Amazon Kindle

My oldest daughter gave me my very first Christmas gift (that she bought with money she earned from her first job) this last Christmas. It was a Kindle! I had been kind of toying with the idea of getting a Kindle for a while since I have always been a reader and love all kinds of books.

I found the Kindle reading application on Amazon for free last October and downloaded it to my laptop. I started out just kind of perusing all the titles out there and decided to try some of the free books first because I’m just not really much of a gambler. I like to try things out and see if I like them before just plunging in and taking off with something new.

Being a person that worked at a bookstore for 8 ½ years I can tell you I had my doubts. I really wasn’t sure how I would feel about reading full books and such on an electronic device, which is kind of an odd notion since I catch up on news, read blogs and all kinds of articles on computer anyway. Then I held back because I like the “feel” of books. There’s just something about holding the paper, feeling the pages, and using bookmarks what can I say? So I held back for a long time before just trying things out.

Needless to say after downloading the books from Amazon on my laptop, I was pretty hooked. After all, one thing about electronic books is that they can be interactive; which is just not something you can get from a paperback or hardback book. You can find links to references, other books, blogs, or even moving illustrations. Okay, so I was hooked pretty much from the moment I tried the Kindle app.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sa_menu_karl3/188-3012820-2165642?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Then at Christmas Casey gave me a Kindle. I now have close to 160 books on my Kindle with all kinds of different subjects, including cookbooks, a calendar, and a few games. I just love my Kindle! It’s great for the knowledge seekers like me who wind up reading 4-5 books at a time. Amazon also lets you sync your library from laptop to Kindle so that the titles are available on both, which I love! Now I want the Kindle Fire because it’s a bit more interactive and has touch screen features, but I will wait a bit for my upgrade.

I buy items from Amazon a lot as well, it’s not the only on-line shopping network I use, but it is usually the first place I look for some things. So I looked into the Amazon Prime and joined that too. I took my time to think about it because it is $79.00 per year, but you can check out books from the Prime lending library for free, and if you watch they have special prices on all sorts of items and free delivery on many others. After calculating things out, I decided it was well worth the investment. I have already saved $25.00 from using Prime so I know it will pay for its self in no time at all.

So if you have not checked out the reading applications yet and are still hesitant about the idea, then try it out on your phone or computer first to see what you think. Yes, I realize I am a bit slow, but I also know I am not the only one, so I thought I would share.

Cherry Coley ©

Photo by Cherry Coley

I love my children. Lindsey, my youngest daughter drew me a picture of Charlie Brown and Snoopy – freehand. Since it is a Christmas picture, I plan on framing it and making it a Christmas decoration to bring out each year. I love homemade presents!! They are the best possible thing to give me because then I know there was thought and effort put into it as well as a touch of heart.

Lindsey is a constant artistic surprise! She inherited many art sets and kits throughout the Christmas holidays and has spent lots of time painting, drawing and creating.

Casey, my oldest daughter just started working her first job this year and so was able to experience that wonderful thrill of earning her own money, getting her own check and then buying Christmas gifts that she paid for all by herself. I am so humbled and honored that she did this for me. How well I remember those days!! I loved that feeling that first year I was working at the bookstore. My parents and brother got lots of books, movies and calendars from where I worked. My parents both loved books and movies and it was from those days that my dad started his collection of Disney video’s and Hollywood Musicals.

Casey knows my love of books and so bought me a Kindle this year as a Christmas gift. I am IN LOVE with my Kindle. It’s the best thing EVER!! This statement is coming from someone who is addicted to the written word and loves the feel of books. I love the portability of the Kindle and the fact that I can get all sorts of books for free or for .99 cents! I had used the free Kindle app from Amazon for my PC before and was delighted when I could sync my Kindle with the PC and put those books on the Kindle. I love that I can highlight, and bookmark things and then come back right where I left off on any and all books I have the device. I am a variety reader too, so at any given point I am usually reading about 4-6 books at a time depending on the mood and where I am. Kindle caters to the variety reader as now I am not lugging around stacks of books. Yes, I am a bit slow as Kindle has been out a few years now, but what can I say, I really didn’t think I would like it that much. Now, however, I have a new passion AND new goals.

I have found such a love for this device and software that I fully intend to publish my work through the Kindle format. Technology is such a wonderful thing!