Nov
18
2009
18
2009
Kindle Adoration
Filed under: Possessions, Simplifying
When we were on the road last time, I am pretty sure the right side of the RV was grossly over the weight limit. That’s where all of my books were stored. This time around, I came up with a solution! Let me introduce you to my new favorite space saving, lightweight, environmentally friendly device…my KINDLE!
I first heard about the Kindle on Jess’s blog…she was raving about it and I thought it was a fun idea, but I didn’t think about it any further. Then I saw another person raving about theirs online. Then I did an informal Facebook poll and was overwhelmed at the number of people who had a Kindle and LOVED it. I was hooked.
I researched A LOT and found that although there are several electronic book reading options out there, the Kindle was the most popular. I did think about waiting for the Nook, but I’m impatient (it’s not released yet). When Apple releases one in the future…I’ll be all over that one. 
Anyhoo…I talked with Matt and we both agreed that the Kindle would be a smart option for someone who is on the road full time.
I ordered it.
It arrived.
I fell in love.
Here is why:
It looks cool…and I like to look cool.
How can you not love that green cover? Oh my word. Love it. No seriously, the Kindle just really has a nice feel to it. It holds well in your hand, with or without a case. I prefer the case because with kids, I worry about it getting stomped upon. It’s also a little easier to hold while I’m nursing at night, because the flap blocks my book light from Lucy’s eyes (yes, book light…there is no back light to prevent eye strain).
Accessibility.
I can read anywhere…anytime…and have MANY different books with me at one time. Up to 1500, in fact! I can also read major newspapers from around the world, magazines, and blogs. I mostly stick with the books, but I do enjoy reading single issues of the newspaper once in a while. I love that when we are away from the RV, I don’t have to load my bag with 2-3 books that I am reading at the time. I just grab my Kindle and go. AND, I know that if I need to, I could download a new book from Amazon in less than 1 minute (literally). Everything is delivered wirelessly on a cell signal (already set up and included when it arrives).
Good for mama.
I think Kindles are great for the mama crowd. There are no paper books to get strawberries smashed into, pages ripped out of, or thrown in the pool. Only an expensive electronic device to ruin. ha. That’s why I bought the extended warranty, which allows for one (and one only) replacement Kindle if you break it.
I’ve fallen in love with reading again.
I’ve always been a reader. I love transporting myself to another time and place through a book. But, since having kids, I can’t remember the last time I FINISHED a book. Completely. To the last page. Since receiving my Kindle, I’ve finished three books (Tales of a Female Nomad , The Help and Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning…all of which I LOVED! The Help was amazing). While on the road, we can’t check books out from the library (usually)…so it’s so fun to be able to read all of these new books.
I’m reading books I wouldn’t normally read.
Now I’m starting to sound like a commercial for Amazon They don’t pay me I promise! I love the option to “sample” books on the Kindle. You can search through the Amazon website and if something looks interesting, with just one click, it will magically appear on your Kindle via wireless delivery. You can read a chapter or two of the book, and then decide if you want to buy the rest. So great. This feature is also a tool to help keep a list of books you want to read in the future.
Many of you are purists when it comes to your never ending obsession with books and reading. You wouldn’t even think about replacing that hardback in your hands with an electronic device. I’m not going to argue with you I too love the feel of a real book in my hands. I love the smell and the familiar feel of it after you’ve been reading it for awhile. And let’s not forget the power of books as an “object” in your home. They serve as decoration and conversation starters. I love looking at other people’s books on their shelves…you can learn a lot about a person that way! Some of my favorite books could never be replaced by a Kindle version (i.e. The Material World, Hungry Planet, etc).
However, the Kindle serves a very specific purpose for me…and that is to allow me to have an abundance of books with me on the road without taking up space. And as an added bonus, it happens to be environmentally friendly because I’m not out buying paper books.
There are only a few downsides to the Kindle in my opinion. They are pretty expensive. And I’ve found that it’s really easy to rack up the dollars when it’s so simple to buy books (for ONLY $9.99!) But that’s it. I haven’t found much that I don’t like.
And now you’re wondering, what is on Sara’s Kindle? Well, let me tell you what I’m reading and sampling right now
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
- Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishment to Love and Reason
- A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
- Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
- Playful Parenting
- The One Year Bible
- The Power of a Praying Wife
- Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear
Tell me your favorite books…I love a good page-turner, one that I just can’t put down! What should I read next?
