My New Kindle

sangeeta — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 13:22:10 +0000

The first time I heard about Kindle, I dismissed it out of hand as a non-reader’s fake toy. People who weren’t ‘into’ books bought the gadget, or people who were into gadgets, or show-offs, anyone but a true lover of books. I little realised that I was being the show-off here. Like a true snob, I had dismissed something without understanding it. And then my husband gave it to me as a gift. Then, too, I didn’t use it immediately. Gadgets scare me. Even the simplest instruction is a mindbending task for me. So I postponed activating the reader until my husband’s disappointed but eager look propelled me into doing what needed to be done to set the thing going. Since then there is, as someone once famously remarked, no looking back.
There are people who say that they can’t read a book unless they can feel its pages. To them I say ‘B—-s’! It is what lies inside the book that matters, not its glossy cover, or amazing paper quality. I’m ashamed to confess that I’ve read pirated books that feel like newsprint, because the original wasn’t immediately available, and I couldn’t wait. I’m not going to describe the features of the Kindle. Amazon.com does it much better than I can. Suffice it to say that there is no beating carrying an entire library with you on travel, not having to bother with physical bookmarks, and not having to lend one’s precious collection to potential book-stealing felons. And the fun of changing the font size to suit my failing eyesight is unbelievable. Sometimes I listen to the book. But most important of all, I’m a part of a digital revolution that’s happening almost as I breathe. And what could be more exciting than that!
A back of the envelope calculation tells me that my Kindle is going to be sufficient for my needs for the next twenty years. Perhaps a lot will change by then, including the fact that there won’t be too many novelists around, but till then, what a relief not to have to add another bookshelf in my already cramped apartment!

Cloud 9 Minus One » Kindle

My New Kindle