When a Book Lover Meets a Kindle
It wasn’t love at first sight.
I was reading in bed, as I do every night. My fingers turned the pages of “The Angel’s Game”, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón while my consciousness was immersed in the thread of the story. It was a peaceful evening.
Suddenly, the quiet broke. I abruptly raised my head and stared blindly at the wall in front of me with my eyes wide open. Exactly the same exaggerated way comic book characters do when they realize they’ve forgotten something important. Like their dog when they arrive at the vet’s.
My brain, working in the background of my reading, had just realized something. Something serious. How was I going to take my books with me on my trip around the world?
Too heavy and cumbersome in a single carry-on bag for several months. Only one solution, one substitute, appeared in my mind. I didn’t want to think about it. I felt like I was betraying my so dear books. This paper that you feel, that you touch, that you smell, these pages that you turn, and this remaining thickness that you gauge over the hours.
The devil had just incarnated before my eyes. In the form of a Kindle.
I told myself: never in a million years!
“Only fools and dead men don’t change their minds. Fools won’t and dead men can’t.”―John H. Patterson
In less than a month, I am leaving for Portugal. I will stay there for three weeks, before leaving for other adventures. I’ve had this project in my mind every day for a year, exactly to the day. I want to discover the world while working as a digital nomad.
I don’t plan to carry around kilos on my back, nor a suitcase bigger than me. So I challenged myself to leave with only a carry-on suitcase and a backpack. It shouldn’t be too difficult, as I’m becoming more and more minimalist.
But the problem is as follows: Once one pair of shoes, clothes for all types of weather and my camera gear are stored inside, I don’t see how I could fit as many books as I read each month. Reading is the food of my mind. There’s no way it’s not part of the trip.
I could have let myself be carried along by the books I would find there. But I am quite demanding in my reading. And buying books as I went along before I had to give them up made my heart ache.
After many days, even weeks, of moral turmoil, I made my decision. I ordered a Kindle. Plus, it was on sale.
I am almost ashamed to admit it
Have you ever argued to someone that you hated a certain food? Let’s say leeks. This person decides to test your reticence: they lovingly prepare a delicious leek pie for you, melting, creamy, perfectly seasoned. You taste it cautiously, obstinate that you are in your conviction to hate it.
Promptly, despite yourself, your reticence melts like snow in the sun. You can’t stop a little smile from lifting the corner of your lips. Shamefully, feeling pleasantly trapped, barely daring to look at your host, you admit that it’s not that bad.
That’s how I feel. I bite into my Kindle, and I confess… oh shame on me, that I don’t regret (at all) my purchase.
I’m starting my third book on it. Here is the honest feedback of a paper lover on her first weeks with a Kindle.
The (numerous) advantages
I bought the basic, cheapest model. I thought that was enough to start with.
When I unwrapped it, I was surprised by the object itself. Extremely light and small. It fits in the pocket of my coat. So far, it perfectly meets my expectations: it is anything but cumbersome.
The “screen”
I didn’t spend long minutes going through the whole thing, however, as I felt the urgency to check something. I specify that I work on screen. Conversely, reading is a moment of relaxation. I was afraid it would feel like I was staring at a screen again when I was already doing my best to stay away from it as often as possible.
I was wrong. It feels like a sheet of paper being pressed against a glass pane. Actually, it’s not a screen. It is magnetic ink, going up or down according to the elements to be displayed.
The reading experience is very enjoyable. It’s written bigger, and slightly lit, so it’s less tiring for the eyes. The proof: when I work on a screen or read a paper book, I need my glasses. On my Kindle, I can easily do without them. Moreover, you can read even in full sunlight, since the screen does not produce reflections.
The catalog
I didn’t go for the Kindle subscription. For about 10$ a month, this allows you to freely borrow as many books as you want from a predefined catalog. But most of the titles I want to read are not included.
The global catalog is… huge. Amazon, you know. All the books you ever wanted to read are now at your fingertips. They are cheaper, quick to download and go directly to your library. Some are even free because they are in the public domain. This is the case with “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius and “Love of Life” by Jack London, among others.
Even on my entry-level model, I can store thousands of books. And if one day in the distant future I ran out of storage capacity, Kindle makes it possible to remove books from the tablet while keeping them on the cloud.
The comfort
The pages turn with a simple touch. By sliding your finger over the words, you can easily highlight a passage, which is then stored in a dedicated tab.
The lighting is highly enjoyable. Not for its quality, since you can tell it’s not the most sophisticated on my entry-level Kindle. But the light is directed towards the “screen”, not towards your eyes. It allows you to read without tiring your eyes, even in less luminous environments. At night, on airplanes, I never dare to turn on my reading light for fear of disturbing my neighbors. I’m going to love this feature.
The last point will be a lazy one. You should know that it is extremely pleasant not to have to keep an open book. You can put the e-reader in front of you while laying on your stomach. Or continue one’s long reading sessions in various strange positions while holding it with one hand (did I mention its incredible lightness?).
If I had to cite a few drawbacks…
The object in itself feels quite cheap. The plastic that covers it is very smooth: the Kindle slips easily from the hands. However, this problem will be easily solved once I buy a cover for it.
I would say that the battery doesn’t last as much as expected. You can easily read between 8 and 10 hours before it runs out of power, so it’s okay. It’s just not the weeks announced on the product sheet.
Another thing: because of the magnetic ink process, the display is quite slow. We’re used to instantaneity. But after all, reading is supposed to be slow and peaceful.
Finally comes the question of advertising. Amazon sells three models of Kindle, from the least to the most advanced. For each one, you can choose between two types: with or without advertising. At first, I found it shameful to have to pay more for not having advertising on something you buy. Advertising is for demo versions, right?
After reading several comments from users saying that advertising wasn’t disturbing, I decided to go for it. I’m glad I made that choice. The advertising only appears when the Kindle is turned off — since the ink is magnetic, there’s always something displayed. And the ads are book-related.
Final thoughts
I remember last March when one of my friends sent me a picture of her lockdown. She was reading by the pool with her Kindle in her hand. A pout of disgust appeared on my face. Frankly, I couldn’t understand why anyone would opt for electronic reading. I thought it took all the charm and pleasure out of reading.
I’ve changed my mind. I’m not saying I’ll never read paper books again — even if I almost come to prefer the reading comfort of my Kindle. But I am won over. And it fits my travel needs perfectly.
I never thought I would ever write this.
