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Friday, January 27, 2012

Kindle vs. Paper

I may have mentioned that Dave got me a Kindle Fire for Christmas.  I have now read about 5 books on it and think I have a good handle on the book versus e-reader debate.  Here is my take:

Book:
There is really nothing like a real book.  I love the way they feel and smell.  I love turning the pages.  I love having Dave guess how many pages I have already read.  He is freakishly good at this.  I love being able to see the progression of the pages as I read the book.  I love going to the library and looking through the shelves to see what might catch my fancy.  I also love reading the book jacket to see what the book is all about.   A book never runs out of batteries.

Kindle:
I like that I can carry more than one book in my purse.  I really like the convenience of not having to leave my house if I want to read something and I am out of material.  Sometimes I just don't have the time to go to the library.   I like that my kindle also has apps and Internet access.  It fits nicely in my purse so when I am out and Ryan wants to play a game, it keeps him occupied for about 10 minutes which is usually all I need.  It does not require me to move my hand to turn the page, and you can change the font size if you need it a little bigger. 

Here is what I don't like about the Kindle Fire.  First, when they added the color and bigger screen, it is kind of heavy.   I also find that I am having a hard time looking for books from the library.  I have not mastered the search engine yet and it is not as enjoyable as going to the library and browsing.  I have it on good authority that our local library is adding many more titles and copies of e-books, so I am sure this will get easier.   In the meantime, I have found a website called www.pixelofink.com where they offer about eight free books a day that cover all genres.  That has stocked my Kindle with a ton of books that are not authors that I have ever read before and I have found some that I like. 

All in all, I am enjoying my Kindle, but I don't think it will ever replace a paper book in my heart.

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