The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
How much does your reading experience of books change if your reading medium changes? This I needed to know when I first agreed to read books on my Kindle. Are “the sweet serenity of books” found in its pages or on in its words – or would Longfellow tell us they are inseparable?
I admit I love technology to bits and pieces and honestly cannot imagine my life without it for any extended period. I am a huge advocate of embracing technology in our lives and truly feel that those who reject it are simply denying themselves an ocean of possibilities to live a fuller experience of their own life. Technology makes our world smaller, our lives easier and sweeter, and our information ridiculously more accessible in immensely higher volumes. It is only human to forget the miracles that technology affords us every day. We simply become accustomed to things and it is not until they are stripped from us that true appreciation and realization kick in. We all love our technology, whether we admit it or not.
Even so, once in a while, a bold technology comes along with apparent intent to completely transform our life long habits. Fear and dismissal are our natural initial responses but perhaps a closer look is in order. The Amazon Kindle for me fell in this category, what with a bold intent to completely transform my reading habits! What audacity! What boldness from a little thin device! Even after I acquired one, I refused to use it – or rather, I wanted to use it but still remain in charge of the situation. I did not wish to be “swept off my feet” to leave my books in the dust, no way, not without careful consideration.
But the hour of judgment had arrived. In June, I cautiously downloaded Alexander Dumas’s unabridged version of “The Count of Monte Cristo” on my Kindle (after recovering from my shock when I found out that I had read the Abridged version years ago! Huge gasp!).
The experience had begun and I always venture out with an open mind; everything deserves a full chance at least once! And it has been one of those relationships, evolving, changing, still young and promising but not without its flaws! Let’s take a closer look on Why I love the Kindle:
The intangible side of love:
I love that it reminds me that the real reason for reading is just that: to read and to digest that which you read.
The real reason is not to hold a book in my hands, to turn the pages, to fall asleep with a book in my arms, to flip back to a section I marked (about 170 in Anna Karenina), or to decorate my shelves with pretty books. No! The simplest and purest reason of all for reading should be to comprehend the writing, to be carried along by a story, to be transferred to a different era, to be swept off our feet by a character in a novel, to be stunned with the depth of beauty and prose in a classic, and to learn. All of this we can do regardless of the medium used to read. I can do it with the Stanza Application on my genius iPhone and I can do it with the Kindle just as well as I can do it with the paperback or hardcover version of a book.
This may seem obvious but when life long habits are tangled up in human emotions, we sometimes draw curtains that obscure the real light from our vision and our real reason for doing things. It is imperative that we do not lose sight of the real purpose for doing things and reading is no exception.
The tangible side of love:
Then there were the rational and compelling reasons once the intangible had pushed me gently over to the “Love Thy Kindle” side, and these seal the deal for me:
~ Practicality ~
I love the practicality of carrying a hundred and one books in the palm of my hand. It is an empowering feeling to be in close proximity of heaps of literature! The Kindle can store 1500 books in its tiny 10.2 ounce (~290 gram) size! That is one skinny library to carry around.
~ Instant Dictionary Access ~
My most favorite feature is the word definitions at my finger tips in under a second. Less time to look up, more time to read. With my books, I would never allow myself to break momentum but with the Kindle, I can have my cake and eat it too. A vegan chocolate cake, of course!
~ The Virtual Switch between Books ~
I used to read books more simultaneously but to carry so many around did not suit my sense of fashion! For trips or travel, you must think in terms of luggage space, efficiency and mobility, not to mention the size of books. With the Kindle, you switch between books by just lifting a finger.
~ Searching for a Name ~
The “Count of Monte Cristo” is an extremely complex novel with dozens of key characters. It just so turns out that you can prompt all locations a particular character appeared in the previous several hundred pages. You can remind yourself by re-reading forgotten sections. The Kindle’s search and locate and go to location features come in very handy!
~ Digital Highlighting ~
For the book blogs, which I do on every book I read, this is the best feature: To highlight sections of the book you wish to remember and perhaps even quote. You can then download these notes directly to your computer, no manual transcribe anywhere. Lovely forethought here, Amazon!
~ World Travel Friendly ~
This 10 ounce baby will remove the inevitable friction with the hubby when it comes to packing. I can carry books to my heart’s desire and never go over 10 ounces! I am not allowed to check in luggage, you see, nearly never, on outbound flights, be it to Tokyo, Singapore or Australia. Return flights are more lenient. My spouse plays the role a cruel travel agent but the benefits are too good to justify putting up a fight – and now my position is much stronger, thanks to the Kindle!
