Reading Time

I have been an avid reader since I was in grade school. Having a book to read before bed, while waiting for appointments, during breaks (especially my afternoon coffee break) is great. Books entertain, inform, educate, and promote discussions.

For my birthday in November, I got a Kindle (Amazon's e-reader). After much research and comparison, I chose that one over the Nook (Barnes & Noble's e-reader) because the longer battery life, the e-ink screen (easier on the eyes than the LED screen) and the generally lower prices on Amazon. I love shopping at B & N, but I buy more from Amazon. I got the Kindle with 3g,so if there is no WiFi, I can still connect to the internet (I got internet access while in Cozumel in December).

It's been fun downloading books (many are free 99 cents or less than $10), sample chapters (those are free), and games on my Kindle. I have nearly 60 books on there now. I can read them on the Kindle itself or on my laptop  or phone with the Kindle app. The Kindle is lightweight, and it's easy to use. I can take it on trips and have multiple books at my fingertips. I think I will get most of my books now electronically. The only exceptions I see right now are some textbooks I teach with (easier to use the paper book to mark up and direct students to specific pages), cook books, and some travel books. The Kindle is black and white, and the graphics are not as great as would be in physical color cook books and travel books.

A few of the books I am currently reading on the Kindle are the following:

1. Juliet: A Novel by Anne Fortier
2. Key Lime Blues by Mike Jastrzebski
3. America the Edible by Adam Richman (he has a show, Man vs. Food, on Travel Channel)

I also peruse the free sample chapters I have downloaded. That is a great feature. I can see if I want to buy the full book by reading a couple chapters for free.

Does anyone else use an e-reader or e-reader app? What do you think of them? Any favorite books? Do you use the e-reader for textbooks?