24 Hours After Kindle

I own somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 books. Hardcover, paperback, trade paperback, and graphic novels. I’m a book snob. I love the smell, the feel, the experience. I like sitting in my chair, sipping bourbon and smoking a cigar and reading a book — and then looking up at all my other books. As a result, although my books are sold across digital platforms, I’ve always resisted taking the e-book plunge.

24 hours ago, I received a Kindle Paperwhite as a gift . . .

. . . and I may have to reconsider this book snob thing.

I’m not a tech-guy. Ask anyone. I still type my novels using Microsoft Word 2003 because I’m afraid to upgrade. I have to call Mike Oliveri or Russ Dickerson just to post a Blog update. I’ve gone through four iPhones in three years. My five-year old son has to show me how to turn on my DVD player and my twenty-two year old son had to set up my X-Box avatar.

So, my first question upon un-boxing my Kindle was how hard would it be to set up? The answer: so easy, even Brian Keene could do it. I simply took the Kindle out of the box, turned it on, and it did the rest. Within five minutes I’d linked to my Wi-Fi network (which my 5-year old helped me install last year) and registered the device with Amazon.

As soon as my account was active, the Kindle gave me a quick tutorial. After that, I bought some books. Now, in the past, I got books in one of three ways: 1. Drive to a bookstore and buy them. 2. Order them online and wait for my inept mailman to deliver them. Maybe. Unless it’s one of those days when he delivers them into the bottom of the river. 3. Get them as gifts from publishers or authors. All three methods are fine, but the Kindle offers a different experience. Literally, in less than five minutes, I’d purchased three books — The Vaccinator by Michael Marshall Smith, Hyenas by Joe Lansdale, and Quicksilver by John Urbancik. All three were easy to find. All three were simple to purchase. And all three took less than a minute to appear on my device. I can’t help but mention that I have complete collections for all three of those gentlemen, so if the book is available in hardcover or paperback, it’s a safe bet that sooner or later, I’ll buy that edition, too.

Five minutes to shop. That gave me extra time to read. And that was when I truly fell in love with my Kindle. I wear bifocals. I am also blind as a fruit-bat. Over the last year, I’ve struggled with headaches that come upon me only when I’m reading. Doesn’t matter if I take my glasses on or off — anytime I read a book or comic or even a newspaper, my head hurts. With the Kindle, I was easily able to adjust the font (and remember, I’m a Luddite so when I say easily, I mean easily). By the time I’d finished Michael Marshall Smith’s book (because I read it in one sitting) there was still no sign of a headache. (I did wake up with one in the middle of the night, but that was due to seasonal allergies and had nothing to do with reading).

I was halfway through Hyenas — just after the bit where Hap and Leonard get a love note from Smoke Stack — when I glanced at the clock and realized it was after midnight. I fell asleep, forgetting to plug in my Kindle to charge, and this morning, there was still plenty of battery life left. Unlike my laptop of my iPhone, which seem to plummet to 5% battery capacity if I leave them on for more than five minutes.

I guess none of this will be news to folks who’ve already taken the digital plunge, but it might be good information for those who, like me, have resisted the e-book revolution. I’ve had a pleasant, easy experience so far, and I can’t wait to finish typing this Blog entry so I can get back to finishing that Lansdale book tonight.