Kindle-icious

Relatively recently I got a Kindle.
At the time of the purchase I was a little bit leery but they enticed me with one simple statement; “you can store up to 3,000 books on it.”
That sounded like a good deal to me. See here is the thing I am a rapacious reader, I LOVE to read!
And the thought of having access to several books at once STRONGLY appeals to me.
I have been known to go through a book a day (literally) and some books only take me a couple of hours.
I must say I am very pleased with that aspect of the Kindle! I hear a lot of people complain about the idea. “oh I like the tactile sensation of a book, the paper the contrasts…” (My mom) or “who wants to read that many books at once? Besides it must be hard to read in the sun.” (a radio talk show host).

I want to address my mom’s point. I like the sensation of turning the pages and I will admit there is something very satisfying about closing the back cover on a book you just read. And yes these things are slightly lacking on a Kindle. BUT I do NOT like having to fight with a book because it was bound to tight and keeps trying to close on me. I do NOT like having to glue my paper back books together because the bindings break too easily. And I do not like how after a few hours my thumb starts to hurt trying to hold a book open while I am totally engrossed in it.
I also don’t like when I reach a point where I am really into the book and then I drop the book or I put my book down and the kids knock it down and lose my place.
All these points that I do NOT like are negated in the Kindle.

As for the, “who wants to read that many books at once…”
Let me use this scenario, I am going on vacation to visit my wife’s family in New Jersey… I want to take along something to read. What will I want to read for the week that we are there? I might want to read Sci-Fi or a western or a mystery. Do I want to carry 14 or 15 books in my luggage? NO!!! But with a Kindle I can carry all of these and more so I have some choice.
More than that I can find “hard to find” or “out of print” books easily, I can instantly find the sequel to the book I just read and I can do it all without having to wait an interminable time or wasting my gas trying to get to the bookstore.
I also like that I can receive newspaper subscriptions/magazines wherever I am.
It is lighter to carry and easier to deal with. It is just like reading a regular book in appearance and I have yet to find a really glaring problem.
The battery lasts a long time on a charge, and over all I think it is a great device to have handy. I would change a few things though…
(1) I would make it lighted/light-able for nighttime use.
(2) I would give people the option to customize the pictures that are on the screen when it is in standby mode.
(3) I would automatically include a protective cover. (It costs $140.00 give me something to protect my investment.)
(4) I would like to see the “5-way” buttons easier sized for someone like me who’s fingers are not the size of a molecule.
So there you go. That is how I feel about it.