Now, before I got my Kindle, I would’ve said “book”, every time – and part of me still feels that way. Nothing compares to the feeling of opening a new book and experiencing the feel of the paper and the smell of the ink, and it is lovely – but my reading life has been revolutionized by the Amazon Kindle, and I absolutely love it.
I’m a fast reader – I can get through books very quickly, so of course, if I’m going on holiday somewhere and plan on doing a lot of reading, I want to take lots of books so I don’t run out of things to do if we’re stuck in the caravan with nothing to do (not very likely but I like to be prepared). In the past I’ve had to take a massive bag as well as my suitcase, jam-packed with books and very heavy, clogging up space in the room. This year, I won’t have that problem, because all the books I want to read are on my Kindle, as well as an internet browser and an MP3 player! As much as I love books, I also love the Kindle, and I think people put it down too much without actually experiencing it for themselves.
The battery life is amazing – if you read for one hour a day, without the Wi-Fi turned on, the battery should last for up to two months without needing to re-charge it. Personally, I’ve had the wi-fi on, reading for about an hour most days and I’m not even halfway through the battery, and the last time I charged it was two months ago! It’s very quick and easy to charge, too – it hardly takes any time. You can get them from £89, but I love my keyboard one, which was £111 last year – I have the set texts for my college work on there, and I can use the keyboard to make notes that are stored on the Kindle! It’s great and has come in handy.
I got a case for it really cheap so it looks nice and is protected, and it’s really light and easy to take anywhere – it goes to college with me most days for reading on the bus and in between lessons, and if ever I’m going on a long car journey or something like that, I take it with me too. I also love that you can put your own personal documents on there – a lot of my writing is on my Kindle, so I can read over it and make plans for editing, and also so that I can show other people who want to read my writing. The e-ink screen is amazing – no matter what the sunshine is like or what angle you hold it at, it feels like you’re reading it off paper because the screen is so crystal clear, and there is never the problem of the sun reflecting off the screen like you get with phones and computers and things like that.
There are a great variety of free books including a lot of the old classics, and you can also get free e-books from Project Gutenberg – I have the complete works of Shakespeare on my Kindle from Gutenberg, for free. Most paid e-books aren’t that expensive at all, and it’s a great way for unpublished, independent authors to get their work seen and to make a little bit of money but, more importantly, providing a platform for their work to be read and enjoyed.
All in all, the Kindle is wonderful, and if you enjoy reading and writing, I highly suggest you get one if you haven’t already. The Kindle doesn’t try to replace books – it complements your bookshelf and makes reading on the go just as easy as reading in the comfort of your own home.
the life of a moomin 