Have Kindle, Will Travel
Family travel with the Kindle
I have a confession to make: I love books. Seriously. I *love* books. If I have a single vice outside travel, it’s books. I read about a new novel or non-fiction book on Salon.com or NPR and immediately order it. I get lost in bookstores – for hours. I read like it’s going out of style. My family jokes that I like books better than I like any human person. They may well be right.
And my love of books transcends the written word. I love the feel of books – their weight, their smell, the sound heavy-papered pages turning in a good hardback. Even their physical being entices me in a way I just. can’t. resist. I might even say they get me a little hot. We avid readers are weird like that.
So, you know, I wasn’t too keen on the idea of a wireless reading device. I love books. BOOKS, darn it! If I wanted to read on a device, well, I’d just get on my laptop and surf on over to the New York Times website or Texts from Last Night.
But then I got my hands on a Kindle. And I find that my life will never be the same.
I’m a bit ashamed to admit I love it. I do. I love that it’s small and light and so easy to carry when I’m on the go. Instead of dragging 3 hardbacks in my carry-on bag, I can now carry 1,500 books on my little Kindle and never run out of reading material on the plane. I love that I can immediately feed my addiction. If I read about a book that tempts me (like, for example, hearing all the recent buzz about Rebecca Skloot’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”), I can just turn on my Kindle and have it in seconds as opposed to waiting weeks for my order to appear in the mail. Sometimes it’s available for the Kindle before it even hits the stores. And in terms of price? With costs about half of what you’d find on bookstore shelves, if you are a reading addict like me, the Kindle is very cost effective (outside, you know, of it being so, so easy to order a book on whim).
But one of the best parts of the Kindle for me? I can order up books for Chet as well. Instead of having to carry the entire collected works of H.A. Rey to lands unknown, I can download a few books for him to peruse on the plane. And for older kids, there are literally thousands of children’s chapter books to choose from. It’s a total win-win. (Except, of course, they’ll want to hog the Kindle, greedy munchkins that they are).
I still love books. And I will still buy them – it’s an addiction I have no qualms about feeding. But for my sordid, somewhat embarrassing reading purchases (Sookie Stackhouse novels, anyone?), magazine subscriptions and for my travel time, I believe I’ll be using the Kindle for a long time to come. It’s a traveling-Mom-and-avid-reader’s dream come true.
Need a kids book recommendation? Here’s a great kids’ book review site.
March 1st, 2010 | by Kayt Sukel 12 comments
1. Shenandoah bed and breakfast on March 2nd, 2010
Interesting post! Recently I have purchased a Kindle two (2) and I must say that I truly love it! It’s the newer version with made in 3g global wireless.
Best Regards,
2. Amy @ The Q Family on March 2nd, 2010
There is no need to be embarrassed about Sookie. :) I think Kindle will be a great companion for traveling. But for me, I typically get my books from the library. So I still can’t bring myself to spend the cash yet.
3. Craig on March 2nd, 2010
Any concerns about titles being taken off the Kindle by Amazon when the publisher pulls it from the shelves? I’ve read about people losing their books this way.
4. Caroline on March 2nd, 2010
I love books, too. I can’t walk into a bookstore without having an internal struggle about whether or not I actually need to add another book to the pile on my bedside table. Interesting to see a book lover’s thoughts about the Kindle!
5. Kristin Ohlson on March 3rd, 2010
One thing I don’t like about the Kindle is losing that great pleasure of seeing people reading on a plane or in an airport and scanning the covers to see what they’re reading. Maybe Kindle and the other electronic books will develop a way of showing cover art on the backside (unless you want to suppress your Sookie).
6. Seana on March 3rd, 2010
I love my kindle, and I take it everywhere. I also love the text to speech feature for when I’m driving. Kindle also is compatible with Audible.com if you prefer not to have Steven Hawking(what the kindle voice sounds like) read your books to you.
The link to amazon is not as much of a drawback as I had originally thought it might be. It’s true that Amazon deleted a book from kindles who had purchased it, but the book that was deleted was something that they didnt’ have the rights to sell. Seems a bit creepy, but was fixing a mistake. The idea that they can do it whenever they want is a little disturbing, but I have only heard of the one instance, and I don’t think they make a regular practice of it.
7. Mary Jo on March 3rd, 2010
I’ve had my Kindle for about a year and a half now (the first generation).
I LOVE books, just like you do, and read around 100/year. I like holding them in my hand, feeling their heft, and turning the pages. But when it comes to traveling for three weeks at a time — well, I don’t like carrying around all those books quite so much.
That’s why I love my Kindle. I toss it in my purse, and always have something to read. I take it on the road, and don’t have to worry about losing a library book. I get the instant gratification of reading what I want, and I can take it all with me (although only 200 titles for us first generation users) without any extra weight.
Love it — for much the same reasons as you!
8. Terrah on March 6th, 2010
Oh my, now I am off looking around on Salon.com. From one bookworm to the other, I thank you. I think. ;)
9. mom with boys on March 10th, 2010
What an amazing idea! My family absolutely loves reading! Perfect for traveling with kiddos and adults as well! Thank you for sharing your experience and idea with us. Interested in looking into the kindle for my family.
10. wandermom on March 14th, 2010
We’re now a multi-kindle family. We travel. We all love to read and I just got sick of my kids using my kindle leaving me with nothing to read. The great news is I’m forecasting needing a lot less bookshelf space in my house within the next couple of years. This is a wonderful thing.
11. Rachael on March 24th, 2010
Some members of my family choose the kindle, but there is something about reading an actual book that is irreplaceable! But, Yes I completely agree the kindle is great for vacations because you don’t need to lug around books in your bag. Your post may have convinced my to get one!
12. Jamie Pearson on May 1st, 2010
So, I never got a Kindle (I always meant to, but I never got around to it) and now I’ve got an iPad instead. I’m going to give iBooks a whirl and see how I like it.
12 Responses to “Have Kindle, Will Travel”