Tag Archives: Web/Tech

Despite my reputation as a gadgeteer, I'm generally not on the cutting edge when it comes to electronics -- I'm a devotee but I never buy an Apple product until the second or third generation (and even then, I usually get the newly-outdated model, not the latest and greatest) and I'm never the first kid on the block to have whatever the new Gadget of the Moment is.  Somehow, though, everyone at work seems to think I have every gadget known to man, and so it came as a surprise to everyone when Jim bought me a Kindle, at my request, for my birthday this year.  The most common response: "Really? You didn't have one already?"  The second most common: "You only went for e-ink?  Why not the Fire?"

Yes, it's true.  I got an e-reader, finally.  The price finally came down enough where I felt like I could justify it -- even if I didn't like it, it wasn't a HUGE waste of money.  I chose the very lowest-end Kindle (though I did pay up to get the version with no ads).  And that was done very deliberately: I didn't want the touchscreen version for a variety of reasons, and I wanted something to read on, not another device that gives me internet access and apps and myriad other ways to waste my time.  I've got a laptop and an iPhone and a tablet for that already.  Plus, while I spend pretty much my entire workday, and a large chunk of my non-workday, on a computer, I really don't like reading on a backlit screen...anything longer than a newspaper feature article, and I prefer to read it in print.  Always have, and I suspect I always will.

I hoped that the Kindle would cause me to read more, if only because it's so easy to bring everywhere -- and it's definitely lived up to that!  Of the twelve books I've read so far this year, ten have been on the Kindle.  I'm particularly enjoying the library e-books.  We have Overdrive at our library and, as is the case in most libraries, the demand for the e-books is very high, and at any given time there aren't many available.  Consequently, I've wound up reading books that I never would have gotten around to reading in print, just because they're available, and really enjoyed them -- so, it's a win.  (If you're the sort of person who tends to always read in the same genre, I suppose the limitations of the Overdrive system wouldn't work well for you, but since I read widely, it's been great for me.)  I've also loaded it up with classics that I've been meaning to catch up on.

Another thing the Kindle has allowed me to do is use Netgalley more.  Netgalley is a website that allows publishers to share electronic galleys/advance copies with booksellers, reviewers, librarians, etc.  But because I don't like reading on the computer screen, it was of little use to me before.  Now, though, I can send them to the Kindle, and I've been able to read and review several recent books this way.

This has led to an embarrasment of riches, though -- so much to read!  I'm finding it a bit difficult to prioritize things I want to read purely for pleasure with things I want to read for review -- and it doesn't help that I've dived into George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books, either (Those I am reading in print, in case you're wondering!).  That's like five thousand pages of reading right there.  And with Book Expo America coming up in a couple of months...I'm not going to be short of reading material anytime soon!

I fell behind on my reviewing a bit when my grandmother was ill -- there were a couple of January titles I intended to read and review before publication, but that fell by the wayside.  I'll catch up someday...