Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Keep or Sell?

I am having a bit of an internal struggle. I need to be re-sold on my Amazon Kindle.

A little over a year ago, I bought my Kindle. I used it quite regularly; it actually caused me to read more than I had been. I was using the Kindle to its exact purpose: bringing around many books at the same time, reading two or three at a time as suited my fancy, never spending more than ten dollars on a book, and doing it all from my bed.

Recently, my Kindle has crapped out. I stopped using it for about four months (give or take--maybe six? Probably six), and then got so sick of not being able to use it that I called Amazon support, who informed me that it will cost either $20 for a new battery (which may solve the problem) or $180 for a new device.

This has got me thinking about all the things I don't like about the Kindle.

Actually, it's just one thing I don't like, but it's a biggie: I cannot share books. When I read a book that I like (which is most of them, as I usually quickly set down books that I don't like) I become an evangelist for that book and I am usually quick to offer to lend it out once I am finished. That's the nature of the bibliophile, I believe: to be libraries for our friends. The Kindle robs me of this elemental joy.

So, share your insight. Do I stick it out and invest $20 in a device I enjoy using and which allows me to read more books for fewer dollars, or do I sell it on eBay with a bum battery and return to the ways of the physical book?