Posted by Sara @ 1:01 am | Leave a Comment
18
2009
I don’t, and probably won’t, own a Kindle. I’m not against it, I just don’t think I’d use it enough to feel like the money was well spent. That being said…
I really liked Guernsey Literary!! I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. I think you’d really like Amy Krause Rosenthal’s Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life if you haven’t read it.
18
2009
I’m waiting for the Nook, and asking for it for Christmas. I originally wanted a Kindle but I changed my mind once I discovered the nook. The fact that it’s not so “locked up” AND you can loan books to friends who have nooks won me over. Plus, I noticed a lot of the books I want are cheaper for the nook than they are for the kindle, something that is important for someone on assistance that literally never has more than 5 bucks to save up each month! I SO hope everyone I know pools together and gets the nook for me!
18
2009
We are reading several of the same books right now…what are you thinking about Crazy Love and the Guernsey Literary? I have read The Power of a Praying Wife too.
I think you should rum (type?) to the nearest amazon *grin* and purchase Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. By far, the most incredible book I have ever read (well, books…there are seven so far). There is nothing I could say about it that would even come close to doing it justice, so just trust me and get it
18
2009
Sigh. In some ways this thing makes SO. MUCH. SENSE. to me…but…..aaaccckkkkk….to not have a book to HOLD.
Sigh.
Again – it would make so much sense for the international traveling life.
Oh bother.
18
2009
great review! I think it would be a bit too easy…and very tempting to own one and buy books for only $9.99! (We are library lovers here!)
My favorite book of 2009 was :Havah: The STory of Eve by Tosca Lee….itw as INCREDIBLE! It is a fictional work, but the language is beautiful and sooo interesting!
The author is a Christian and there is plenty of scripture interspersed. I don’t read fiction a lot…but I Loved this one!
Sarah M
18
2009
Sara can I ask where you find amazing books to read? Is it just word of mouth? I suppose if you’re like me it’s from other readers like you!
18
2009
I’m just finishing “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan. It is rocking my world.
The teaser on the front cover: “Reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit”. Good dang stuff.
18
2009
I also loved Guernsey Literary, it was recommended by Deea
. I just finished “These is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901″ by Nancy Turner. It is fiction and I lost of lot of precious sleep reading it! Too bad you can’t “rent” books for the Kindle for cheaper!
18
2009
I love anything by David Liss- The Coffee Trader is my favorite, though.
Also, I love the original stories of the Three Musketeers, and The Man in the Iron Mask, by Alexander Dumas.
I really wish I had an excuse to buy a Kindle, it looks so nice!
18
2009
On my list to read: Eating Animals/Jonathan Safran Foer; The Kind Diet/Alicia Silverstone; The Garden of Eating/Rachel Albert-Matesz; Indian Vegetarian Cooking from an American Kitchen/Vasantha Prasad. The last thing I read that I really enjoyed fiction-wise was Everything Under the Sky/Matilde Asensi. Thank you for these suggestions — I am putting holds on items at the library right now!
18
2009
It’s official – The Nook is on my Christmas list!!
You should read The Shack. I just started it, but I’ve heard great things about it!!
18
2009
I have finally started the Rabbit series, and am nearly done with Rabbit, Run. GREAT book.
18
2009
gift from the sea.
kids are worth it.
the giver.
my abondonment. (slightly haunting but based on a true story and then expanded by the authors imagination)
the first three books mentioned are in my top books ever. have you read any of them?
18
2009
Hi Sara,
I’m a great lover of books and also your blog. Here are some of my recent favorites that you might also enjoy:
What are People For- by Wendell Berry
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto- by Michael Pollan
The Red Tent- a novel by Anita Diamant (It traces the story of Dinah in Genesis. I should probably give a disclaimer about this one, but I won’t. It does make a Bible story come alive, and I like that about it.)
18
2009
Recommendations for your next read: Forgotten God by Frances Chan is a great read!! Also, The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle or From Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship by Jack Frost…or anything by Bill Johnson.
I love the idea of Kindle, but I love, love, love the look & feel of a good book. don’t know if i can give that part of loving to read quite yet…but i also said the same thing about cd’s!!
thanks for the review!
