Kindle

When I got my first MP3 player, I never would have imagined it was going to be a life-changing device. I thought all those iPod people were exaggerating about how wonderful their machine was. But I was wrong: having about a million songs and audiobooks on a tiny little gadget changed my listening habits. I'd never want to go back to my Discman days now, and I'm sure many of you can relate.

I've now had the same experience with the Kindle. I fought ebook readers for years, since I love walking through libraries and used-book stores. I love the smell of the books, the weight, turning pages. I couldn't imagine how I could have the same experience with an electronic device, especially an expensive device for which I would have to buy expensive books rather than buying them cheap at the used-book store or getting them from the library. I only bought a Kindle because I knew books were incredibly expensive in New Zealand ($20 for a paperback!) and even the library isn't really free. ($2 to put a book on reserve, $5 to transfer a book to another branch library, $5 to check out a new release book, etc.) I didn't think it would really change my reading habits that much.

Wow, was I wrong. Having all of my books on the Kindle means I only have to carry around a single light device, instead of having to lug around a heavy book. I'm always in the middle of about ten books at once, and with the Kindle I don't have to decide which book to bring places; they're all on here (along with about 700 other books--in case I get bored). I love the fact that I can change the text size, and instead of needing a hand free to hold a book, I just need a single finger free to press the button to turn pages. The Amazon bestsellers are still a bit expensive, at least for me (about $10/book--which isn't horrible but I read a LOT, so it adds up), but Amazon lists plenty of $2-3 books, and there are lots of free books available on Project Gutenberg and other places around the internet. My old Spokane library offered a service through a company called Overdrive, frequently used in US libraries, which provides ebooks for download. (They're set up for Sony's ebook reader, the Nook, but there are hacks available on the internet to put those books on a Kindle--and I don't feel guilty about using them!)

All in all, this was one of my favorite purchases, and it has revolutionized my reading habits.