Saturday, March 31, 2012

ABC Wednesday - K is for Kindle

We're back to the ABC meme. This wee the letter is K, and K for me this time is for Kindle.

(me, reading at my little witch's bed while I thought he at the computer - not!)


When I started working at home as a text reviewer and text editor for a publishing house for indies last year, one of the first things my boss did was to give me his Kindle DX, so I could work and train in the process of converting texts into pdf files, and test them into the device. For the book lover here, it was a huge treat. It was already filled with over 4oo ebooks, from technical manuals, to classic authors, to some brand-new books that were only recently launched - Da Boss is also an avid reader, Gods bless him, lol!

I have always been reluctant on using an e-reader. Physical books, as for many people, have always been some kind of sacred objects to me. I always loved holding a book in my hands. The joy at running my fingers over the cover, feeling the different textures and beautiful (or not) art on them. The pleasure of turning the pages and feeling that classic smell only books have. And of course, the excitement of reading the stories at the pace the authors imply, reading under blankets, over breakfast table, on bank lines. One thing I miss is to have my bookshelf again full of my old, cherished books, now patiently waiting in cardboard boxes.

So at first I kept my Kindle aside, not trusting it entirely, and being stupidly stubborn not allowing myself to try it at least once. But as work demanded, I started testing some texts converted from my favorite writing program, Scrivener. It worked well, of course, and I started getting used to feeling the cool surface, the device's weight, its clean appearance.

And I was caught. I started re-reading classics just for the fun of experiencing it, and liked it. I still love actual books much more than ebooks, but I can't deny that they are here to stay. It's a fact that more and more ebooks will be launched, it's a niche that is begging to be explored. I just can't deny it. And after all, what matters is reading.

I still prefer buying a physical book and enjoy it the way I always did. But now I also buy ebooks with no regrets. On my Kindle I'm devouring now The Hunger Games trilogy, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy is just waiting for me after that. As I said, what matters is reading! ;o)

For more cool ABC posts, visit the main page.

5 comentários:

Roger Owen Green said...

my wife's had a Kindle for over a year. Still in the box!

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Anonymous said...

My husband got me a Kindle for my birthday last year & I was very hesitant. Like you, I love the feel, even the smell of a new book! Once I got used to the Kindle, though, I was completely hooked! I love be able to adjust my font size, paragraph spacing, etc. I tend to love reading big, fat books too, and its nice to have them easily portable on the Kindle.

I do find that more textbook-style books, something I read to learn, do not work for me on the Kindle, b/c I can't easily flip back & forth through the book to find information. I do best with novels. Have you noticed that at all Nydia?

*hugs* to you & Lucas!

Tim Byrd said...

I still love my paper books, but since I started reading on my iPhone and iPad I've come to prefer reading on them, particularly the phone. It's just so small and light; I can hold it in one hand and use my thumb to flip pages. And the phone is always with me, so I always have a library in my pocket.

Diandra said...

I love my Kindle - will still always buy "real" books, but only those I really love and want to have on my shelves, and not everything I think I may or maynot like once I start reading.

The Poet said...

Hello.
My wife's the reader in the family and as much as the Kindle is good for travel, I don't think she'll ever give up those sacred books...she still maintains her book club membership!
I enjoyed your post. Thanks for sharing.

Kisses From A Rose