Igniting a Passion to Read

Before I started college, I read a lot of books. I remember one time I was so engrossed in a book that I read all 1,000+ pages in two days. But then, when I began college, my passion for reading books faded as I needed to read more and more dull textbooks.

(Seriously, textbooks are rather dry.)

Sad to say, I haven’t read many books for fun in the past 6 years.

Naturally, I had been intrigued for quite some time about eBook readers. But I’d been leery of dropping so much money on something I had never seen in the real world. I’d read plenty of reviews of folks praising their Kindle, but I wasn’t even sure if it would inspire me to read. So I put it to the back of my mind.

Things were stirred up again when Barnes & Noble announced their Nook eBook reader. I thought the industrial design was superior to the Kindle, and it actually looked like something that may come from beloved Cupertino. But once reviews of the Nook started rolling in, well, things didn’t look as pretty as the pictures. But everyone still loves their Kindle.

For Christmas, my parents gave me a Kindle. (Okay, it’s also for my wife, too.) (But it’s mostly for me.) I have to say, I’ve read nearly every day since then. It’s easy on the eyes, easy to navigate, light yet sturdy, and overall just a great experience.

I have the 6-inch Kindle with international wireless. The text on the e-ink display is crisp and extremely legible. The battery life is amazing. Page turns take no longer than if you were turning a physical piece of paper. I also find it to be a great size for holding while relaxing in a chair or lying on the bed. I actually prefer it to holding a paperback book. Or hardcover, for that matter.

In the “Welcome to Kindle” letter on the device when I turned it on initially, CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos said that one of Kindle’s goals was to get out of the way and let you experience a book. I believe the Kindle does exactly that, and it has, pardon the pun, re-kindled my enjoyment of reading.

If you decide to give Kindle a shot, there’s a handy link in the sidebar to go buy one. Using that link fills my pockets with filthy lucre. So buy a couple, okay?