I love books---the feel of them and just holding them. I like covers, in colour and the quick reference on the back, drawing me in to the possibilities within. What then am I to make of my new acquisition--- my Kindle?
I usually visit the local library down in Onehunga about once a fortnight. I have been on holiday for the last two weeks, and not once have I gone down there. I take Perdy to the nearby bay, driving past the library sometimes. It feels like I am betraying this wonderful institution. I feel guilty. Is this going to be a permanent addition to my daily life? God---I hope not.
Blame my new Kindle. It took me a while to understand some of the basic workings of the device, but I have managed to learn how to buy books using my credit card. Once I had the help I needed to register and buy, I was off, purchasing three books in the last week. It didn’t cost much; probably no more than it wold have cost for me to take my car down to the library.
How does Kindle compare to holding a real book? It is a different experience and one that I have come to terms with surprisingly quickly. I have learnt also to be gentle on the touch pad. My big fingers are more than capable of making the screen jump forward several pages or backwards, causing me to get a little confused before I realize that I had already read the pages on the screen.
The screen is not like a cell phone, with strong backlighting. If the light in the room is not bright it can be hard to see the screen, but I have adapted to that too. I like the function whereby I can increase the size of the letters too, but that can lead to turning the pages a lot more frequently.
What about the books that I have ordered? I had not heard of any of the authors and I relied on how many 'stars' other readers had awarded stories. However, the prices of the books I have purchased so far have not been exorbitant. Nothing annoys me more, when I buy books from bookshops at anything up to NZ$40, only to feel let down at times when the book doesn’t do it for me. When I pay only $2.99 for a book, it feels OK if I get a ’bummer’ of a book. So far only one of the three was less than I would have liked.
I am about to search for some books titles in the ‘best seller’ range. I expect the cost to go up significantly, so I shall possibly go and look at the library for their latest releases, or a book shop and then search in the ‘storefront’ on my Kindle and make the purchase. Hell--- I have to get out sometime eh.
One last point---- Using my Kindle has made me determined to get my books online through Amazon. I will need some help in achieving that, but look for my books soon. I have also ddecided that I will always have one book form the library. Hah! I feel better now.
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