This is my Kindle. It is light weight, I can hold it in one hand, the texts have a background light, so what could be better. I like to read, I do not smell my Kindle because I only want to read one of the 140 books I have uploaded onto my Kindle and not inhale aromas. I do not want to feel my Kindle like some sort of living thing. All I want to do is open it and read. I do not even have to turn pages to find where I finished reading the last time I had it in my hand, which is usually not longer then a day. I do not have to turn down corners on my Kindle to discover where I stopped reading and definitely do not have a book mark protruding from the pages. Of couse I mark the page where I stopped reading with an electronic sign, no problem and if I have not read my book further in my Kindle due to some sort of interruption, I easily find the page again where I stopped reading. So why make a state’s affair about reading on a Kindle.
This is a book: actually two books, the two volumes of The Outline of History by H.G.Wells which I inherited from my grandfather. We were not a rich family and the book appeared originally in 1919 in the shape of 24 fortnightly instalments, to be followed up by two complete volumes in 1920. It made quite an impact on the history world when it originally appeared and although I never actually saw grandad reading a book, he had the habit of collecting them. I have even been known to hold this weighty object in my hand giving me muscle pains and reading it. Of course I could have taken the example of a normal book, a series,
This is “Edge of Eternity” by Ken Follet, part three of a trilogy dealing with modern day history from the 20th century. It is mixed with a story, so not on the lines of H.G.Wells epic work, but it is a book. I read all parts of the trilogy, part 1 and 2 were uploaded to my comfortable Kindle within a few seconds. I wanted to read the third part and my No. 2 son gave it to me as a Christmas present. I was thrilled and read it immediately. Yes it was a heavy load to hold and I had to switch the light on in the evening to actually be able to see the words. Otherwise my Kindle supplies its own light.
I am a reader, I admit, and bury my nose in books daily.
I have now got to the point where I no longer buy books, no longer have room for them on my 6 bookshelves in the cellar or the big bookshelf in the living room. My Kindle rests on a shelf inconspicuously. You would not even know it was there unless you needed it.
To summarise, I am absolutely fed up with people almost having pity on me because I no longer feel or hold a book with is 3-500 pages of words. I no longer sniff at a book to fill my nose with the aromas of old and ancient, and who knows where those books have been hiding over the years or who has been touching them with unwashed hands. I am bored with being reduced to an ignorant person who does not appreciate the assembly of paper, carboard and perhaps even gilded letters, showing “book”. I am happy with my lightweight, odourless, clean Kindle where I can upload books at a reasonable price within seconds. Spare me your wisdom about the living book and I am sure some of them are alive, according to where they have been kept. I grew up with books, had no choice, they smelt I can tell you.
I now have my little Kindle tucked away on the bedside table or perhaps in a small space. It goes with me wherever I go and when the book is finished, thanks to 3g or Wireless I can upload a new book, even in the depths of Antartica. Keep your praise for a real book to yourself and may you enjoy every page turn, I just touch my page on the Kindle and it flips to the next one and above all I can still bury my nose in it and it does not smell.
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss 
I agree. Even I love the smell and texture of traditional books my poor eyesight no longer enables me to read them and I do not fancy having a collection of Large Print books in my very small living space. For me Kindle and the Kindle apps on my phone are a Blessing since Kindle enables me to Enlarge the Text so that I can read comfortably without squinting or having headaches. Kindles are Blessings to those with vision impairments. Love your Blog posts!! 🙂
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Exactly. I am just fed up with reading stuff from book readers who look upon Kindle readers as outcasts. I read a few days ago a remark from someone that she would never read a Kindle, even if she got it free. I treasure the back light so that I do not have to switch on an electric light when reading it next to Mr. Swiss that is usually watching the TV. Thanks for the kind comment.
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Me TOO. Real books are sometimes, necessary, but they are SO heavy and you need a light and you need a book marker and two hands to hold it. I LOVE my Kindle. Love it love it love it!
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I am losing my patience with the anti Kindle readers. Is it really so important to have a smell? My books are odourless but they are still interesting to read and I have caught up on so many classics through Amazon which are even free. Comparing the price of real books with Kindle, it seems to me that smells are quite expensive.
By the way, talking of Amazon. Switzerland is not in Europe politically and also tradewise speaking, so Amazon do not deliver a lot of stuff to Switzerland, and there is no Swiss Amazon. It looks like your lovely dresses, which I found, will remain exclusive for you or I pay 20 Swiss francs more to get them from a Swiss company who advertise organising Amazon sales for Switzerland and naturally earning profits by doing it from people like me.
