Kindle Ownership: Personal Reflections

I’ve used eReaders for a long time now, and enjoyed them since the start, but the overall pattern of my reading didn’t really change much until I got my Kindle. To this day I have at least several hundred paperbacks in my collection. Since getting the Kindle, I’ve added perhaps a dozen to the pile and gotten rid of quite a few that were falling apart.  Employees at bookstores often make jokes about paperback “collections” since, as most heavy readers already know, the Mass Market Paperback format simply isn’t designed to last very long.  Grabbing a Kindle helped with that a bit since it lets me reread my favorites endlessly, pick up new things on a whim without worrying about how much space I have available, and simply change my mind and read something else on a given day.  I’m one of those people who reads several books concurrently, but who wants to carry around four books at once, on the chance that you’ll be in the mood for the wrong one?  I’ll always love hardcover books, and my buying habits haven’t changed where those are concerned, but when it comes to variety, reuse, convenience, and portability(something that is extremely important if you move a lot given that paper is surprisingly heavy), I’m not likely to go back.  It’s not a sales pitch, not an argument against those who don’t want to make the switch yet, just what I’ve experienced and I feel that I’ve gained. Read how to open XAPK file.

2 thoughts on “Kindle Ownership: Personal Reflections”

  1. The Kindle is the first e-reader I’ve seen that I would actually want to own. My primary concerns for reading (a major hobby and entertainment for me!) are:

    1) I can easily see the page, in the same places I would read a book
    2) I can buy books without having to have a computer.
    3) If my device is trashed, I can get my purchased content back without additional cost beyond a new device
    4) I can store, or not store, books on the device
    5) I can lock some content away, so the device can safely be borrowed by my visiting young nieces and nephews.

    The Kindle does most of these, and I am very happy with the one I bought last year. With the addition of collections, it is much easier to find my content. I rarely buy paper books anymore – I have to REALLY want them, and they have to be VERY unlikely to come out for Kindle, before I will. The sample feature, which I had never considered before, has turned out to be fantastic – I now read many authors I would previously not have ever looked at, because I could just download a chapter or two and not buy before knowing I’d get any enjoyment. I have also avoided a few books that looked good, but turned out to be terrible upon reading the sample, so I’m pleased both in a positive and negative feedback way.

    All in all – this is the first e-reader I would have bought. I did buy it, and while there are a couple of others on the market that I might have gotten were they available two years ago, I’m very happy with this one. And if a Mirasol-display version comes out? I may have to break down and get a second one…

  2. My Kindle was a gift from my daughter for my 60th birthday. I would have bought one myself but it wasn’t high on my list since my financial situation is a little tight at the moment.

    It’s a great device and being able to buy and download books while reading in bed still gives me a kick. I’m sure in the not too distant future all students will have their text books and reading assignments on similar devices.

    I play the piano and do a lot of reading while practicing. With conventional books I would have to use rubber bands or clothes pins to hold pages in place. With a Kindle it just sits on my music rack and I press a button for the next page. Small pleasures.

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