Kindle Dreams

I've always had a love affair with books. Since I was a baby and my brother would prop me on his knees and read his science texts to me, I've loved books. It is the feel of them in your hands. The smell as you turn the pages. The joy of scrunching under the covers and reading by flashlight. I've loved books as long as I can remember. They've been my companions. My confidants. My lovers. My friends. They soothe, frighten, enlighten, and amuse me. I peruse free and used book shelves. I explore the bowels of my local library. I can read three or four books at a time and I don't worry about keeping the stories straight. It makes for interesting and sometimes confusing nightmares about espionage, romance, and science fiction all rolled into one huge subconscious free-for-all of a night. Which is why it is curious, even to me, after nearly two years of contemplation, study, and such that I broke down and purchased a Kindle. One thousand four hundred books can be stored in the palm of my hand. I argued with myself for a long time. I would miss the smell. I would lose the joy of turning a page. I would... but I finally did it. I got the electronic thingamagig and started downloading. Fun books. Word games. Mysteries. Romances. An entire Bible. Religion. Philosophy. Meditation. How-to.

And I read. I read on the bus to and from work. I read eating my lunch. I read before I go to bed. I read waiting for dinner. I read... well, you get the idea. I can finish a 300 page book in about 2 days with my Kindle. I'm not sure how. The page turning is seamless and, before I know it, I'm coming to the end of another book. I'll start six or seven books before I settle on the one that piques my interest at any given moment. And I can download free books from my library. And free books from Kindle. I feel as though my reading horizon has suddenly expanded. But you know what I discovered? A hidden benefit. No longer am I tripping over books already read, stacked in my livingroom, bedroom, and closet. No longer do I wonder where I left off or where I left the book I was reading. No longer do I lug around a heavy book, trying to figure out how to cram it in my tiny purse. Excuse me now. There is a dashing young gentleman getting ready to propose to an serial alien killer who knows how to chop vegetables and puree cats. And somewhere, there is a five letter word that describes all of that. There I go - mixing up my stories again. But hey, it makes for interesting dreams!