~ Perfect Sun Tanning Companion ~
With the Stanza, I could not read as well in the bright sunlight and sun bathing is a necessity from time to time! The Kindle’s gentle non-glace surface creates beautiful font contrast for reading in the sun and the device never gets as hot as my poor iPhone under sunlight.
~ Free – Yes Free – Books ~
It is impossible to keep up with how many free books, 1cent books and amazing deals you can get with your Kindle. The Gutenberg Project makes over 100,000 books available for free in ebook format, including all literary classics! Oh such joy! So much to read and oh so little time!
~ Storage Problems be Gone ~
Some books have personal value so you can keep it on your shelves – I have these dear copies that I shall never part with. Yet very few books find their place to my heart in such a way to claim a permanent space on my small bookshelf. Storage is a problem especially if you are super organized or live in a small space. This problem is obviously a non-issue with the Kindle.
A New Angle on Reading
The Kindle has a gray scale display so it is naturally a poor choice for recipe books, travel photos and certainly no substitute for art books. I think the psychology of switching to this medium is what makes most of us hesitate. To that I would say, remember this is not a complete replacement for real books. It can serve as an additional medium with which to read more often and from more selections with the ease of all the benefits above. It is important to keep that in mind. The technology is here to make our lives better and to expand our mind and if something so small can encourage and excite our society about the dying art of reading books, then it has served a grander purpose to our culture and our society and our future generations than many other devices can ever hope to achieve.
Still, I wonder if I can read my beloved Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” on the Kindle, come winter!
Share your thoughts:
I wonder what Leo Tolstoy or Victor Hugo would think of the Kindle and reading beyond the printed word. What would our future generations think of the printed book? And which option is right for you? Do you feel really strongly about having real books in your hands or do you just wish to consume the information in whatever medium or format? Love to hear your thoughts!
Disclaimer: I do not use Amazon affiliate program and all my thoughts here are sincere and serve no purpose other than to inform you about my love for the Kindle.
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{ 46 brilliant comments, Care to add another? }
Hahaha, this is so cool to read. It so shows our reluctance to change doesn’t it?
Oh I too would have all your reservations about Kindle and never try it because how could I forsake the old ways and my darling books, exactly how you described. I have seen it over and over again, oh no that will not work for me, even if it worked already for thousands of others.
Until one day we try or are forced to change and then all of a sudden I allow the discovery and of course can change my way and what darling books?
I love early adopters, at least somebody helps the change along until me and other stragglers follow along.
Cool that you enjoy your kindle. It makes traveling sure a lot easier, so no excuses to not practice your new language skills in situ. xox Wilma
Hi Wilma, so nice to see you and yes, we have reluctance to change…..And then change takes over and it becomes the normal mode of operation and we simply adapt – but I still will treasure a book so long as I live so there is no compromise really, I really think of this as an additional way to compliment my reading…..Thanks so much for being here!!
Farnoosh, The Kindle looks like it has many advantages. I still have books in Europe that haven’t made it to the States yet due to limited luggage space! I’m not sure that the types of books I read would be available for the Kindle though. Like Excito-toxins: the Taste that Kills or The Brain that Changes Itself.
Thanks for the review.
Dear Sandra, what are those books doing so far from you (although I do not know where you live but I take it not in Europe’s continent) – I hope you reunite with them very soon and well, if the books are not on the Kindle yet, they may be soon but I totally understand your feelings (some of which I share as you know
)!
Sandra, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the variety of books available for Kindle. For example, I just checked and found that Excitotoxins is indeed available for Kindle.
Farnoosh,
I love reading curling up on my sofa, I have yet to try Kindle or other ebook reader yet so can not tell how would I like it. I do like sound of having 100 of my favorite books in small pack to carry everywhere but then I would miss out on sleeping off with a book
I am glad you like it and shown a genuine review here.
Hi Preeti, I love it too – curling up with a book is not completely gone though. I really think the experience can grow and expand rather than just be replaced by the next big thing…..Just try it if you get a chance – and yes, you may not like it but what if you do?
Farnoosh,
You are right, I will not know until I try.
I should check it out in near future.
I agree with you that one should at least give one chance to the emerging technologies. I also think that Kindle is here to stay and in future paper will be used less and less (good for the trees).
