My Kindle and Me

Why did I fight so long and so hard AGAINST getting a Kindle?? What could have I been against??

I grew up with a love of books. My dad had me reading before Kindergarten and I devoured books ever since. I remember that by the time I was in 3rd grade, I had read every Nancy Drew book, every Beverly Cleary book, EVERY Laura Ingalls Wilder book...I was reading nurse romance novels from the 50s (not ANYTHING dirty....simple books about a simpler times)....I was getting my step-sister (in high school) to smuggle me Janette Oaks books and had read all of her books (at the time). In middle school years, I read more scandolous books...most of which I should never have read. I had a friend in Jr. High who wanted to read a trashy novel (Jackie Collins...you know the type), but she hated to read and so she wanted me to read it and give her all the juicy details. I was, of course, too embarrassed to relate any of those. My step-mother would load up on Harlequin romances at the library and I would sneak peeks in them. Not the best for my young mind, but I would read anything I can read. In HS, it evolved to horror novels by Dean Koontz and Stephen King.

In my adult years, my tastes have gone towards Christian fiction novels. In fact, this is all I really read now. I have enjoyed great books by Jan Karon, Dee Henderson, Terri Blackstock, Francine Rivers and many more. But with age has come some side effects that I never anticipated would come to me and was a BIG downer. My hands and arms do not like me to read...it causes me great distress. I will read a book and have the most awful pain shooting up my hands and arms. I have found I will not read very much...I think it is a mental block because of the pain. When I get a good book, I am SO excited....but by the end of the book, I am SO HAPPY to let my arms and hands heal (and it takes a couple days to heal). It is hard to pick up a new book and put myself through the agony.

So, when Amazon created the kindle, you would think that I would be FIRST on board!! A device that I can download books and have my hands free from holding it. But, I love the smell of a book....the feel of it (until it starts to hurt). I tried everything to keep my books going...getting a carpal tunnel glove and everything. I rallied against this device that was trying to make an end to my lovely books.

In the end, though, I bowed down to pressure (and my hands screaming at me to stop the madness). I began to desire a Kindle...and at Christmas I received one!!! WOW!!! What a difference this has made to me. Since I received the Kindle, I have read "The Pawn", by Steven James..."Boneman's Daughter" by Ted Dekker (a paperback because Sierra begged me to read it after she had read it)...."Deeper Water" by Robert Whitlow (a free e-book that I loved...and got sucked into and thus had to BUY the 2nd and 3rd books)...."Higher Hope" by Robert Whitlow (2nd book)....am currently a quarter done with "Greater Love" by Robert Whitlow (3rd and final book)....and also have "The Rook" by Steven James (2nd in that book series)waiting for me to get to when I finish the other book.

The Kindle has opened up the reading world to me and I have had no pain. I LOVE it!! Now, it can get expensive. I cannot just go to the library for these books...which I rarely did anyway (hand issues and all). There are some free e-books on amazon, but it is limiting. But, it is worth it to do what I have loved since I was just a wee little lass!!!

So...thanks to Kindle and your wonderful product (and as stated in a previous post, the customer service is GRAND and sent my daughter and I each lighted kindle covers which we are LOVING!!!).