Why you should get a Kindle

My Kindle turned three years old this week, yay!

Read the original post here.

When people ask about my Kindle (and sometimes, even when they don't), I always say that holding it in my hands for the first time was a huge "Where have you been all my life?" moment for me. I'm not kidding — when I'm old and gray and sitting on my rocking chair looking back at the life I have lived, it's one of the memories that will jump out at me. I remember the inner struggle I went through when I was deciding whether to get it or not, and I regret all those years I spent not having one. And yes, his name is Max because that was the first name that popped into my head the first time I held him. Hee.

(This is an old photo. I should post a newer photo updated with my new way of sorting my books, heh.)

So, if you love reading and you're mulling over whether to get one or not, let me help you by telling you about what it does, what I love about it, and what I don't like about it. For reference, I have a Kindle 5 which was originally released in 2012.

It is small, light, and fast, and it can store A LOT of books with its 2GB internal memory. I think mine currently has a little less than 300 books right now. Imagine carrying that many without having to break your back carrying heavy bags of books!

It also saved me a lot of storage space. Nowadays, I prefer buying ebooks except for when I get special editions and art books. Although I loved Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl so much I HAD to have the exclusive collector's edition. Heh.

You can easily highlight your favorite passages and quotes and share them online.

Whatever you highlight are stored in a separate document called My Clippings so it's easy to get back to them whenever you feel like it.

The Kindle has a built-in dictionary that you can use when you come across an unfamiliar word. You just have to use the cursor and you'll get options to know the full definition, to highlight, or to add a note. Neat-o! I got so used to this that I keep half-expecting a cursor to appear and assist me with words I don't know the meaning of. LOL.

The smell of books and the tactile feel of turning the pages will always have a special place in my heart, but you can't beat the convenience of having all your favorite and current reads at the ready as well as the ease of purchasing your next.

Its E-ink Pearl screen has the same high contrast as a real page in a book and is just as readable in bright sunlight, unlike your ebook reader apps in your phone that makes use of the phone's backlight and makes your eyes and head hurt. I have a booklight that I use when I read at night, but I haven't replaced its batteries yet ever since they gave up on me after the two consecutive nights I read If I Stay and Where She Went.

I never leave it at home when I travel and it always goes with me wherever I go.

I even bring it with me to sleepovers.

I think my favorite moment with my Kindle so far was during the time Amanda Palmer released her book The Art of Asking. It wasn't available locally so I tried to buy the ebook, but unfortunately (and I don't know why) even the ebook version wasn't available for purchase if you're from the Philippines! Thankfully one of her fans gifted me with a copy during the massive asking and giving drive she spearheaded. Thank you, Internet. I wouldn't have been able to get my grubby hands on a copy if it weren't for technology!

Now, for the things I don't like.

I suffered a mini heart attack when my water bottle leaked inside my bag and my Kindle was soaked! Thank the sewing gods for Meream's talent and skills and the pouch she made for my Kindle spared Max!

Ah, yes, that moment when you've settled in nicely in the van on the way to work and you decide against a morning nap so you just whip out your Kindle to read, and then it complains and says it doesn't have battery anymore!

In the Kindle's defense, I haven't charged him for more than three weeks and it didn't occur to me to check!

That moment when you're excited to start reading again but charging is taking its sweet time.

Ah yes, a bibliophile's problem all around the world, amirite?

So, in conclusion, a Kindle has its limitations, but the good things far outweigh the not-so-good. I actually love my Kindle so much that if only I have the money I would love to gift all my friends with one. Seriously, if you're a book-lover, I can't recommend it enough.

YES
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I began writing this post when my Kindle turned two years old, thus the old photo. Me posting it just now is a testament to how good I am at procrastinating.

“The words you can't find, you borrow.

We read to know we're not alone.

We read because we are alone.

We read and we are not alone.

We are not alone.

My life is in these books, he wants to tell her.

Read these and know my heart.

We are not quite novels.

The analogy he is looking for is almost there.

We are not quite short stories.

At this point, his life is seeming closest to that.

In the end, we are collected works.”

― Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry