Sunday, January 16, 2011

Book bigamy? Why yes, thank you, I will indulge.

So I got a Kindle for Christmas.

I know. I know! But I love it, I do. It's been the most amazingly fun toy I've received in a long time. I have a gazillion books at my fingertips and if I'm not in the mood for the one I was reading last night, hey, I can switch at the push of a button.

I swore I'd remain a purist, and I did, for a long time. But I've found, to my delight, that there's room for both ebooks and the real physical thing in my heart. For books that I don't really care to own but do want to read, the Kindle is great. What's more, I can put it in my purse and read any old thing I want while waiting in line, waiting in the car, waiting...waiting...waiting...

But for those books whose mere physical makeup is a work of art, in whom I must underline, ponder, turn pages and smell, those are the books I will still enjoy owning and buying. I confess, I was a bit worried at first because I fell so in love with my Kindle, and so quickly, that I wouldn't care about going book browsing anymore...(What? What?)

But I went to lunch with some of my favorite author friends the other day--well, ok, I'll name drop-- Jennie Hansen, Kerry Blair, Gale Sears and Cheri Crane, and after chatting and laughing, we went to Barnes and Noble because sweet Kerry wanted to buy my newest book so I could sign it for her. She made a fuss in the store as I signed her book ("It's such a good thing the author is right here to sign this for me! There are a couple more on the shelf; you'd better grab them soon...") and I was blushing and laughing.

The thing that I loved so much about being in the store, though, was the euphoria I felt looking at all of the new releases--the artwork, the fonts, the covers, the smell. It was as though an old lover had taken me back despite my infidelity. I was in heaven.

I bought Sarah Ban Breathnach's Peace and Plenty, Cheri Priest's awesome steampunk, The Boneshaker, and the most recent issue of Writer's Digest magazine, which is my favorite writer's reference of all.

It was delightful and heady and I felt like a very happy bigamist as I rode home on the train with my Kindle in my purse and Sarah's new book open in my lap. The experience would have been utter bliss if I hadn't fallen asleep as I was trying to read, which is no reflection on the book, itself. It was the lull of the blasted train.

Good thing I wasn't driving. :-)

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I feel the same way!!

Sarah said...

I am still fighting crossing over to the dark side. But deep down I have a feeling I will eventually cave. :)

BTW, I just read The Legend of the Jewel. Very well done, Nancy! I didn't want to put it down. I can't wait to get my hands on The Pharaoh's Daughter.

Nicole said...

OK what made you go kindle vs. nook vs. the sony or the kobo (or what ever borders thingy is). I heard kindle doesn't allow you to check out books via the library since amazon owns them and wants you to buy everything. I kind of like the looks of the new nook color...please write a review comparing all of your research. I am most curious.

And very much considering crossing over to the dark side...

Roybn said...

Just got a kindle for Christmas and I am loving it. You know,I don't think it has to be an either/or thing with an e-reader. I just got back from a trip, and took my kindle in my carry-on. They are so thin and light,it slipped into the seat pocket without bulging it out,and was easily read in cabin light. I took it to the beach and read it in bright sun with sunscreened fingers and didn't muck up any pages. Love, love.
I came home, and picked up the paperback I was reading before I left, and it was presto, back with old. I will never give up the printed word, it's smell, heft, and touch, but the e-reader has found it's place in my life. Yea!

Nancy Campbell Allen said...

So true, all of you.

Nicole, as for comparisons, I went with the Kindle because my sister has one and loves it, (now the other two each have one!) and it's so much cheaper. I'll admit, the Nook is sleek and sexy with its color and all that, but it's pricier and I'm not convinced it's any faster/as fast as my Kindle loads stuff.

You do have to buy stuff- there's no library checkout yet on Kindle, and maybe there won't ever be- but there are lots of free books and discounted books, which is so much fun. Love, love it!

Do some digging and let me know what you find out. Biggest thing for me right now was price. I figure when I want full color and all that, I'll get an ipad. Gotta save my pennies. ;-)