At least one chance, Abubakar and yes, ebooks – be it the Kindle, the Stanza app, the Nook, any other version by any other company – IS here to stay! And oh yes, no paper indeed has its benefits.
There is no doubt about it, the e-readers cannot be ignored. Although I love my big old books
one cannot deny that the e-readers are changing the publishing paradigm. It is also changing the way we even think about a book… no longer are we confined to thinking of a book that is “two covers with content in the middle.” We now have to think of a book as a modular unit that can be experienced in non linear ways.
Hello Rob, and thank you for the RT and comment….I know you love your big books -you sent me your very own beautiful book which I am STILL reading (blushes from embarrassment at how slow she has been reading it!) – thank you for those words that I always look forward to reading.
When the Kindle first came out, I remember thinking “Nooooooo..books are books! Not gadgets. I want nothing to do with this!” But I’ve been won over. In fact, since I’ve been reading books on my Kindle and more recenly, on my iPod, via the Kindle app, I’ve found that I’m reading more than ever before.
I’ve completely let go of my attachment to actually “holding a book.” Do I still like the feeling of curling up with a book? Yes. But it’s not as important to me as it was before.
Aja, tell me about it – exactly my sentiments – I think we love to show that initial resistance to stand our ground and protect our habits but then technology wins over and I see that you are loving the new phase as do I. So nice to see you here and thank you for sharing your thoughts! Happy reading!
Hi Farnoosh,
I was thinking of writing a love poem for my Kindle, but your post seems to capture the emotions I wanted to express.
I just finished reading “A World Lit Only By Fire” and I can’t imagine reading it without the instant access I had to a dictionary.
The only problem I can think of is the expectation I developed of having similar dictionary access on other platforms, even offline! I’d grab a paper book and think: “Hey! Where’s the dictionary!”
Haider, would you please still write the love poem anyway? There cannot be too much love for technology! So glad you love that the instant access to dictionary – and yes, books are still just books so technology has a way of spoiling us. So nice to see you here and thank you for leaving a comment!
Farnoosh,
I’m going to buy a Kindle in the near future. When I look around my house and see how many books I have – and will have to pack when I move I realize that a Kindle would be really, really practical!
Thank you for this excellent review!
Angela, I hope a Kindle comes your way very soon and that you enjoy it as much as I have – Practicality is really my number 1 reason to love the Kindle…Thanks for reading and you are most welcome!
Farnoosh, great review! I already thought the kindle was sweet, but now even more so. I think the ease at which the device facilitates reading is revolutionary. When you hear of a book title, you can have it almost instantly on your kindle, as opposed to having to go out and purchase the book in a store or wait for it to be shipped if you order it online. The only reason I am not buying a kindle is because of my upcoming round the world trip. I trying to take as few things as possible, otherwise I would be a kindle customer. Great product. Great post. Lastly, how does the kindle compare to the ipad? Do you think that product may overtake its dominance? Im not too familiar with the ipad, but it seems to be a real threat to the kindle realm.
Hi Mark, yes to everything you say – it’s remarkable how technology is changing our lives and making information accessible to us instantly – I held out big time with the Kindle but for reasons that were not very smart. I am still true to my books but it is as you say a great product.
! Great of you to share your thoughts here!
On the iPad, first of all, I want one but with 2 Macbook Pros, iPhone and the Kindle, it’s just overkill – if I did not have a Kindle, I’d think about it. I LOVE the library – book-shelf and page turning and touch screen of iPad – as I do the iPhone – which is why I loved the Stanza app about which I wrote another blog post – but the iPad is heavier, it does not do as well in the sun and it has multiple purposes so it dilutes the reading part a little bit. And more expensive. Competition for the Kindle but not a killer one. Then again, it IS an Apple product
Hi Farnoosh – I’ve been so scared to get the Kindle for fear of leaving my beloved printed word behind. But I think I may have to take the leap, simply because my traveling doesn’t allow me to keep packing all of the books that I do! Thanks for this – very thorough and helped me consider a few things I hadn’t!
Laura, it’s SO nice to see you here – and I do see that you are traveling even more than me
! Good for you – oh yes, the luggage to carry around is not fun. Try the Kindle from a friend or someone who owns one and just get the feel for it. You might be surprised how soon you will adapt. And your timing is perfect, the price of the standard Kindle just dropped since the new Kindle came out!
