I love books. That should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. I love the feel and the smell of them. I love collecting them in my ever growing library. There is just something about curling up with a well-loved book or browsing in a bookstore to make me incredibly happy. I was once asked about the perfect gift and without even batting an eyelash I said books. I won't ever turn down books.
So I've been avoiding the whole e-book thing. I've read a couple books electronically but I don't really enjoy the experience. It seems more like research than something done for pleasure. Even though I just finished Wuthering Heights online, I'm not as much of a fan of electronic versions. So when a friend at work brought me in her Kindle to play with, I originally resisted. My complaint has always been that I can't read in the bathtub with a Kindle. Nor does it seem cozy to curl up with a Kindle in bed. But I have to admit once I started playing with the thing that it has its benefits. It's far more user friendly than the older e-book readers I've used. The big screen helps make it less of an eyestrain. But the biggest advantage that it has is easy access to the classics.
I'm a huge classics reader. I've picked up books like Dante's Inferno, Othello, and Anna Karenina as fun reading. I'm constantly scouring public domain literature sites for good books. So when I found out that the Kindle will instantly download public domain works to the Kindle for no cost, I was hooked. With the push of a button I could have a title downloaded on the device in seconds. I could have a huge library of free books on this device and never lack for reading material. If I start a book (like Moby Dick) that I won't finish, I won't be out any money (I've tried it twice now. Just can't read it). My friend even showed me that there are a number of new books that are available for free or at a huge discount.
While this won't take the place of books for me, I can now see the advantage of the Kindle. It's mostly user friendly, offers cheap or free reading material, and can store a ton of books. I could even take notes on quotes I like or sections that are interesting. The Kindle is still a toy for me but I could see purchasing one. In fact, I'll start saving my money. I'll still buy paper books. I like the permanence of them and the feel of them. And picture books will never be replaced by e-books. But I could go for a cheap digital portable library. I could actually be moving into the 21st century.
