Be Happy, Be Inspired: August 2012

Sorry for the lack of posts recently.

As I've mentioned I've been working a lot and just haven't had the time to blog, which saddens me!

Anyway I mentioned before about doing a Kindle review so I'm going to do that now. I'm hopefully going to get a few post scheduled up for next week, as I have a couple of days off now.

So, lets get to the point.

My Kindle was given to me as a birthday present. It was one of those times where you just don't know what you want, I'd umm'd and arrr'd over whether to get one for months.

I'm an old romantic when it comes to reading books, I love the smell, the feel and even just knowing how much of the book you've read already and how gratifying it feels.

I didn't think I'd ever convert to something like a kindle because I just didn't think I would have the same experiences I have when reading a physical book.

Anyway, back to my birthday, It was getting nearer and nearer and the bf was pushing me for a suggestion as to what I wanted, So I just went for it and said a Kindle please.

and that was that.

We we're due to go on holiday over my birthday period and he went out and bought it early for me which was a lovely surprise. I'd already put about 10 books on it before we left the house, thats when the love affair began.

lets go through some pro's and cons.

pros

It's a lot easier to read than books, as in physically - it's light, easy to hold and you don't have to turn any pages, which is you read in bed like I do can get a little annoying. Trying to get yourself in a comfortable position so you can hold the book and turn pages etc.
You can carry hundreds of books around with you at any one time, now I don't know about you but trying to carry more than one physical book around with you at a time is hard let alone hundreds, so it definitely wins that one.
The battery life is pretty good, now I know you can't really compare that to reading a physical book so this comment is probably redundant.
You can get pretty cases for it, I know this isn't a priority for everyone but I have a little bit of a thing for cases… iPhone, iPad, kindle. I even dabble in making my own so this is something I take seriously. If I can get a pretty floral case for it then I'm sold.
Privacy, Now this isn't really a huge thing but I like the fact that I'm not brandishing about what I'm reading to the rest of the world. Its not that I read anything particularly controversial or anything but sometimes you might be reading something you don't necessarily want the rest of the tube to know about… *ahem*50 Shades of Grey*cough* so in that respect it's good. Of course that also means you can sometimes miss opportunities to strike conversation about what you are reading but overall I don't make a habit of talking to strangers so it's not a big issue.

Now I want to discuss a few cons

Not a huge amount of content yet, now don't get me wrong there are thousands of books available in kindle format, which is great, but there has been the odd occasion that I haven't been able to get a certain title on my kindle.
obviously it isn't backlit, which I know is the whole point because its supposed to emulate reading a physical book as much as possible, all it really means is that you have to buy a separate book light if you are planning on reading it at night etc… which can be annoying as the lights you can buy are generally not very good and don't last very long.
The other issue I have is that I don't often read in the bath anymore, because I'm just too scared I'll drop it in! bath time reading used to be prime reading time for me, there is nothing more relaxing than being in a nice hot lush bath and getting engrossed in your book. If you drop a physical book in the bath, ok its annoying but really not big deal… let it dry, you're good to go. Drop your kindle in the bath and you have a little bit more of a problem!

Overall, I'm a huge convert. I love reading from my kindle and I love the freedom I have when it comes to reading. You don't get any less engrossed in the story because you're not reading from an actual book, all the physical attributes that come from reading a 'real' book are not missed, personally. I still get emotionally involved in what I'm reading, which to me is the main reason to read in the first place, to connect and experience your own emotional journey through whatever story you are reading, To meet new characters and learn and to have your own personal image of those people.

ANWAY

There we go, a bit of gush for you.

So, If you are in two minds about whether to make the switch, go for it. It doesn't mean you can't still read actual books, but it does mean you can have a lot more freedom and choice about how and what you read.

This post is all just personal opinion so I appreciate that not everyone will feel the same way as me. Thats absolutely fine, Have a nice day.

Thank you for reading.