Oh Kindle, How I Love Thee!

So for the longest time I said I would never ever get one of these new-fangled electronic reading devices.  Paper books are glorious!  And they smell wonderful.  However, I had stopped buying books because I have completely run out of places to put them.  We have two bookcases which are full, my bedside table is full of them, and we have two strategically placed piles of books on the floor ... wait, three.  It's definitely three.  This is after I have gotten rid of many.

(On a small side note, Stephen and I found a beautiful This End Up bookshelf at the Salvation Army for $50 -- it would have cost nearly $400 new.  I grew up with This End Up furniture so I practically peed myself with glee on seeing it.  It smells glorious, and as a small person I would sometimes gnaw on the arms of our couch, so I'm sure it would taste like a piece of my childhood if I were ever feeling insane enough to lick it.  And no, we were not rich, my mom hit a jackpot of a garage sale and bought our whole living room and dining room set.  Alas, over the years most of the pieces have gone on to other homes.  What is left now?  Just the dining table and benches I think.  And a coffee table and an end table or two.)

Anyway, back to having too many books.  Yikes!  That statement can never be true.  Hmm, back to having so many books we're running out of places to put them that do not include the middle of the floor.  This predicament has helped me to re-discover a magical place called the library.  I worked at a bookstore for some time and got into the naughty habit of buying books far more frequently than I would borrow them.  I have discovered that Monday mornings are an incredibly quiet and peaceful time to visit the library while Sundays are decidedly not.  And our library doesn't even charge for late returns!  What a relief!

I don't even remember how the e-reader seed got planted in my brain, but it did.  And it grew and grew, and then I was thinking about trips.  I usually try to take at least one or two books with me on trips, but what if they turn out to be no good?  What if I'm not in the right mood for the one or two I picked out?  Then I have nothing to read and  I have to lug them around.  It's awful!  We were getting ready to visit my mother in another state, and I thought to myself, "You know, a Kindle would solve your travel and space issues."  Then I peeked at Charlesephine's Kindle, and she told me magical things.  I always thought e-readers were like little computers with back-lit screens.  I stare at a computer screen long enough at work.  I don't need to point light into my face the rest of the day too!  She told me about this "e-ink" business and how it is like a fancy etch-a-sketch.  How freaking cool is that??  So that pretty much sold me.

I went home and bought one on Amazon.  Then, because I was so excited, I signed up for a free Amazon Prime trial so I could get it in two days.  And I have loved it ever since!  I have only bought a handful of books: The Hunger Games trilogy, a sequel to a sci-fi/fantasy freebie I'd enjoyed, and the Leigh Koslow Mysteries.  Other than that, I have only downloaded free books.  And yes, I realize they aren't all the highest quality, the best edited, or NY Times bestsellers, but they are entertaining, and right now that is what I like.  The library is good for the rest :)