Reasons to think Kindle

I’ve finally found reasons to consider e-books, Kindle and the like. I’ve never disliked devices for reading on a screen. I was never one of those people who ranted about the barbarity of the idea of words being on something other than paper, but for reading of a bit more depth and serenity, I preferred a book. The paper thing. Until now.

Reason #1: Two things converged for me recently. One is the book I’m currently reading, A. Lincoln, a recently published biography of Abraham Lincoln by Ronald C. Jr. White. It’s 816 pages and ships, according to Amazon, at a weight of 1.2 Kg. (It’s hardcover.) The other thing is my left hand. I’ve no idea why, but it hurts – more or less constantly, though to varying degrees depending on the day. I don’t know if it’s sprained, a rheumatic problem or what.

Put together, these two things mean simply holding the book as I read is difficult – painful, even. That’s never been a problem before. Not only would I never have considered a heavy book an issue, I may even have enjoyed it. But not now. I’m making my way through the book at a snail’s pace largely because it’s difficult to read due to my hand.

Reason #2: As I’ve written before, I recently picked up an iPod Touch. One of its features is its ability to provide me with viewing options: choose portrait or landscape orientation, enlarge text with a tap. It’s actually easy to read (at least for me). While it still may not be easy for everyone, this ability removes one of the barriers to reading on a handheld device – it’s too small, who can read that? You’ve heard those arguments. (It also has a larger screen than cell phones in the past have had. I think most handheld devices are like this now as more and more manufacturers copy Apple’s iPhone.)

Of course, I live in Canada and as far as I know Kindle is still unavailable here. I don’t know the “why” for this but I believe it has something to do with copyright issues and so on. For the purposes of this post, my point is that I’ve not actually seen a Kindle “in the flesh” so to speak. I’ve never held one to get a tactile sense of it, which I’d like to do since reading, for me, is not just visual but tactile as well.

But according to Amazon, a Kindle is, ” …10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback.” That would certainly make reading A. Lincoln an easier task for me. I think it’s about one tenth of the weight.

My hand would be grateful.