18
2009
I loved the book, “still alice” and “sarah’s key”…I need to look into kindle! tara
18
2009
more awesome feature of the kindle:
built in dictionary that lets you look up things in your reading right there
search features
you can clip your favorite passages
multiple bookmarks if you share your kindle with your husband and you happen to be reading the same book
you can upload your own content (I put my book group reading list for the year on mine)
you can get books from other sources other than amazon (:
Cheers!
18
2009
I’m a long-time reader who rarely comments (if ever) and have to share that my life was forever more changed by “The Great Divorce” by C.S. Lewis. It’s a short fiction about heaven and hell. Right now I’m reading “I AM not A SOCIAL ACTIVIST” by Ronald Sider and am very inspired. I’m also reading, “ISLAM: The house I left behind” by Daniel Shayesteh. It’s his conversion story and is fascinating. I’m also reading Jesus for President thanks to you!!! I link to your posts and think you’re super inspiring!
18
2009
Great review! I have wanted a Kindle for awhile, but the price tag has held me back. Maybe I will ask for one for Christmas….
Books I like:
Eat. Pray. Love. and The Red Tent. Both are great books that really made me thin about my perceptions of things.
18
2009
I don’t have anything to recommend because I’m totally in the “mommy fog” right now myself. However- I had to add the “The Material World” and “Hungry Planet” are two of my most favorites, too! I borrow them from the library- but hope to have paper copies some day. I saw “Hungry Planet” as a an exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago. The photos were blown up to maybe 2′ x 3′ and it was really powerful to take in. Thanks for sharing!
18
2009
These are my top ten.
Fiction:
The Hawk and The Dove Trilogy by Penelope Wilcock.
Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter. (and Sara, if you haven’t discovered Gene Stratton Porter yet, I think you would really like everything she’s written.)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
The Singer Trilogy by Calvin Miller (a poetic re-telling of the New Testament)
Non-Fiction:
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis (the most influential thing I’ve ever read)
Shantung Compound by Langdon Gilkey (an account of Americans in a Japanese internment camp during WWII, a fascinating study of human nature)
A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
-Most all of these make great read-alouds for a family too. A lot of them were read aloud to me when I was growing up.
18
2009
These are my top ten, in no particular order.
Fiction:
The Hawk and The Dove Trilogy by Penelope Wilcock.
Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter. (and Sara, if you haven’t discovered Gene Stratton Porter yet, I think you would really like everything she’s written.)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
The Singer Trilogy by Calvin Miller (a poetic re-telling of the New Testament)
Non-Fiction:
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis (the most influential thing I’ve ever read)
Shantung Compound by Langdon Gilkey (an account of Americans in a Japanese internment camp during WWII, a fascinating study of human nature)
A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
-Most all of these make great read-alouds for a family too. A lot of them were read aloud to me when I was growing up.
18
2009
Glad you love the Kindle! My husband works for amazon and they love making people happy
My father feels as equally enamored with his Kindle.
18
2009
I absolutely LOVED Beyond the Veil by Alice Smith, which is about prayer-one of my favorite things to do
My other favorite book is Irresistible Revolution, but i think i heard about that one from your blog 
18
2009
Oh! I completely agree with Colleen — Girl of the Limberlost has been a favorite since I was little. AMAZING!!
18
2009
Ohhhhh! I’m so glad you love it! Same thing for me, too – I read more now that I have a Kindle…I’ve had “The Help” rec. to me several times…think I need to sample it…(which we can do, as Kindle users!)…
love
jess
18
2009
aaaaahhhh!!!! you just asked about favorite books!!! One of my all time favorite subjects to talk about….anyway, back to your question. I too, am reading Crazy Love…good stuff and excited for my “not yet a Christian” friend to read it. I am also reading “the Hobbit” by Tolkien for a change of pace And just finished Surprised by joy by CS Lewis. But I would definitely recommend you read “Marriage to a Difficult Man”. You don’t have to be married to a difficult man, it is a biography about Jonathan Edwards wife and it is fantastic! So good. Lets keep talking about books….I could go on for hours……..
19
2009
I really enjoyed Colin Beavan’s “No Impact Man” book. It’s not just a rehash of his blog—and I find his struggles very relatable. Very captivating read.
