I finally figured out the point of the kindle my sister got me.

[conuly]

It's not so I can buy new books and read them instantly, nor so I can get ever more advanced reader copies, nor yet so I can plough through all the stuff in the public domain I haven't yet read, though all those things are good.

It's so I can have a second copy of those books I cart with me everywhere, until the scotch tape binding them together falls past the point of recovery and they disintegrate in my hands. THAT is the point.

And it's a pretty good one, because as my sister points out, constantly, I bring a minimum of three books with me even on the shortest trips. She doesn't understand. "What do you think is going to happen?" is her refrain.

I don't know, but if it DOES happen, I want to be prepared. I want to have a book.

Comments

[kyrielle]

One thing I love about Kindles/Kindle apps is reference books. What are the odds that I will need a reference on first aid while on the go? Not that high. But I can carry one - basically for free in terms of weight - by adding it to my Kindle.

It's also the magical "I would never have thought to bring that along but now I want it" device, which is awesome when I'm out and about and decide I want to read, but I want to re-read *that* old favorite...not the one I have with me. Because now I do have it, and a bunch of others, with me. ;)