To Kindle

This Christmas, while sipping champagne and munching on smoked salmon in true festive style, I was handed a small rectangular present from under the Christmas Tree. I tore off the red and gold Christmas Tree adorned wrapping paper and opened the gift from my parents. I instantly spotted the Amazon logo on the box and a massive (and maybe slightly apprehensive) smile came to my face. Guessed it? I am now a very proud owner of the latest Kindle. A few months ago I published  a blog about whether or not I should invest in a kindle and I cannot believe that I ever debated it - best present ever! It took a bit of fiddling with the various buttons to get the hang of it and I was so nervous in case I didn't enjoy reading from it but now my kindle and I are permanently attached. Wherever I go, my kindle will not be far away!

 My grandparents also treated me to a fabulous hot pink case so my perfectly sized and weighted kindle now looks very, very smart. The case even comes with a little elastic pocket which I can slip my hand into and thus balance my kindle in whatever way is comfortable. Although I am never going to rid myself of my glorious (and ridiculously extensive) book collection it is phenomenal how much easier it is reading on a kindle. Your arm and fingers don't get tired or cramped from balancing a book in a certain way and I can curl up in bed, protected against the English cold, and read in whatever position is comfortable and warm without the hassle of having to also try and balance a book.

There is one problem however. As long as I'm in wifi range I have unlimited access to whatever books I want. One click and I can buy a new book and have it wirelessly sent to my kindle. While I love this feature I don't think my bank account is going to feel quite the same way. So far I have been very good and have stuck to the timeless classics (Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, Tess of the D'Urbevilles etc) which are out of copyright and thus free but I know these will only last me so long. While electronic books are much cheaper than paperbacks I have never been one to spend a lot. I'm the type of book lover who will spend hours at the book stall at fetes and trawling through the tatty shelves of the local charity shops and eventually spend a fiver on 5 or so books with the happy thought that not only am I treating myself but I am also doing a Christian deed and giving to charity; it's a win win situation. I don't think I'm going to have quite the same consolation when I find myself buying on Amazon...