Rekindling an old love affair

Let me start out by saying this year has been a difficult one so far, its been busy, its been stressful, there has been a lot going on and to be honest my commutes back and from the office have been a reason to nap and do little else.

I have given up on tweeting as much as I used either because I don’t want to share what I am thinking, wasn’t in the mood to hear about who had “got on the bus” or “wished it was Friday”. It feels like there is more in life to concentrate on and pay attention to. There is also much more to learn and to absorb.

I have had the fortune of being awarded a good bonus for all my hard word and am diligently saving the money I earned so that we can put it to good use. I honestly didn’t plan to spend any of it as we have been frugal of late but I did and I bought myself an Amazon Kindle.

I have a chequered history with books, I tend to buy loads at once and start reading them all never to complete. I would find one book enthralling and then give up. Book jackets and covers lie, the synopsis doesn’t help and I really know a good book when I pick one up so to buy a Kindle was a little out there.

I had originally three reasons to consider buying one:

1. My commute may be getting longer
2. I was thinking of purchasing one for my mum (and wanted to ensure I knew how to work one)
3. It gives me the opportunity to catch up with blogs, newspapers and those books in an easy to use convenient way

Seems like , so far only one of those was even close to being right..

I toyed with the idea of buying one but couldn’t bring myself to do so, it took Richard to convenience me and I am glad he did.

In a week I have read two complete books (purchases from Amazon), read several samples and toyed with blogs and newspapers.

I am so impressed. The screen initially was my cause not to purchase one as it’s black and white and I didn’t like the “flicker” when you turned pages. After using it, it feels natural, the flicker isn’t noticeable (it does honestly mimic the turn of a page) and through the open fields, cities and tunnels I travel, the light changes dramatically and yet it’s always readable – as readable as any book.

I now have a collection of possible purchases and 64 other volumes that I have to read or re read.

I seem to have exacerbated the problem above as there is no pile of books to worry me about reading, yes I have collections but this is all electronic and I can chop and change at will.

I love the fact that I can take highlights from the copy and store it, tweet it or put it on Facebook. Already I have found a quote or two from the volumes I have read this week that seemed very apt.

Amazon have been as clever with the Kindle as Apple has been with its iOS devices. When you complete a book you get to rate it, review it, socially make people aware of it and look at other books that are of a similar theme – of course this has already led me to a new purchase.

I find the Amazon book store (any book store for that matter) a pain to wade through and this is a great way of acquiring new knowledge and possible new books. I also like that I can download the first couple of paragraphs of any possible purchase to allow me to read and get a feel for it – something I cannot do with a purchase in store. For me the first couple of chapters defines if I will stay with a book and this is why I particularly love this feature.

Looking at it I’d rather spend a couple of pounds on a Kindle book than on an app or a game that will hold my attention for only five minutes.

Oddly electronic books in the UK are subject to VAT (normal books are not) but thankfully Amazon is heavily discounting Kindle books and I hope this continues as I doubt I would spend the same price for an electronic book as I would for a hard copy.

This all adds up to a much more beneficial commute. I had a couple of evenings I wanted to snooze but can say I honestly felt much better for not giving in and reading instead.

I of course, made my Kindle my own by buying a Gelaskin and making it more attractive than the standard grey it comes in. I didn’t want a cover that looks like a book. As it seems more rugged than an iPad I didn’t want a cover for the screen either – thee attraction was it’s weight and size. I can slip it into any bag and almost forget it’s there – this really is a major strength.

We’ve booked a short notice holiday so I will ensure I have plenty of volumes to take with me but as I have the 3G version I can update and download books in Spain without any extra cost – another great feature. One I have no idea how Amazon set up.

If you like to read and want to carry lots of books around with you, you really cannot go wrong with the Kindle. Why do you need bright lit screens or full colour – this just cause eye strain.

My three points? Well…

1. For now my commute is the same length but that still gives me at least an hour a day to read
2. My mum? Well she may use one. She may not. I am going to take my Kindle home next time we go and I will gauge her opinion then
3. Blogs/Newspapers – thankfully you get to download these for 14 days before paying subscription fees. Blogs I would prefer to read on my computer (although the little known built-in web browser has a great article feature ala Safari which is much better than subscribing (and free). And as for newspapers, well I don’t really read them so that lasted about two minutes. I downloaded a couple, saw what was possible then unsubscribed.

Again the ease of the Kindle and the way it works really is it’s strength – I didn’t know half of what I mentioned above was possible (and I have not even including the ability to email your own documents to your Amazon/Kindle account to read on it… etc) and that’s what make the Kindle such a joy to use. It does what it is designed to do. It does not try to be anything else and it’s not a replacement for my phone or my computer, it let’s me reconnect with literature – old and new.

Next time you think about taking a long journey, picking up a book or going to a library, think about doing it using e-ink – I promise you, you won’t look back (or flip pages or lose your place any more for that matter!).

So what have I read?

Casper the Commuting Cat – a good friend bought me a copy (which I still have), I kept it as a thoughtful gift. As this book contains lots of things I like (cats, human interest, it being featured in my home city), it was my perfect first choice and a wonderful book. I knew it ends sadly and this had me in tears on the train but it’s such a lovely book.
Homer’s Odyssey – This was recommended by my Kindle after finishing Casper… and it’s another lovely book. It truly is heartwarming and wonderfully written. I dare anyone not to be moved by it.
The Looking Glass Club – A departure for me but this is a book written by a good friends house mate and sounds very interesting. I wanted to pick up a copy a while ago so took the opportunity in the Kindle Store.

I have read a few samples (too many to mention) but I am sure there will be many more books to come.