Reading and Kindles

My sister is gadget queen.  She takes after my father and any new gadget quickly becomes an indispensable part of her life.  Her latest gadget is a kindle.  As I spent Christmas with her, I was able to have a good look and ponder whether I would consider converting to reading books on a kindle.

In 2008 when Keith and I travelled to England, most of our luggage consisted of books.  They were heavy and took up considerable space, but the idea of not having a book to read was inconceivable.  Keith had a number of books with him, necessary for his work on Richard Baxter.  A kindle would have certainly saved space and weight.

What would Richard Baxter have thought about a kindle?  He was a keen reader and collector of books.  On his death he left one of the largest and most comprehensive libraries in England at that time.  Much can be gleaned about Ricky from this quote:

"I must confess, it is much more pleasing to my self, to be retired from the World, and to have very little to do with Men, and to converse with God and Conscience and good Books."

Ricky might well have purchased a kindle and then downloaded his core library to have at his fingertips. I think he would have embraced this technology with open arms.  This morning, I read an article by Stephanie Raethel "I kid you not, I'm a Kindle convert", in which she confesses that she is enjoying her kindle immensely.  I am not the only person wondering about kindles and reading.  Mark Pesce has also considered the future of books and kindles in an opinion piece "year will be more than just a page turner, it'll be a new era".  However, there is something about the look and feel of a book, that no kindle can replace.  Many of my friends ask me for suggestions of what to read and I freely lend books again and again.  Can I do this with a Kindle?

My ipod has transformed my music collection into a bite sized library that accompanies me everywhere, so I guess, a kindle will eventually become a part of my persona - catching buses, trains, even sitting in doctor's surgerys waiting could be transformed as I have on hand a magazine, a book or two, my bible, a devotional book ready to read - compactly stored in my handbag!

Whether by kindle or retro book, reading is here to stay.  I have a family of bookworms.  We read with a passion.  Our Christmas at the beach was spent with noses in books.  Well, my sister's and her husband's were in their kindles, but they were equally engrossed and content.  The inclement weather kept us indoors, but it was bliss.  Our children snuggled up immersed in books - each in their own world.  It was a delight to behold.

I have just read an article from the Age on the very topic of kindles v books and the author Gabriella Coslovich captures my thoughts perfectly in her article "E-Books lack the magic of the real thing".