Two Weeks with the Kindle and Counting...

I've had my Kindle for slightly more than two weeks now, and it has left my side only a few times. Well, during waking hours at least. Thanks to the brains behind this wonderful device that has made it very handy for people to read.

I simply love it, love it, LOVE IT!

Although I do not see myself completely forsaking the traditionally printed books, I am really having fun reading on this nifty little gadget of mine. Since I started using it, I've managed to polish off nine books already (on top of the engaging, albeit unauthorized, paperback version of Oprah: A Biography by Kitty Kelley, that I managed to finish in between):

• Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas and Micah Sparks -- part travelogue, part memoir, I found reading this quite restful. Maybe because I appreciated their descriptions of their travels to Guatemala, Peru, Easter Island, Cook Islands, Australia, Cambodia, India, Ethiopia, Malta and Norway.  And I could relate to the obvious close ties that the authors had with their family.
• Dark Secrets of the Vatican by H. Paul Jeffers -- there have always been conspiracy theories surrounding the Vatican and its inhabitants, from shady goings-on to naughty priests, to power plays and espionage, to Opus Dei and even the Nazis. It was actually quite entertaining.
• The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi -- this gave me an insight (however small it may be) into Indian society and the pressures put on younger people in how they choose their mates. In this day and age, we tend to take for granted that not all people have the freedom to choose who they marry. I am thankful for this freedom of ours.
• My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares -- this is the haunting story about a man taking up the threads of a line of lives through the centuries, always with his memories of his past lives intact, always coming back to loving a certain person, who unfortunately does not have the same strong recollections of him. How they meet and part through the centuries becomes the central theme of this poignant book.
• High on Arrival by Mackenzie Philips & Hilary Liftin -- a controversial book by a former child star and singer, who chronicled her unchecked upbringing, her rise to fame and fortune and her descent into the dregs of a life tainted by drink, drugs, and unhealthy relationships including one with her own, rock-icon, father. One wonders how parents could actually be so self-absorbed as to not care how these things affect their kids.
• Is It Just Me? Or Is It Nuts Out There? by Whoopi Goldberg -- a tongue-in-cheek book which lays out Whoopi's pet peeves in current society, running the gamut from being crackberries, to talking on the phone in public so loudly that everyone knows their story, to elevator etiquette. And yes, I do think that it is actually nuts out there.
• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, books 1, 2 and 3 -- these are very, very easy to read. I used to snub them, but I wanted to try book 1 out at least. I finished it in about 2 hours. The next 2 books followed in short order. The series follows the lives of the unlucky Baudelaire orphans Violet, Klaus and Sunny, and their misadventures as they try to escape the clutches of the sinister Count Olaf. I still have 10 books to go in the series though.

It's so easy on the eyes as, thankfully it is not backlit, and quite light to carry. When I had to stay at home for a day last week due to severe colds and a wracking cough, I had my Kindle with me to keep me company when the kids were occupied somewhere else.

And now I seem to have started a mini-Kindle rage in the office. After seeing my Kindle encased in its gorgeous purple casing, and me singing its praises of course, four of my colleagues decided to go and order their own units. They're now waiting breathlessly.

You really gotta love the Kindle!