Trading my bookshelf for a Kindle

I love to read. Always have. My family values reading and we accumulate a lot of books.  Some get read and reread. Some sit on the shelf. But we have a lot of books.

Long ago I got in the habit of taking a book with me when I would go to a doctor’s appointment, to the DMV or any place where I would have a few minutes to wait. Taking a four or five hundred page hard back book with you is cumbersome, and not very convenient in all cases. Then I got a Kindle.

It started a few years ago when I got a Kindle Keyboard and immediately fell in love with the idea of carrying a whole shelf full of books with me anywhere I go. I could read a little in this book and it would save my place while I read a little in a different book. I soon found that I was reading more than ever, and reading new and different things.

This past Christmas my daughter bought me a new Kindle Paperwhite and once again I was blown away. The new screen is crystal clear and the built in light is a game changer.  You can adjust the light on the fly from dim to bright to suit any room.

I was listening to an audiobook the other day by Nick Offerman and he talked about how he didn’t like reading on a kindle because he didn’t want to be distracted by internet connected apps, or the temptation of Angry Birds or whatever else called to be played with.  I understand this sentiment, and while the Kindle Fire has those options, the standard Kindle line does not. My Kindle is a reading device. And that’s all it is. I can’t surf the net or play games, not to mention I far prefer the e-ink display to the glass screen of the Fire. Yes, I understand that the Fire is a good tablet, that just happens to also be an e-reader, but I don’t want a tablet. I want a small, thin, portable device that lets me read lots of books. And the Paperwhite does that while exceeding expectations.

I understand that technology doesn’t always make things better. Sometimes it just muddies the water, but when it comes to the Kindle, technology has proven to be a help. Couple it with a subscription to Kindle Unlimited and you will not only find yourself reading more, but discovering new authors and genres that you might never have gotten a chance to experience.

Have you embraced ebooks?

Kindle, 6"


Touchscreen display that reads like real paper-no screen glare, even in bright sunlight
Holds thousands of books and lighter than a paperback
Battery lasts weeks, not hours
Download books in less than 60 seconds with built-in Wi-Fi
Encourage kids to read even more with Kindle FreeTime, Vocabulary Builder, Word Wise, and more
Massive book selection, lowest prices – over a million titles less than $2.99
Try Kindle Unlimited free for 30 days – choose from over 800,000 titles










Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High-Resolution Display


New, higher resolution display (300 ppi)–now with twice as many pixels
Now with Bookerly, our exclusive font, hand-crafted from the ground up for faster reading with less eyestrain
Built-in adjustable light–read day and night
Unlike tablets, no screen glare, even in bright sunlight
A single battery charge lasts weeks, not hours
Massive selection, lowest prices–over a million titles at $2.99 or less
Lighter than a paperback, holds thousands of books




Exclusive features help build your vocabulary, learn about characters, and connect with like-minded readers–all without leaving the page
Try Kindle Unlimited free for 30 days–choose from over 800,000 titles












Kindle Voyage, 6" High-Resolution Display (300 ppi) with Adaptive Built-in Light, PagePress Sensors, Wi-Fi


Passionately crafted for readers
High-resolution 300 ppi display-reads even more like the printed page
Reimagined page turns-PagePress enables you to turn the page without lifting a finger
New adaptive front light-provides ideal brightness, day or night
Our thinnest Kindle ever
Battery lasts weeks, not hours
Try Kindle Unlimited free for 30 days – choose from over 800,000 titles










Kindle Fire HDX 7", HDX Display, Wi-Fi, 16 GB


Exclusive 7″ HDX display with high pixel density and perfect color accuracy (100% sRGB, 323 ppi / 1920 x 1200)
Enjoy more than 33 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, Android apps and games
Ultrafast 2.2 GHz quad-core processor for quick app launches and fluid graphics
Free, live video support 24×7, 365 days a year with Mayday
Front-facing 720p HD camera
2 GB of RAM, with 16, 32, or 64 GB storage and free unlimited cloud storage for Amazon content
Stay connected with fast web browsing, and email and calendar support including Gmail and Outlook

The post Trading my bookshelf for a Kindle appeared first on Author Hank Garner.