One question about the Kindle—-How long will a book stay downloaded (present) in the Kindle’s memory? Does it delete after a certain period of time?
Thanks!
19
2009
well in this one i can’t agree with you. while a book is a sustainable product – it can be recycled. the kindle is one more machine to be trashed some when…
there are a lot of ideas out there referred as environmentally friendly but they are fallacies.
the key is to read and pass the book over to the next reader, lower books production all over the world and use 100% recyclable materials.
articles like this: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/28/study-finds-kindle-more-eco-friendly-than-actual-books-maybe/
are exactly what consumers want to read and believe… but they are full of false information.
anyhow now that you get it – try to keep it for the next 10yrs..
19
2009
You’re killin’ me! Raised by a librarian, and being an avid book reader and lover, I am having a very difficult time with this here *kindle*. I just love paper…. ooooh, and the smell of the pages (yup, I know, crazy) – I don’t think the kindle has that same book smell. (If it does, I may have to reconsider.) And, if I was living in an RV and devoid of bookshelf room, I might also have cause to buy one. Anyway, here are some of my faves:
*The Giver – Lois Lowry (I saw it recommended by someone further up the comment list, and I concur). It is YA, but some of my faves happen to be.
*The Book Thief & *I Am The Messenger – Markus Zusak (also YA books)
*The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
*almost anything by Chaim Potok – especially The Chosen, The Promise & My Name is Asher Lev (in that order), oh! and Davita’s Harp
Happy Reading (and travels)!!!
19
2009
*happy dance* I LOVE the Kindle. I’ve been saving for one forever, and might get to have one soon. My main justifications are space while traveling and having options (I love my options
) So, no more back-up books to lug around, and no more trying to decide if I will want to read the biography or the fantasy or the summer fluff or the mystery of the latest aquisition from the women’s section at Lifeway 
It’s great for anyone who loves to read and is on the go alot. Other plus: privacy. Random strangers can’t see what you’re reading and ask about it. I could read Taking Charge of Your Fertility in the dentist’s office and no one would care :p
19
2009
Good reads:
Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.” Amazing, really.
Also—for a more lighthearted read—”Prodigal Summer”. Also by Kingsolver.
She has such a lovely way of blending spirit, feminism, and care of our earth. Love her!
19
2009
The book Crazy Love is amazing. I have had to read it a few times to process it
.
19
2009
I LOVE my Kindle!!!My mom got it for me for x-mas last year and I use it everyday! I have a six month old and I work so while I am pumping I’m diggin’ on my Kindle! I also read The Help. I thought it was great. Have you read Water for Elephants? It’s a good one.The Red Tent is one of my faves also. It’s about midwifery and some great women. Loved that one.
19
2009
oh, and they have super sweet kindle cases on Etsy. Mine has a cute pink giraffe on it. yay!
20
2009
Another question to you Kindle owners: Do you get eyestrain from looking at the screen?
I’ve been on the fence about getting one since I get eye strain from looking at monitors—-but I don’t seem to get eye strain from looking at a book.
Does it feel more like looking at a book, or looking at a monitor when you are reading your Kindle?
20
2009
I think I might be too tactile to enjoy the Kindle. Although once we’re on the road and I’m dying to read I might change my mind. lol
I can’t wait to read Playful Parenting. LOVE Unconditional Parenting with a passion! Enjoy!
20
2009
I VERY briefly considered getting a Kindle but decided against it because I love actual books so much. I’ve recently taken to audiobooks, though, so this can’t be any worse!
Thanks for the great review.
P.S. Crazy Love, is a great book.
21
2009
A BASKET OF FLOWERS and anything else from the Lamplighter series. Also ANYTHING by Elizabeth Prentiss! All soo virtue-inspiring!
I personally hated THE RED TENT (that ritual in the field totally freaked me out!), but along the same lines I *loved* THE MIDWIFE’S SONG: A STORY OF MOSES’ BIRTH. (((((HUGS))))) sandi~I think I’d love a kindle, but OY! The $$$!
22
2009
hi there. I think this my first time commenting here.
I don’t have a Kindle, was very opposed to the very idea of electronic books, but the cheaper the Kindle gets, the more I want one. My house only has so much space. thanks for such a detailed review. I suspect I’ll be looking for that pretty red cover sometime in the future.
