had know that, I don't think I would have been so bothered by the thought of ads.

I did have to go through 3 kindles before I got one that was perfect (first one had a misaligned screen, second severe ghosting), which was a bummer, but amazon customer service was generally pretty helpful.

Here are the 8 kindle books I've read so far, pretty cool considering I got it only 3 weeks ago!

The Ultimate Vegan Guide

The Gospel According to Coco Chanel

It's So Easy

The Princess and Curdie

The Princess and the Goblin

Hurry Down Sunshine

Not Dead and Not for Sale

Committed

Out of these I would really only recommend It's So Easy: and other lies by Duff McKagan - fantastic read! - and The Ultimate Vegan Guide: compassionate living without sacrifice by Erik Marcus - quick, informative, and only 99 cents!