So What Do I Think of This Here Kindle?

I took a sick day today (& now I'm pondering whether the cure is worse than the disease – darn Mucinex!). I'm not terribly sick, but I decided to keep my coughing self home out of the snow. Speaking of snow, all the way home last night I was composing this incredibly witty piece about driving in the dark with the snow blowing all over the interstate so that you're unable to see the lanes. And yet, somehow, still driving 60 mph. But I decided that might be too hair-raising. Not to mention that I don't really remember what was so witty about it. The fact that I'm warning you from ever driving anywhere near me?

So instead of that fascinating topic I'm going to do my little Kindle review. I've read one and a half books & now consider myself an expert (this is so not true – I haven't even tried most of its extra features). But nevertheless, here is a list for your consideration.

*The Kindle by itself is very lightweight, easy to carry around, read in bed, in the tub (unless you think you might drop it in, but I've only ever dropped one book in so I think the odds are in my favor).

*The screen is not backlit. In fact it's a lot like reading a regular book in the way that it looks. Apparently it's supposed to be easier on the eyes this way (and easier to read out in the sun). However, this does mean that you need a book light if you're reading in a dim room. I bought a cover for mine that has a slot for a book light and that works very well for me. The cover does add to the total weight, but it's still only about as heavy as a paperback.

*I chose my particular cover for its function – you can prop the Kindle up and read during lunch! Which is exactly what I did today.

*I find that going back to look at previously read pages is a pain in the patootie. Partly this is because I'm a non-texter, so the little keyboard is hard for me to navigate (such tiny buttons!). I think if you're a little more competent you might have an easier time of it. There is a highlight & a bookmark feature which might help, should you know which portions you might want to look at again. Since I'm always thinking things like, "now what state is this book set in?" bookmarking might not be as useful for that purpose.

*If you'd like to hear your Garmin read to you, then there is a text to voice feature. It's not quite the same as listening to an audio book. Heh.

*When you leave it idle, or turn it off, a cool screensaver comes on. The screensaver is usually a portrait of a writer – who knew Alexander Dumas looked like that?

*There are convenient buttons on both sides to turn the pages backwards or forwards – but it does make handling it a bit tricky when you're moving around (I like to walk around the house & read) – I'm always turning pages inadvertently just from picking it up.

*Hands down, my favorite feature is that you can increase the text size. No more reading glasses! Except for those pesky buttons…

*I am intrigued by the fact that the two free random mysteries I downloaded are both by Christian writers. I didn't set out to select those types of books, but that's what I got. In any case, I really enjoyed the first one I finished (sort of like a Baptist Mrs. Pollifax).

In conclusion, I'm inconclusive. I don't know yet whether the pluses (light weight! Big letters!) outweigh the minuses (flipping through pages). Hmm – if being able to flip through pages is the only con perhaps I've just convinced myself. I will say that I'm allergic to book mold so that wonderful aesthetic of being able to enjoy a great find at a used book store is fraught with peril for me. The Kindle is probably hypoallergenic LOL.

Ok, I'm going to stop talking now – back to my book!