This is for all those “late birds” like me, just getting an electronic reading device…

I love and adore my “library” of paper books. They provide the perfect ambience for writing and relaxation, and I will forever hoard them like treasures (as well as all my adorable book marks I’ve collected over the years). But I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying Amazon’s Kindle.

The special screen looks surprisingly close to real paper (easy on the eyes)and I purchased a cover with a built in book light. The leather cover makes it feel more like a book and the light works great for my nightly reading. There are tons of FREE downloads available, mostly classics, but also some reference books and games. I downloaded a list of classics I haven’t read in years and a bunch I’ve never read, but am now encouraged to do. Prices for other books are substantially cheaper than buying them hard copy, and downloading is as easy as pushing a couple buttons. And this thinner-than-a-magazine device holds thousands of books!

Another cool feature is emailing PDF files to it. I can email my own documents, including whole or partial manuscripts. The text to speech feature is pretty nifty, too. It’s no where near the quality of audio books (sounds “computer-y” and apostrophes seem to hang it up a bit), but it’s still nice to have.

So, this book worm has officially turned nerd, though I will still take time to visit those dusty treasures adorning my many shelves.