new feature for Kindle owners – lending library

Today Amazon announced a new feature for Kindle users–but ONLY Kindle users with an Amazon Prime membership (and, I'm assuming, living in the US): the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

Kindle owners (with Amazon Prime membership) can choose from thousands of books to borrow for free, including over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers — as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates.

That sounds pretty sweet to me. EXCEPT that you have to have an Amazon Prime membership which is $79/year, which many of us don't have. And it's likely limited to US only, though I don't know that for sure. But I'm still waiting for Amazon to open up library ebook usage to Canada and the UK.

What do you think? Does it appeal to you?