I recently received a truly personal surprise. Adria Richards, my computer consultant and social media mentor, presented me with a GelaSkins Protective Cover bookshelf motif for my Kindle DX.  The Kindle is not very glamorous or eye-catching in its visual design, so applying the bookshelf skin really added pizzazz, and anything featuring books appeals to my eye.

Adria, your insight and thoughtfulness into who I am and what appeals to me sincerely touched me. Thank you so very much!

Kindle Observations

As Adria is the person who has encouraged me to blog, and as I have been quite remiss these past few months, I will take this time to also share my thoughts on the Kindle.

I have had my Kindle DX for 8 months now, and I love it.  Has it replaced my first true love of traditional paper books?  No.  It has, however, definitely found a niche in my reading library.  Here are just a few of the features that appeal to me:

Techie cool. As indicated in my previous blog, I think the Kindle is just cool.  Having multiple books available on one device that is easy to read, has a built-in dictionary and can bookmark, highlight and look up content for later reference, is embracing and utilizing technology to enhance my love of reading.  It has also been a great conversational tool. Many people have approached me to inquire about and examine it and always walk away intrigued.

Free 3G Wireless.  At the touch of a button, I can access the internet with no annual contracts, no monthly fees, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots. I can download books from the Kindle within seconds from Amazon.  I haven’t yet used the built-in PDF reader.

Free Book Samples. Downloading to read first chapters of a book for free to decide if you like it is awesome.  I have done this many times.  I wasn’t sure if I would like Pat Conroy’s South of Broad but, after reading the first chapter, I was hooked and bought it.  I was happy I did.

Lightweight and Slim.  The Kindle DX weighs a little over a pound and has the thickness of an average magazine.  This is important when comparing it to the weight of South of Broad or the 1088 pages of Under the Dome by Stephen King.  I picked up Under the Dome at the bookstore and it weighed 3.65 pounds!  No way did I want to lug that around.

Long Battery Life.  Now everyone knows the rotten battery life of the iPhone and most laptops.  Amazon says you can read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on, and I have found this to be true.  However, I usually turn it off when not using it, so I can go a couple of weeks without recharging.  How great is that!

Screensaver Images.  This might seem irrelevant to some people, but I absolutely love the screensaver images. There are over 25 different images that randomly appear when you put the Kindle to sleep.  They evoke and represent so well the passion and delight of all things literary.  

With all the controversy and chatter about the new Apple iPad, which I look forward to checking out, I have been more than satisfied with my Kindle.  I purchased it as a reading device and it has delivered beautifully

A library may look like a single building, but please don’t be misled by the walls. It’s a single link in an enormous chain. It’s a single being in a gigantic ecosystem of words and thoughts and ideas.   ~  Shula Klinger