kindle - /ˈkɪndl/ Show Spelled verb, -dled, -dling.
–verb (used with object)
1.to start (a fire); cause (a flame, blaze, etc.) to begin burning. 2. to set fire to or ignite (fuel or any combustible matter). 3. to excite; stir up or set going; animate; rouse; inflame: He kindled their hopes of victory.
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As an English Major in college the thought of reading a book through a 6 inch screen was a ridiculous thought. Not because I didn’t believe in the technology; I was a purist. Books should be held, loved; paper and pages turned apropos to the pace of the story. I always said that I’ll be the last person to buy an e-book reader simply because a stack of books, a bookstore, and books neatly lined up on a white rustic shelf appeals to me more than a mini lemon bundt cake paired with a cappuccino does. And that is my thing. Lemon Bundt Cake with a cappuccino. I always had a book in my bag, as evidenced by tattered copies of Wislawa Symborska, Rilke, an Rumi’s poems or my fiction flavor of the month. I love the smell of books and oddly enough the musty scent adds to my sensory experience of reading.
And so when my husband gave me a $100 gift card for Amazon (thank you Capital One Rewards Program!) and informed me that I was under strict instructions to only spend it on myself and not on our Mandarin, I thought about buying a handful of books - I left so many of them behind in Manila and sadly even if I found a way to bring them all to this side of the Pacific, I wouldn’t have any place to store them. No house, no space. That’s a definite no-go.
Today’s technology seems more intuitive to Mandarin’s generation than it is to - say- my mother. Age is irrelevant. The children of today are born into a world of touch screens and tablets and reading devices that can hold 3500 books. It saddens me, it really saddens me that they may not even have actual bookstores in the future where you can get lost in the labyrinth of bookshelves and pick out books you’re so excited to read that you just can’t wait to get home to curl up in bed with it and get lost in thought.
Now you can get a book in 60 seconds. In between breaths. The suspense! However, with recent news that Borders is closing its doors, it’s either the world has become overtly illiterate and has decided to stop reading or the wave of technology has taken over and e-books and everything digital is the medium of the future.
You cannot possibly miss Amazon’s Kindle! It’s on the front page of their site and when you’ve got a $100 hall pass in hand you have possibility in your fingertips. The Kindle Wi-Fi was listed for $114 a tempting offer that can’t be refused because just a mere $14 more and...well..why not? Keeping the future in mind, I figure I’d treat it the way I do music. If I love it enough (MP3’s) I buy the CD. It still won’t keep me from buying books, in fact, I’d probably treat it with much reverence even more.
Two days later, thanks to Amazon Prime!
I feel the need to ritualize the first book to be read in my Kindle, like tipping over a bottle of tequila to the gods before taking shots for yourself. A nod to the classics! So I’ve decided to start with some Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice) to keep the air light before I dive into some serious reading - if I can even find the time to do so. In spite of my initial hesitation, I feel the Kindle and I will become great friends. We’ll go on trips together, have slumber parties in our jammies, sunset in the beach and get some sand on its screen.
Hell, we can even grab a slice of lemon bundt cake and sip on a cappuccino.