Hi Farnoosh.
I can see how that highlighting would come in real handy. When I want to lift a quote from a book, I write it down on a piece of paper or type it after reading it, but if I were to highlight it, it would barely take a second thought to do so.
When I read that part about storage problems, I remembered that I might want to donate away or sell some books I have. We forget certain things like this until we are reminded.
My friend got a Kindle recently so I will play with it for a couple of minutes to see how I like it.
Hey Armen, are you going to read more now?
! I know you always tease me about reading – And donate the books to the library – they are going to love it and you will get a small tax write-off and get some space freed up! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and hope you enjoy playing with the Kindle!
The Kindle is going to be my next special treat for myself. I had already made the decision and your review confirmed my choice. Thanks!
Excellent gift – my hubby just upgraded the software today and you can send messages to Twitter and Facebook by pasting a favorite quote or passage too. I have yet to play with it – but gosh, do we really need yet another distraction during our reading time?
!
My eloquent friend Farnoosh,
As you so often do, you put into words what I would have wanted to say…and this time it was about the Kindle. I love my Kindle. It has become a little joke in our house because it was my husband that bought me my Kindle a year ago and, each and every time I pick up my Kindle, an audible sigh escapes me accompanied by the words…I love my Kindle. As we prepare to travel soon, I have loaded my Kindle with a wide range of reading material to quench my thirst for reading. I will tell anyone that stands still long enough about the many virtues of a Kindle…most of which you shared so much more beautifully than I could express.
Thank you for sharing your Kindle thoughts.
You are far too kind and after all your support on Twitter, I am thrilled to see you here commenting. I am glad we share the love of the Kindle. And you know what, my husband actually convinced me to buy the Kindle when I was defending my books – which I love and will continue to do – but there is really something powerful about carrying a library of beloved books around in the palm of our hands. Happy reading. I am off to vacation too and well, I am still working through the Count of Monte Cristo so it’s one single novel for me right now! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ohhhhhh, I am such a Kindle fan. I had the same reservations you had, but once I made the switch, there really is no going back. I agree with you on all of the many benefits you shared about the kindle. There really is nothing better than no longer having your luggage weighed down by all the books you feel you need to bring with you. I think the Kindle really does open up a whole new dimesion and reading experience.
How did I miss out on answering to you, dear Sibyl? Forgive me. I am so happy to meet another Kindle fan!! And we had the same reservations it seems!!! Coming back just from a trip, it is so nice where the luggage and weight is concerned! Thanks for commenting!
I love this review of Kindle
I’ve been pondering whether or not to buy it. I do love books – especially old ones that have their wonderful scent. I love writing on the pages and highlighting and sticking post-it- notes on the pages – it did make happy to read that you can highlight with kindle 
It does seem practical – perhaps I’ll choose both. The actual physical book for some and kindle for others…hmm…..
You’ve given me some great reasons to add Kindle to my reading life.
Aileen, so nice to see you here – you know, I really think it pays to play with them and since they are only at the Amazon store, just find a friend who has one – I do know exactly what you mean about books – that’s how I wrote up some 80 blog posts on all my books before I started prolific living!! So yes you can “highlight” – it’s more of a gray-out then underline with the Kindle but it all goes to a central “My notes” section which you can hook up to your computer later for download if you wish. The ideal mix is the right way to go. I still have a few unread physical books. Do keep me posted. And happy reading!
I’ll always have a special place in my heart for old, printed books with worn parchment that carry a sense of a timeless tale or wisdom of the ages.
That said, I like my Kindle for fiction where reading in a linear way works fine. For non-fiction, I still need the print version so that I can rip through them faster and bounce around in a random-access way. I tried random access with my Kindle, but it’s not for me.
J.D., I hear you – I really do – You can tell I am not kidding from my post on my love for French – books that have meaning, old books, classics, books from years ago when we first got introduced to a concept or a character – but I like to hear that you do have the Kindle and you practice balance – Interesting that you prefer books for the non-fiction. I am not sure what random-access means in terms of reading a book. Quite literally, you mean to just randomly access chapters and characters and quickly browse through the book, right? Either way, thanks for sharing your thoughts!!
I bought the Kindle after our Skype chat and you told me how good it was to read books on. Although I’d had a brief session with a Kindle last Christmas, I had to be convinced by a fellow book lover!
