Why I Love My Kindle and the Top Ten Reasons Why I Recommend an E-Reader to Everyone

I recently discovered the Amazon Kindle when I had the chance to explore one that belonged to a friend of mine. I knew instantly that I would be spending countless hours with my own as soon as I could get my hands on one! Of course I had heard of e-readers and I had even seen people using them at the beach, in my doctor’s office waiting room, and at my children’s sporting events. As an avid reader I was thinking I would never give up my beloved paperback. The smell of the pages and the feel of the book in my hand seemed like too much for me to give up. Then I discovered all that an e-reader could do that my cherished paperback could not. So,  after coming to this conclusion after being so fervent that I would not, I want to share with you the top ten reasons why I now recommend an e-reader to everyone I know.

1.  There are thousands of free books available on Amazon.com that you can download instantly to your Kindle. This makes me insanely happy.  I’m talking new books to classics. It has allowed me to read things that I would not have had the inclination to read otherwise. I just finished Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, for free. I know what you are thinking, “I can get any book I want from my public library” ans this leads me to my next reason…

2.  Instant access to any book your heart desires. I can download a new release instantly to my 3G Wireless Kindle from anywhere. I know this may make me sound impatient, but sometimes you just can’t wait. You may have to pay for the new releases, but it still is a discounted price from what you would be paying for a physical copy of the book.

3.  Portability would have to be next. Whether you go on vacation or to the park with your kids, you can take your whole library with you. My kindle can hold thousands of books and it fits in my purse.

4.  My Kindle is not back lit. Which means it is more like looking at a high tech etch-a-sketch and less like looking at a computer screen. My eyes tend to strain after looking at a digital image too long, so I love that I can read for hours without feeling like I’m digitally inscribing the image on my eyeballs. Also, you can easily adjust the size of the text. If you have a difficult time reading small text, no need to worry. You can increase the text size so you don’t have to whip out those reading glasses unless they match your outfit.

5.  I can browse books on Amazon.com by author, title, genre, keywords, or category and read reviews left by other readers. I love shopping on-line and book browsing has become a welcome addition to my e-shopping experience.

6.  My Kindle will read to me. In a male or female voice, fast or slow. Now it’s not like listening to Morgan Freeman but it gets the job done. It’s kind of like Rosie the robot housekeeper from The Jetsons and Reading Rainbow my favorite kids show had a baby, and it’s my kindle.

7.  The Oxford English Dictionary will look up any word I want instantly and give me a definition. I made good use of this feature while reading Pride and Prejudice.

8.  I can switch from book to book without having to get up and walk to my book shelf. I would equate this awesome fact with the invention of the remote control. No more getting up to change the channel, all that my TV/Library has to offer is in the palm of my hand.  

9.  You can read public notes and highlights that other people have left for the book you are reading. I was not sure if I liked this at first. Having someone else’s thoughts being interjected into my reading experience did not initially appeal to me but I have come to appreciate it, and of course you can turn this feature off.

10.  Last but not least, it makes me feel like I am saving trees. Now, I am certainly unsure of how big the carbon footprint of a kindle is. But I do know that less books = more trees and that has to count for something.