You can’t read them in sunlight

I can’t remember when I bought my first e-reader, my first Kindle.  I would have guessed that it was about fifteen years ago, but when I look up the history of Amazon’s Kindle I see that it was first released in the USA in 2007 – and they all sold our in five and a half hours and didn’t come on sale again until five months later. I must have read about them at about that time, and I was intrigued. I love books, I really really love books, but it was the idea that I could carry around a whole library of books in my pocket which took my fancy.  Obviously the first e-readers were quite expensive, and I asked various friends what they thought. There were two replies, definitely not, and maybe, but what’s the point.

I pondered over whether to buy one for a long time. It did seem expensive, but on the other hand I don’t offer treat myself to anything, and if, as I hoped it would be useful, then it would be worth it. What appealed was not just my first instinct that it would be portable, but that I could have a library which would not take up any physical space, We have so many books in our house, we have so much stuff in our house! Trying to find what disadvantages there were in using one seemed to be ‘you can’t read them in sunlight’. Well I wasn’t sure I would often be doing that. Maybe that comment was aimed at people who only read on the beach on holiday! These days the modern Kindles are perfectly readable in most conditions.Anything which economised on space would be good. Eventually I gave in, and hoping I was making a wise choice and not wasting my money on something I wouldn’t actually like using, or wouldn’t be as handy as I hoped, I bought a Kindle!

I have to say that I’ve never regretted it, and absolutely love my Kindle. I’ve moved on and have a modern one now, I also have it on my computer and phone (for emergencies!) Some of my friends now have them, and some friends aren’t as convinced as I am, preferring the feel of ‘a real book’. Some people seem to struggle with ‘turning’ the page, or looking back to a previous page. I’ve never found that a particular problem, and in fact I very much do like that I can find a particular thing. For example, if I want to check what a character was wearing in a previous part, it’s easy to search and find references to them.

I think I’ve begun to take my Kindle for granted. a little while ago I went to stay with my cousin, and of course took my trusty e-reader. Then what did I do, I left it beside the bed at her home, and the day i had left her she had set off for a holiday and would be away for several months! Heck! I’ve reverted to ‘real’ books, and that’s fine, but I’m really missing the ease of reading on my Kindle!