My summer reading was vastly improved when I received the gift of a Kindle. Suddenly, I could upload books I was longing to read immediately, and carry a library full around in my summer bag and backpack. Kindle reading has advantages and disadvantages, (not for the beach, okay for the pool). The ability to switch between books and to read while spending long hours in an airport without carrying much weight around, are some of the advantages. Not having to wait to get to a bookstore, unless it is amazon.com, is another advantage of the text-addicted, as I am. As a librarian, I like to know what books are about before I buy them with my limited library budget, so now I can instantly download free book samples from amazon and read them on the go. Samples consist of several chapters of the latest bestsellers, as well as substantial portions of older titles. I have probably doubled the amount I am reading using the Kindle, and it has really aided my collection development for the coming year. Disadvantages to the Kindle have to do with text size (although it is adjustable), no back light for night or bus/metro reading, and the size of the control button (it should be bigger and rounded, like on a laptop). The audio is a terrific idea, but better voice quality would help. I am now saving my pennies for an Apple I-pad and hoping the price will drop soon.
Books on my Kindle right now: Daniel Silva, The Rembrandt Affair; Justin Cronin, The Passage; plus many samples of wonderful new books like 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett, and Alan Furst' 'Spies of the Balkans'. Check my next post for a list of books on my bedside table. I have a stack of hardcopy books and articles to blog about.