Mine hasn’t arrived yet, but I am looking forward to reading on it for all the reasons you’ve outlined. What sold me on the Kindle (besides your enthusiasm!) was the highlighting and note taking functions.
However… I am worried about how easy it’s going to be for me to download far too many books now!
Amanda, that was a fun chat and I am so happy I went and grabbed the Kindle to show you. You have a book club so make sure to ask someone to just use theirs for a while or just get a feel for it. But alas, you have already bought it and gosh I am so excited for you – you are a reading maniac (in a good way) and I could never catch up but the Kindle WILL catch up and keep you more than happy – I promise! I think you may be spending a bit too much time with it though so watch out!
Thank you for your comment!
I made the switch to eBooks when I got an Pod Touch. Project Gutenberg and the Wattpad community made it really easy for me to consolidate my reading to-do list. I knew the platform worked for me after I reread Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead via Stanza. Another benefit is that I no longer need a nightlight for those “just can’t stop” passages.
Does the Kindle have backlight or nightreading mode?
Hi Phil, welcome to prolific living! iPhone/iPod touch screen is another experience I love for reading – and I need to re-read those 2 books again, I used to worship Ayn Rand when I was a teenager! So funny you ask about the backlight – I was just looking for it during my trip and neither of the Kindles have a backlight. I wish it did but I believe the concept is that it simulates reading of a book and is designed for comfort of reading. Oh well. Leave the light on for me please, right?
!
Hi Farnoosh,
I really enjoyed your review of the Kindle and appreciate your attempt to keep your emotions and nostalgia in check while testing out an ereader. Having read your list of strengths, did you feel that there were some weaknesses with respect to reading enjoyment or comprehension? I have read a few books using the Kindle app on my iPhone, and although I’m getting used to reading electronically, it’s very difficult to flip back and forth a few pages to get a sense of the structure of a chapter, or to go back to remind myself of a new character or term. Because of that I often feel that I have less sense of where I am in the book, or where I am in the writer’s argument, and I think that somewhat impedes my comprehension of the material. Did that affect you at all? The iPhone is obviously a more limited reader, so it might not be as bad with the Kindle, but i was just curious about your experience. Thanks.
Hi Edgar, thank you for your observation. I have read on the iPhone using Stanza but not the Kindle app yet – and I love reading on the iPhone just as much as the Kindle. You know, I honestly do not *miss* flipping the pages – I wish I had known better how long the unabridged Alexander Dumas book was but the Kindle tells you exactly what % of the book you have covered – not in pages but good enough for me. So to my own surprise, Edgar, while I have *NOT* stopped reading real books, I am so engrossed in my reading on the Kindle that I simply find the experience perfect. I wish you much happy reading, regardless of what medium you choose!
Hi Farnoosh,
Kindle eh? I think I would rather have an iPad because of all of the other features it has, although I do recognise they are a bit more expensive. I read electronic books on my iPhone 4 now. One normal size book tends to have about 800 pages though! Interesting post – gizmo lovers rock!
Hello Ian, the iPad came out just after I had bought the Kindle and I had some regrets – I do love the touch screen so very much – but the iPad is heavier, it has many other features and I have two Macbook Pros and an iPhone so a bit of overkill to get more of a “computer” – and it does not do well in the sun – (I plan to read a lot in Hawaii!
)! Keep up the reading, it’s great for keeping the brain sharp and active!
Glad you finally got to loving it! Amazon should post your article on their site… it might buy them more customers! It even makes ME want one!
Cristina, I love my Kindle so much I am thinking of doing the 30 second advertisement video that Amazon just announced today for the Kindle (and to be put in for a grand prize of thousands of dollars to shop at Amazon…) but most of all, I get to build a commercial!
You may borrow my Kindle if you are very nice 
! Thank you for the comment!
Great review (& persuasiveness), sis! I have heard a lot about the Kindle; however, do you know how it compares to the Sony Reader? I will more than likely go to one of these devices soon! Miss you! xoxo
Dear Ann, I have just finished a 1300+ page book on the Kindle and I love it even more than when I wrote this review. I have not heard of the Sony Reader. I know about the iPad and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. I think the Nook has some advantages and is cheaper too. I’d love an iPad but it is heavier and the Apple guys told me it will not do as well in bright sunlight as does the Kindle. The Kindle does not have color display though so it’s best for mainly text books. Miss you too and good luck with your selection!
{ 4 brilliant comments, Care to add another? }