Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Can you do this with a Kindle?

My eldest daughter and I have been debating the merits of Kindles vs books, actual, made with paper and hold in your hands books. My father printed books for a living so I have a deep-seated love for real books. I remember he used to bring home "dummies," the prototypes for the hardcover books before they went to print. I used to fill the blank pages with my own stories.

There is nothing quite like holding a brand new book, opening it and feeling the spine crack slightly. I always admire the cover art, read the front inside flap to read the synopsis and the back inside flap to check out the author photo, examine the binding, feel the quality of the paper, scrutinize the typeface, smell the fresh ink....oh, that new book smell is intoxicating for someone who loves books. Even that musty old book smell is exciting because it means a good story and a new adventure might be hiding in those pages.

However, that being said, I love my Kindle. I carry it everywhere. In fact, I want a second one because the one I bought for my husband at Christmas is much smaller and lighter than mine and now I covet it. I'm also into instant gratification, so to own a device that let's me read a chapter then order the rest of the book instantly, wherever I am and whenever I want, well...that's also intoxicating.

On the other hand, I want to support small bookstores. They are struggling to survive these days against not only the big box stores but Amazon which is, well, an Amazon when it comes to book sales.

So to strengthen her argument, Eldest sent this video made by a couple in a tiny Toronto bookstore.

It came with the note "can your Kindle do this?"

Alas, no, it cannot.



I do not concede defeat, but I do admit that no, my Kindle cannot do this.

2 comments:

Debby said...

Well, I like my books to stand still when I'm trying to read them.

I will admit that my Kobo is just a little annoying. It always needs recharged before I am ready to set it aside. I think that I need to stick to low-tech.

A Novel Woman said...

Make sure to turn off the WiFi when you're not using it. That extends the battery life.