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I don’t understand why anyone feels the need to take a stand on how other people read. It’s very odd to me. As a failed novelist, I can say that more people would rather risk their $.99 on a Kindle version of a self-published book thank plonk down $15.31 even when the prices represents the year of the Second War of Kappel, an important moment in the story.
I have drastically reduced the number of books in my life and will continue to do that.
I don’t understand people who “love books” — books are — each of them — unique unto themselves. I have loved some books — but books in general? That’s absurd. I have also hated some books — hated them with a lot more passion than I ever loved one. Hated them to the point that I thought the writer should be strung up and shot.
I have a shelf of rare old books. They are beautiful and some are meaningful to me because they were my grandfather’s and one because it was a gift from a student, an amazing gift. They are treasures. Maybe when I’m dead they’ll be someone else’s treasures but maybe they’ll end up on Etsy as “decor” items. Seriously. People buy old books as decorations for their living rooms. That is absolutely and totally disgusting to me.
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I agree with you entirely. The remark that really got me going on this one was someone that said she would never read a book on a Kindle even if she was given the Kindle. A plain refusal. I love books, I love reading books, but it is the content that I enjoy not the smell or the touch. I don’t love James Joyce, because I don’t understand what he writes, but I don’t hate him for it. I am sure there are many that enjoy his books. Of course I have old books as well and would never throw a book away from an author. Most of my old books were inherited and Mr. Swiss has books from his childhood that he would never give away. We both read Kindle, both have the app on our iPads and so can read each other’s books. I would never have written this, had it not happened at least every day last week that I had to read of the plain refusal of people of accepting a Kindle. My dad refused a bank account because he did not understand it and was used to cash all his life. But even with his 100 years if I had given him a Kindle he would have read books on it. For me the Kindle haters are just being ignorant.
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I missed my chance yesterday to get a Kindle at a really good price and I regret it. My iPad is heavy. 😦
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I love to read too. As a matter of fact I read everyday. And I have very eclectic tastes in authors and genres. But I have to say, I do miss reading hard back books. There is something that feels so comforting to me when I am holding a “real” book and savoring it’s words. I love the way books smell and the way the binding crinkles. However, I find I have to use a kindle now. My eyesight is not as good as it used to be and I also have glaucoma. So, I have made the change. What I do love about my kindle is that I can carry a whole library with me when I go anywhere. So, I am definitely a fan of the magical Kindle.
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I must honestly say I am glad I have my Kindle to read. Books are no way as comfortable as a Kindle. I have my books from the days gone by, might even read one, but they would never replace my Kindle. I read German or English according to the original of the book and often read Scandinavian authors in German because they are mostly translated first in German. I always have the newest version with a Kindle, and at a reasonable price.
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I absolutely love real paper books. I admit that I have not used kindle yet and I prolly will like it. But i really do love reading paperbook. And also the main reason I may not like it is because of what to do with them once I am done. There has to be a way of circulating all these books. Like selling them to people who wants to read them in more efficient way than amazon or ebay.
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We have an open book case in our town for books. You can take a book out of it, read it and return it and also deposit your own books that you no longer read. I have read all my paper books at home and would never dream of buying a real book now, unless it has illustrations that would interest me. For me there is now only Kindle: quick to upload new books and throught Amazon Kindle app, I know what is new. They know my interests based on what I have uploaded and always send me mails with the newest releases from my authors.
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That is another thing I do not like about amazon. They literally restrict me to one type of category. But then again convenience and you are right kindle may be the way forward and many are going in that path. But I am not sure why I am still holding on?
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You can buy everything on Amazon in the way of books I have found. I can search for any book and do not feel so restricted. I just have my tastes and Amazon shows me the newest books written by the authors I like to read. It is everyone’s choice how they read, but I usually read in the evening in a chair whilst the mister watches TV. Reading a Kindle is not so inconvenient as a book.
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Hear hear! I’m a Kindle reader too. We need to be aware of weight and space in a caravan. A pair of Kindles do us nicely thank you. I recently started reading a paperback of The Dome which made my shoulders complain bitterly with the weight. Within seconds I had a copy on my Kindle and I was as happy as a pig in poo.
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Couldn’t agree more. We are both kindle people. We are also iPad fans and have the Kindle app, which increases the choice of books. I don’t get people who talk about Kindle with disgust. You cannot ignore progress. Taking a Kindle on a journey is certainly more convenient than a book.
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