Kindle

I was a fairly voracious reader when I was younger. I used to go through books like a sick person go through tissue.

Then, as usual, I grew up and grew busier, picked up bad habits like not returning library books on time and thus incurring fines and thus avoiding borrowing books to avoid paying the fines and thus stopped reading as often as I did. There’s also portability – I usually forget to bring books with me when I go out, so I can’t read them when I am waiting for someone, or queuing, or taking the train. In fact I believe that I wouldn’t be able to finish reading long-ish sagas at my age now, compared to when I was younger. It’s one of the reasons I do not want to pick up Game of Thrones; because I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to finish them.

But I still love reading and I’ve always made resolutions to read more often. I’ve wanted to buy a ebook reader for a while now, because I thought that the convenience of it would spur me to read more.

And thus I bought the Kindle 4 this week.

I had a lot of misgivings about buying a Kindle. For one, the price. Secondly, it’s a lot of hassle buying books from Amazon when you are from Singapore. Gift cards and US-based addresses and whatnot. (Thankfully found a solution around it…. hehehe). Thirdly, the practical side of me keeps saying, if you are going to blow money on a mobile reader, you might as well get an iPad or some other mobile notepad shit that can read books and play games and run other apps. Why buy a device that just allows you to read?

Those arguments are valid but I bought it anyway… I’m not sure why but maybe the bookworm in me just wants some new fangled toy to play with.

So far I loveeee it!

I bought Kindle on Saturday afternoon. By Saturday night I’ve finished reading Warm Bodies, a book I’ve wanted to read for a while but they didn’t have it in the library. I also started reading A Short History of Nearly Everything, which is kinda deep and thought-provoking, so I read it in little bits (yea I tend to read multiple books at once… probably that’s why I can’t finish reading books). Today is Sunday, and I’ve finished reading I Am Legend and World War Z (although that probably doesn’t count because I’d read WWZ before; so today was just picking out my favourite parts and rereading them). I have also found tons and tons of other ebooks and I cannot wait to start on them omgwtfbbq.

(If you know the titles I have just named, you will probably notice that most of them are from one particular genre. Hehehehehhee. I am so bloody predictable).

Maybe it’s just me being excited about my Kindle. Maybe in a month’s time I will toss the Kindle to one side and go back to not reading regularly. But I love it so far. I love the matte screen, how it feels as if I am reading from a book instead of reading from a screen. I love the convenience of being able to lug it into the toilet and wherever I go. I love the long battery life. I hope this Kindle will last me a while!