23
2009
They look so cool, but I’m just such a paper girl. I try to be good by only getting used books, so I’m always behind on the new ones. But I just need to feel the paper in my hands, turn over corners to mark spots, and make comments in the sides.
23
2009
My husband will be sending you a bill in the mail for the Kindle 2…
I currently have the Kindle 1 but after seeing how cute yours was, I knew I just had to upgrade. It gets here the day before Thanksgiving!!! EEEEK!
You. Must. Read. The Shack. I loved it. I will say that it changed my life. I also loved the Help, too. On my Kindle, I currently have Under the Overpass, The Shack,Blue Like Jazz:Non Religious Thoughts on Christianity; Sleep Toward Heaven (January book club selection so I haven’t read it yet)
23
2009
Cavewoman,
They have some sort of super neat technology that prevents eye strain. There is NO backlight. So you need a light source to read your Kindle. (Which you would need for a regular book, too.) I read through the Shack in a day and a half and did not get any eye strain or headache. They made it so that the screen replicates (very well!!) the look of the grey pages in a normal book.
24
2009
Wow the author of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a pastor where I live. I didn’t know he was an author.
24
2009
How is battery life? I currently get free eBooks (classics) via the Stanza app on iPhone. It “flips” pages, which is neat. This works for me for now, although Kindle does tempt me sometimes…
24
2009
Ahhhh…thanks Michele, I forgot to include battery life. It’s AWESOME!! I’ve gone 2 weeks without charging it when the wireless is off. It’s great!
Joan…I’m pretty sure Donald Miller isn’t a pastor, but he does attend Imago Dei, a great church in Portland and is just a speaker/author. Great book!
25
2009
I would like to recommend Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert – one of her earlier works – pre Eat Pray Love.
Glad you read Tales of a Female Nomad – to me it is the mature woman’s Eat Pray Love.
Probably my fav read of the decade is Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquviel.
11
2009
Well, Sara, thanks for the info on battery life. I ordered my Kindle today! I got the cover you have (I wanted the strap to keep it closed), but in hot pink!
I noticed a coworker was reading her Kindle at lunch today, and she was more than happy to let me get a hands-on with it. I didn’t know anyone who lived close who had one, so I could try it out. Fell in love at once! My coworker said three or four other people in the office have said they were going to get one, after trying hers out.
Kindle will arrive next Thursday, although case and light won’t arrive until around New Year’s. I can cope.
I’m going on a trip overseas next summer, so this will be fabulous. Now have the Kindle iPhone app (hopefully the Mac one comes out soon!) and was having fun looking at what’s available today.
Thanks so much for the detailed review. That really tilted me towards Kindle!
13
2009
I wanted to choose between the sony reader 700 and the kindle 2. So I purchased both.
The sony reader arrived first. I have read so many praises about the sony reader compared to the kindle 2. Whereas my experience with the sony reader, I kept for only 1 day, was the glare was horrendous. The backlight is not a backlight. The lights are casted from the side of the reader fusing towards the center, which caused me to experience severe eye-strain. Even without the back light, within fifteen minutes of reading on the sony reader due to the glare, my eyes were hurting. I repackaged the sony reader and sent it back immediately.
My kindle 2 arrived two days later. Although I have read some ill reviews about the kindle 2, my personal take on the kindle 2 is …. “I HAVE YET TO PUT IT DOWN.” I have not experienced eye-strain. The words are crystal clear. Although it does not have a back light, I purchased a clip on light. The illuminence of the light is equally distributed onto the screen which causes “no” eye strain.
I do hope in the future that Kindle incorporates a touch screen, which would enhance its performance. I ALSO wish kindle installs, (which the sony reader does have) “password” protect. On all of my electronic devices, they are all password protected.
But, as far as my reading experience with the kindle 2, I have downloaded so many books and all at a fraction of the original price. I have also found books that are free or next to nothing in expense. I enjoy my Kindle 2 so much that my sister is buying one too.
With some of the other reviews which were quite helpful, I am going to back up my purcahsed books onto my computer.
As far as I’m concerned, the Kindle 2 is my choice of electronic reader.
18
2009
solid post , really good view on the subject and very well written, this certainly has put a spin on my day, many thanks from the USA and observe up the good work