Kindle Update!

As you may have read earlier this week, I finished my first book on my Kindle, The Help. I can't imagine a better book to break in my new toy. Although I spewed out umpteen wonderful attributes about my Kindle when I first received it, now I can give you some actual feedback.

Perhaps because my Kindle is new and fun to mess with, and yes, The Help was a phenomenal book, but I read it lightning fast. I can sometimes be intimidated by a book's size, and get off to a slow start knowing it is going to take me forever. This is out of mind with the Kindle. There are no page numbers per se, just a "percentage read" notation at the bottom. No bad covers, no annoying blurbs on the back. You just dive in without baggage weighing you down. You then become so engrossed in reading that you almost try to turn a page. It is the size of a book, and honestly, you forget that it's not. Even better, there are no pages flipping around so you don't lose your place. You can bookmark wherever you stop.

You can adjust the size of the font for those of us that have some challenges with books with tiny words. I would enlarge the font even more when I was blow-drying my hair and was farther away from the book. (Don't laugh - I multi task!)

I was able to easily mark passages that were compelling, as well as make notes, then refer back to them later. This is something I usually do in a journal, which is fine, but this way, everything is in one place.

Another thing I love...well, its kind of silly and superficial, but when the Kindle goes on snooze, it shows very cool pictures of famous authors. Like Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allen Poe, John Milton, Lewis Carroll and Jane Austen. I know I'm not the only one who revels in these types of things!

With the help of Molly from My Cozy Booknook I found two websites where you can download hundreds of free books. They all seem to be classics that are old enough to qualify for public domain. I've already downloaded Great Expectations, Little Women, Anna Karenina, The Woman in White, and Jane Eyre. The web navigation is a bit cumbersome...not something you would want to sit and toy with for long, but easy enough to use for the downloads.

I have also signed up for subscriptions to daily blogs that are updated automatically each time there is a post. I am still in a 14-day trial period, but after that they are $1 a month each. I haven't decided if I will keep them or not, but its fun to play. The three blogs are The Book Stacks, DailyMe Literati, and Write Anyway. There are 4,458 blogs to choose from, ranging from Sports, Travel, Arts & Entertainment, Humor & Satire, and more. Through the web navigator, you could actually pull up just about any blog you wanted, but they aren't formatted for the Kindle, and it is difficult to view properly.

So far, any downsides? It doesn't light up. I'm not sure why this is. I would think it would be an easy feature to add, but what do I know? The only time I need a light is when I'm reading at night while hubby is sleeping, which tends to annoy him anyway. I can live with it, or attach a booklamp to it. Its not a hill to die on. As I said before, the web navigation is tedious, but this was not the purpose for which I wanted the Kindle. If I need to buzz around online, I will do it on a computer.

I know there are many more things about this wonderful device that I have yet to discover. I will continue to put it through its paces. I will need to concentrate on finishing some books on the printed page before I leave on my travels, but by mid-summer I should have more to report!