I recently took the plunge and ordered one of these beauties:
That's right. I, the vocally staunch, long-time advocate of the paper book has entered the world of the e-reader. And I am actually pretty dang excited about.
My reasoning, though, betrays my true identity as a Lover of Books. The list of books I want to own because they may never make it to the library is long. The amount of space on my bookshelf and in my apartment in general is not. So, I decided that a Kindle could be just the thing: I can own all the books I want without taking up any more of my living space! Sure, they will not have beautiful physical covers, and sure, no one will be able to perceive my impeccable literary taste simply by entering my apartment and viewing my bookshelf, but they will be readable texts, and I will be able to enjoy them over and over again just as with a physical book. An added plus is that many of the classic books suggested to me on my recent post "Why Don't I Like Classic Books?" are FREE on the Kindle, so I can download them guilt-free--it won't matter whether I like it or not. The Kindle hasn't even arrived in the mail yet and I have already downloaded The Scarlet Pimpernel, per many recommendations.
I also like that the Kindle is lower profile than a paper book. When I travel, especially on long trips, I typically find my suitcase or backpack carry-on loaded down with books, because I have a fear of finishing one and not having anything else to start. This way, I can have a whole library's worth of books in my purse at all times! How can you beat that?
Once I get it and have perused it more, I'm sure you'll be hearing more, but this is my big announcement/confession for the day. Don't worry, I won't be abandoning my love of libraries (and in fact am now looking forward to the day when lending e-books becomes a mainstream practice) or beautifully published books; I'll just be devouring my words in a different format.
What's your opinion about e-readers and the effect of technology on books as we know them?
