So, I broke down and got a Kindle. For those of you who don’t know me, this is an unthinkable action that I admittedly feel guilty and ashamed about. However, I also feel relieved and satisfied, and those feelings far outweigh the negative ones. For years, I would bemoan the ‘E-Reader’, the ‘fake books’ that would bring about the downfall of those precious, comforting real books. As I took a look at my burgeoning collection, and my bowing shelves, I had to re-think about my many harsh replies and snide remarks about the uses of a Kindle.
I read ten books in three and a half weeks. I bought every single one of them, and five of them were brand new hardbacks. Yeah, my bank account took a dip during those short few weeks. They were worth every cent, but if I had purchased them on say, a Kindle, I could have read even more, and isn’t that the important thing? Or I could have saved the extra money for later and put it towards my upcoming trip, or fixed the crack in my windshield, or gone to a movie. There are a lot of benefits that I neglected to admit when I was naïve and in denial. I was most definitely in denial.
There are four book cases in my apartment. Each is filled to the edge, some are three books deep, and all of my middle shelves have started to cave. I’ve even filled the crevices between shelves with books placed horizontally to help with the bowing. I have boxes of books on my floor in my room, and it’s a mess. My roommate asked me if I’m a hoarder, and I laughed, not sure how to reply. It’s easy to see why she’d say that because of the overflow of books. There are roughly 1,200 books placed around my home, and while I love each dearly, I cannot find room to fit any more. Until I get a bigger place, that is, but that won’t be for a little while yet.
As you can see, there are several reasons why I’ve made the enormous decision to become a part of the Kindle-clan. It’s the best decision I’ve made in a while, I know my shelves certainly think so. However, I now have an itching every time I’m in a place with Wi-Fi and I can pop on to search new books, or old books, or whatever books I feel like searching for and purchasing. It’s become a bit of a problem.
Convenience. We, as humans, love things that are convenient for us. I have a gas station with a Subway and a Dominoes inside of it and I laugh every time drive by. The ultimate convenience: lunch, dinner, lotto, and gas all in one go! The Kindle is my one-stop shop for books. All I have to do is get online and go. But, oh man, is it dangerous. And lazy. I no longer have to make the trek to the bookstore, although I’ll still make it to my favorite spot at least once a month if only for the experience of being surrounded by shelves and shelves of new books. I’ll probably buy something, too. As I’ve said before, it’s an obsession. The fact that I can also bring my collection with me when I travel is something I hadn’t really thought of before. I usually put two or three books into my bag depending on what I’m reading and if I have a lot of down time where I’m going, and the weight adds up in my purse. I think that’s partially why I have a bad shoulder because of the weight of my purse, but with my Kindle… well it’s a lot lighter and not as crowded and I can choose to start or stop or change books on a whim, and I rather like my option to choose. It’s freeing.
There are good things and not so good things about everything. On one side owning a Kindle has the amazing benefit of condensing my growing collection and on the other side is that it hasn’t helped my bank account. In fact, I think it’s rather dwindled a bit further. But I can’t complain. For all the years I grimaced whenever someone hinted at an E-Reader (or sometimes my reactions were a bit more violent, like when my roommate got a Nook for Christmas last year and I chased her around the apartment) I have to say that I’m no longer going to say things like ‘never’.
Three years ago, if someone would have asked me if I’d ever purchase an E-Reader, I most assuredly would have said, “Never.” Today, although I technically didn’t purchase it because it was a gift for my birthday, I say, “Who wouldn’t?”
I’m a hypocrite. But damn, I love my Kindle.
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