Sunday Salon ~ March 29th, 2009

Over the last two weeks the question hasn’t necessarily been, “What are you reading?”, but “How have you been reading?”  I have been reading on my Kindle 2 and enjoying every moment of the new reading experience that it provides.  It is such a natural way to read that I keep finding myself going to turn the page as with a regular book and having to remind myself that I have to push one of two buttons in order to actually turn the page forward.  There is another button for going to the previous page.  One of my favorite features is the dictionary.  Say I don’t know what a word is.  (When doesn’t that happen?)  Well, I can just move the cursor with the five-way button to the word in question and the definition is displayed at the bottom of the page.  If the first sentence of the definition doesn’t provide enough information then hit the return key on the Kindle’s keyboard and the definition entry will appear in it’s entirety as it appears in a real dictionary.  I love it!

Living overseas, I am unable to use the Whispernet function which would allow me to be anywhere the Kindle receives service in the states, i.e. cell phones, but I can easily download my purchases from Amazon.com onto my computer and then transfer them to the Kindle in the blink of an eye.  I have already read THE READER on it and am now reading LITTLE BEE.  I have also downloaded DROOD, HANDLE WITH CARE, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, THE COMPLETE WIZARD OF OZ (for $0.99), THE SCHOOL OF ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS, THE BOOK THIEF, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (for $0.99), THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, GRACELING and THE HOLY BIBLE (for free).   When Hubby and I were coming back from Hong Kong two Friday’s ago, we had a four hour lay over in Taipei.  Well, I finished THE READER in the first thirty minutes of us sitting down at the gate.  I was able to use the notes function and start typing my book review right there on the Kindle and then I browsed the titles that I had downloaded before the trip and chose to start LITTLE BEE.  Too cool!

I know I have been praising the Kindle seemingly nonstop since I received it in the mail two weeks ago, and I promise to reel myself in about it, but I can not recommend this little contraption enough.  My idea for managing which books I buy in “real form” and the Kindle format is the same as how I buy music and use my iPod.  There will always be that book that I have to have on my literal shelf and hold in my hands but there are so many that I want to own but don’t need to have the “real” book in house.  Buying books in the digital format will help me control space on bookshelves, using paper and not lugging a bunch of books around when on trips, subways, and I can carry a bunch of books at once in one small package.

Happy 6th Birthday Rocky!

 

We brought Rocky home when he was eight weeks old.

 

We fell in love with him as soon as we saw him. Wouldn't you?

 

Six years later he still makes us laugh, smile, love and he loves us unconditionally (with treats on top).

 

Happy Birthday Rocky! We Love You!!