Why The Kindle Is Awesome (and Why You Don't Have To Give Up "Real" Books If You Get One)

There is a slight huge chance that I'm going to come off sounding like some late-night infomercial in this post. I apologize in advance. Also, I'm sure that this post will apply to all dedicated electronic readers and even the apps for your phone/tablet computer/computer, but I am specifically extolling the virtues of the Amazon Kindle because that's what I have.

Instant gratification. 

Download books and be reading within moments. The book can either be downloaded directly to the device, or can be downloaded to your computer and transferred to the device. There's no more waiting for your favorite bookstore to get a new shipment of that bestseller you're just dying to read. There's no more waiting for your Amazon order to come in. And with lending, there's no more waiting for that book you want to make it to your branch of the local library system. 

One-handed reading.

The small Kindle is light enough to hold with one hand, you don't have to struggle to turn the page because it's super easy to turn the page with your thumb, and you don't have to fight the pages to stay flat.

Built-in audio book.

If the book has text-to-speech enabled, you don't have to shell out the $30 for the audio book. Granted, the robotic voice maybe isn't as smooth as a real live person reading the book, but considering that you just saved $30, it's worth it.

Automatic bookmark. 

It's really, really hard to lose your place. When you slide and release the power switch to get rid of the screen saver, you go automatically to the last page you were reading. Even if you go back to the home page and click on a book you were reading and didn't finish, you go straight to the last page you were on. If you're reading a book on more than one device, you can go to the menu and sync to the furthest page read.

Carry around your entire library comfortably. 

Whenever someone tells me they can't give up "real" books, my first response is always this: "How many books that you just love to read are you carrying right now? What happens if you finish it? I have 350 books in my purse right now." The Kindle can hold a lot of freaking books. It can hold more than your purse, briefcase, or diaper bag, that's for damned sure.

Adjustable text size. 

Problem: you want to read, but there isn't much light and you don't have a flashlight or penlight on hand. Solution: enlarge the text size. You may have to turn the pages more frequently, but you can still read! 

Hide "guilty" pleasures. 

Romance. Erotica. Anything by Candace Bushnell or Laurell K. Hamilton (post-Obsidian Butterfly). You can read whatever you want because there is no book cover to give away your secrets!

Hide conversation starters.

There are some books that just seem to invite people to comment on them. No book cover, no conversation! (Except for the one you'll have about how awesome your Kindle is.)

Quick library organization.

This originally read "instant," but I went through my Kindle yesterday and actually organized my library by collections, and it was not instant. Organization by title, author, or most recent (most recently read or most recently downloaded, depending on how you got to the home screen) is instant, though. If you enjoy alphabetizing your books you might not enjoy this feature, but for those of us who don't have time, it's pretty sweet.

Make notes/highlights/dog-ear pages without damaging the book.

You're not supposed to turn down the corners of book pages to save your place, but I always do. I have books full of scribbling in the margins and highlighted passages. I have books with spines so cracked I can't read the title or author at a glance. I even have books that have been so well-used that they have no covers. None of these things are a problem with the Kindle. Adding a bookmark takes a few clicks, highlighting and adding notes is a few clicks and some typing, and the device itself is remarkably tolerant of the gentle abuse that books inevitably suffer. 

Indie authors.

So far, I have books from Michelle Muto, Michelle Brooks, Justin Scro, Justin Sigler, and Amanda Hocking (to name a few) loaded on my Kindle. I had to stop buying books because I was buying them faster than I could read them. There is an entire universe of independently published authors who are extremely talented. Electronic readers gave them the opportunity to reach their readers, and I am reached. 

Lower book prices.

Books out on the shelves in paperback seem to be about 10% - 20% cheaper as an ebook. The difference between hardcovers and ebooks is even greater, sometimes as much as half off. This doesn't even include the indie books, which are frequently priced at premium impulse-buy amounts of $0.99, $1.99, and $2.99. Without the work and resources required to print and distribute "real" books, publishers--and self-published authors--can afford to set lower prices.

Free books.

There are thousands of books, at least, that are now in the public domain because their copyrights have expired. Project Gutenberg alone boasts 36,000 available for download. Amazon regularly has hundreds--at least--available for free. Authors regularly offer their books for free on Smashwords. Free is better than low, isn't it?

So all of those are reasons the Kindle is awesome. I'm not really allowed to talk about mine all that much around my friends because I tend to ramble and praise and rave about it. (I can't help it. It's the single greatest thing I got for myself last year. I should have bought one years ago.)

Whenever I mention to a fellow reader that they should consider a Kindle (or a NOOK, or a Sony, or whatever), the number one response I hear against an e-reader is: "But I just can't give up real books!"

There's a very, very simple response to this: "Then don't."

For the sake of argument, though, I'll go a little more in depth. 

Just because you have an e-reader doesn't mean you can't ever read a "real" book again.

There is no rule that says you can never buy another "real" book. Some books aren't available electronically. (For example, until the end of June, most of the Star Wars expanded universe books weren't available.) Sometimes you just want a real one. Sometimes book shopping is an impulse thing. Owning an e-reader does not mean you're going to stop buying books--most people don't. (I have Googled to find the numbers, but for some reason, my Google-fu is failing me. If anyone knows where I can find these hard numbers again, I would really appreciate it!) You might buy fewer "real" books, but you probably won't stop buying them at all. I haven't.

Reading is tactile, and electronic devices aren't sensuous.

Okay. You got me on this one. The Kindle doesn't smell like a book and it doesn't feel like a book. But it sure does read like one. And you can always buy this stuff to spray when you're reading. Honestly, I have not missed the smell of "real" books, the feel of flipping a page, or the sound of the first crack of the spine. I still have several bookshelves sagging beneath the weight of my library. One upside to the lack of smell from an e-reader, though, is the fact that it doesn't aggravate my asthma. 

Some books won't translate well to electronic readers. 

I have a gorgeous, enormous art history textbook that absolutely requires full-color plates. I have a copy of National Geographic: The Photos that does not belong on a Kindle (or a NOOK, or an iPad, or whatever). But I also don't carry these books around to read while I'm waiting in the doctor's office. 

It's not like your library is going to get up and leave you.

I mean, come on. Your "real" books aren't going to get butthurt, pack their bags, and call a cab when you bring home your e-reader.