7 months on - Thoughts on Kindle

So I have had a Kindle since Christmas and while it was fun to have a new gadget at the time I was not sure whether or not I would really get used to it.

I am an avid book reader and, I guess collector.  Anyone who knows Rob and I will be more than aware of the fact that we probably have more books that storage.  We are both horders (I have some books that I have had since I was 2 or 3 years old) and we both read.....a lot.

The Kindle does seem like the ideal solution to our storage issue - one device can hold hundreds of books and it is not even as thick as  a regular paperback, so why the issue?  Well I guess a whole part about reading books is enjoying having the book.  The smell and feel of holding something in your hand, the texture of the pages and the noise that they make when you turn them - that is all a part of the experience of reading, and with the best will in the world - you cannot really imitate it.

All that being said - the Kindle is actually pretty cool.  No backlight means no headache like you get on a monitor, text size can be adjusted for when you are feeling a bit tired, and it remembers where you got to in your book. 

In order to try and capture some of the book experience I invested in a cover that opens like a book - it offers some of the same sensory experience and you know it helps a lot.  Don't misunderstand me, it is not the same as having the actual book, but it helps. 

In a way the Kindle does make me a little sad. it is likely that the good e-readers (of which Kindle is one of the few) will become the way forward.  The books are cheeper, the reader is reliable and you get instant gratification when your book is delivered to you in a matter so seconds, so why would it not.  In a few generations I can see books being left for the academics and historians and not for the general population at large.

There is something to be said for tradition as well as advancement - and it would be somewhat  incongruous of me to critique advancement seeing as I work in an industry where advancement is key, but I cannot help but hope that traditional books remain a part of our lives and I remain torn over my use.  By supporting this change am I helping destroy something I love (In book shops).  Most likely yes, but I still cannot bring myself to reject this new tool. On top of that, if I consider rationally the way that I purchase a number of my books - I have to admit that I have been working towards this for a number of years - as I use online stores for probably about half my purchases and online book stores will kill off the local ones much faster than the ebook readers will. 

A part of me wonders just how much of my enjoyment comes from the fact that instant (more or less) gratification is cool.  When I order a book, or buy one in a bookshop there is that delay in waiting for the book to be delivered or travelling to get it.  With whispernet that just is not the case - I order my book and within 5 second I have my book - yay me.  I remain unconvinced that this is a good thing - after all there is something that can be said for anticipation.  Remember that feeling that you used to get on Christmas eve as a kid - well I get that about books and perhaps that level of anticipation adds to the enjoyment, and more to the point is good for me.  If I have to wait for something do I appreciate it more?  I am not sure - but I think perhaps I do.

Perhaps there is way that book shops can get on board - Barnes and Nobel have tried to work with the eBook readers and it seems to work for them.  In a way it is no different than the change that has happened in the music industry - and indeed still is happening as digital downloads continue to increase in popularity.  While strangely I don't have an issue with that  I wonder if it is due to the fact that while I like music I love literature?

I guess we just need to face it - the times they are a changing