Monday, February 22, 2016

My Reading Life: Amazon Kindle

I'll be the first to admit that I always prefer reading a hard copy of a book. The feeling of the pages under your fingers, the quality of the reading experience, watching your bookmark move through the pages as you go through the book...it's just a better experience all the way around. So why am I about to shill the Amazon Kindle? I'll tell you why.



I've had a Kindle for over five years now. The same one even...a Kindle Touch 3G. It was a Christmas gift from my dad in 2010. Yes, I plan on upgrading one of these days, probably soon-ish even (the Kindle Paperwhite, linked above, is what I've got my eye on personally). And while I'll admit it took me a while to start using it regularly, it's now a key piece of my reading life. I've got over 200 books waiting to be read on there! Here's are the two big reasons it's become indispensable for me:

  • Convenience: I'll say it again, I've got over 200 books on the Kindle. 200! I'm sure anyone reading this knows how much space 200 books takes up. If not, it's a lot. It's a lot of space. It's multiple bookshelves. As an apartment-dwelling person, I lack the space to deal with another 200 books on top of the ones that are already spilling out all over the place. And when you travel? Even better! Instead of trying to jam three books into a suitcase for a vacation, I can just slide my Kindle into my purse. Boom. Done. Plus, there's Kindle apps for your phone, for your laptop, for your tablet, so your Kindle books are wherever you are!
  • Cost: The upfront investment is steep, I grant you. The least expensive Kindle is $79, and depending on options (some have ads that display when you're not reading, which are less expensive, and some have 3G wireless as well as WiFi, which is more expensive), they can go up to over $200. But once you make that initial investment, there are monthly sales of Kindle books for $3.99 or less, as well as Kindle Daily Deals offering a few books each day in the same price range. With the exception of some Christmas shopping for myself with an Amazon gift card, I haven't paid more than $3.99 for a book on the Kindle in years. Assuming $4/pop, that's 25 books for $100. For new hard copies, that's more like 5-6 books for $100. Also, like I mentioned with the Kindle I currently own, they last for a long time. I haven't been kind to mine (it's spent a lot of time in the bathroom while the shower is running over the years), and while I have to imagine it's approaching the end of its usable life, it's not done yet!   
Tell me, blog friends...do you use an e-reader? 

2 comments:

  1. i LOVE my kindle so much. i've had a couple, and i just got a new one for my birthday. it's a fire, but it was only $40. i don't use it as a tablet, just as an ereader, it's so much easier to find my books than it was on my basic one. you really can't beat the convenience, though i'm with you - i do love a real book!

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  2. I barely used my Kindle for the first year or so I had it except for travel, but once I worked it into my normal routine, I never looked back! It's just so easy to use!

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