Kindle

Some posts ago, a commenter asked how I was enjoying my KIndle. And I never got around to answering.

But the answer is: I LOVE IT.

Here's the thing: it isn't a book. It doesn't feel in your hands like a book, or smell like a book, or sit upright in your bookcase enhancing your decor and making your guests admire your literacy.

BUT.

My problem is two-fold: I travel a lot, and I read very fast. My worst fear (and it has happened) is flying to the west coast and finishing my book over Denver. For that reason, I have always taken MANY books, or LONG books, on lengthy trips...Ken Follett's "World Without End" (1024 pages) to London not long ago; Vikram Seth's "A Suitable Boy" (1349 pages) to Hawaii once. Those suckers are HEAVY. And even so, I had to make my way to Waterston's, in London, before retuning home, to get something to read on the plane (had finished the Follett) and in Hawaii...same thing, but harder; try finding a great bookstore at Kaanapali Beach.

(Okay, please don't write me in outrage if you live in Lahaina. I KNOW they have bookstores there)

So: for me, the Kindle is a godsend. You can download many books at a time into it, wirelessly.. Sitting here at my computer this morning, I went to Amazon.com, found the books I wanted, bought the Kindle versions, then walked into my kitchen, (you can see the Kindle lying there beside today's NY Times) and the books I had downloaded were there in my gizmo, ready for a plane trip to LA in the morning.

To download a book costs slightly more than a paperback and considerably less than a hardcover book.

The Kindle itself costs too much. Around $400. But like all technology, it will come down in price.

It is very lightweight....fits in my purse...and a battery charge lasts a good long time.

It is very easy to use (I turned mine on to take these photos, and it opened at the page in "Girls Like Us" where I had stopped reading on my way home from Philadelphia Thursday). You can change the type size to what feels comfortable for you. When you finish a book, you can delete it, but you still OWN it, so you can get it back from Amazon if you want to re-read, or to loan your Kindle to someone.

Downside? No pictures. I'll have to go to a bookstore and lurk, looking at the photos in "Girls Like Us," which is about Joni Mitchell, Carole Young, and Carly Simon.

So the answer is: I LOVE IT. And no, I do not get a sales commission from Amazon.

Comments

[Kyle]

Hi Lois!

Thanks for responding to this for me!

Would you still enjoy it if you DIDN'T travel so much? Haha. I think it's going to be a good long time before I get one (if my travel life ever becomes as hectic as yours, I may have to!), and I do very much still enjoy the smell and decor thing about books.

I know you probably didn't mean it this way at all, but your comment that the Kindle was photographed next to today's edition of the NYT made me laugh out loud... Was that to prove that you actually do own one?

By the way, I'm so GLAD that you're in meetings again about The Giver the movie. I've been hoping for one ever since I read the book (can it really be 10 years ago?!)... A friend and I actually considered writing a spec script for it before we found out it was already optioned.

If David Yates is unavailable, you should have them check out another Potter alum, Chris Columbus! I think he would be a GREAT fit for this movie!

Thanks again for answering and have fun in LA (with your Kindle!)...!

[Cami and Marie]

Dear Ms. Lowry,
We are reading your book, "Number the Stars" and so far it sounds good, but so far we've just read the back cover. That kindle sounds cool, but I think I'll stick with the library, much less expensive! We read your blog about the dessert. Was your friend surprised?
Keep writing books!