The $79 Kindle is well worth the money

For several years, I have toyed with the idea of getting a Kindle, but couldn't quite bring myself to part with the money. The new, $79 version changed my mind.

After all, I would have to pay that much for one night at a motel, I told myself--or a month of cable at our house--or enough gas to visit my sister across the state. And, what about taking the whole family to a nice restaurant for just one meal? Surely a Kindle was at least as important to me as any of these other things.

I finally convinced myself, bought the Kindle, and haven't regretted it for a minute.

True, the $79 version lacks the frills of some of the higher priced Kindles, but I really wasn't looking for frills. I just wanted a simple e-reader that held lots of books, that was light-weight to hold, and had adjustable font sizes so I could enlarge the print if I wanted. My $79 Kindle met all those qualifications and more.

After a couple of weeks, I decided to buy a cover for my Kindle to make sure the screen didn't get something spilled on it, or scratched to pieces by our curious cat, so that was an expense I hadn't counted on, but it has been well worth it, too. Now I can toss it into my purse without worrying about something sharp, like a comb or my ball-point pen rubbing against it. I bought a black cover, but it is available in 4 different colors. It fits the Kindle perfectly.

In the short time I have had my Kindle, I have not only purchased a few titles I really wanted, but have also found many free titles at Amazon.com. Just go there and type in, "free Kindle books," and you should find a number that appeal to you. One free one I downloaded was, Transfer of Power," by Vince Flynn, which I highly recommend if you like adventure novels.

My first real purchase was a Bible, for only $2.99.

Now I do my daily Bible reading on my Kindle. The next day, even if I have been reading other books in between, I just turn to the index page where all my titles are listed, click on my Bible, and it opens at the exact place where I left off reading the day before. Another button takes you to a keyboard where you can type in a different place in the Bible if you wish, and that spot will appear.

If you want to order a new book, use the same keyboard to search for the title or author, and then go click on, go online, in the index to order it. Like magic, it is quickly added to your collection, and you can open it with a click and start reading.

Many public libraries also loan books for use on your Kindle, but I have only ordered one that way so far. You search the list of available books and, if there is a waiting list for a particular title, you add your name to the list, and they will notify you by e-mail when it is available. If not, you simply order the book, sign in to your Kindle, and the book is there.

The book I borrowed was loaned to me for 7 days. After 5 days, I got an e-mail reminding me that the loan period would expire in 2 more days. Then, at the end of 2 days, the book no longer opened, but I had finished reading it, so I deleted it.

Another thing I really, really love about my $79 Kindle is that I can move text documents from my computer to the Kindle and read them there. As someone who never passes up an opportunity to download free e-books online, I am well-stocked, and have many I haven't even open, yet. Now they reside on my Kindle, and when we go traveling, my lawnchair by the river, my can of soda, my Kindle, and I will while away the hours with those e-books I always meant to read, but haven't gotten around to yet.

If you have been putting off purchasing an e-reader, you can't lose with the $79 Kindle.
It is worth every penny.

Kindle, anyone?

An elderly couple we know gave each other Kindles for Christmas. Because of the generosity of this couple, my husband and I haven't had to purchase a book for years because our friends are avid readers and kindly pass their books on to us whenever they finish reading them.

I'll admit that I felt a twinge of regret when we saw their new Kindles because we knew it meant an end to all the free reading we had enjoyed over the years, but, when we saw how excited they were about their Kindles, I couldn't begrudge them a bit.

In fact, they almost have me convinced to get one of my own. Now all I have to do is convince my husband, and we'll be able to look forward to Kindles stuffed with dozens and dozens of books to read when we go on vacation, or have to wait for hours at the doctor's office, or just want to spend an afternoon lolling on the bed with a good book.

The couple who started all this is almost as frugal as I am---especially the gentleman, and he was quick to show me all the free books he had downloaded to his Kindle. His wife was a little more picky and had veered more to religious fiction and to Glen Beck recommendations. I'll have to admit that "free" greatly appeals to me, but my choices would probably be a bit of a mix between free, religion, and politics.

So far, our friends have downloaded enough titles to keep them busy for several months at far less cost that they usually spent for reading material in a single month before Kindle came into their lives. The lower cost of books for the Kindle will help them the price of their Kindles in no time at all.

That's the argument I'll use on my husband. (Of course, it would take us longer, since we were getting most of our reading material free, but we knew freebies like that wouldn't last forever.)

The Kindle is lighter than an ordinary paperback book, and you can adjust the size of the print to suit your own eyes--both really great advantages as far as I'm concerned.

Actually, my husband won't need as much convincing as you might think. He is a sucker for electronic gadgets, and I can tell that he is already half-convinced after tinkering for a few minutes with one of the Kindles that belongs to our friends. (Besides, I got some cash as a Christmas gift, so mine Kindle is already more than half paid for.)

Knowing my husband though, I suspect he'll say to order one for myself and he'll decide later whether or not to get one for himself. Then, of course, every time I want to use it, he'll be reading his own stuff on it.

If you haven't checked a Kindle out, yet, take a look. You will be amazed at all the stuff this little gadget will do. Click here to learn more about it.

Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology

Check Out, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul

Photo by Harald Wehner

If you are a cat lover, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul, is a book that really needs to be in your own personal library. Even if you are not a cat lover, you may become one by the time you finish this book.

Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul, is an anthology containing more than 100 emotional stories about the cats in our lives; sad stories, joyful stories, funny stories, and comforting stories. Every story is true and each one is unique in showcasing such things a particular friendship provided by a cat, a miraculous rescue, a laugh-provoking and humorous cat adventure, a touching description of the bond between a cat and its owner, or how the death of a beloved cat was handled by a family.

Even if you can’t have a cat of your own, due to allergies or rules forbidding them where you happen to live, reading this book will help you understand these curious creatures and those who own them just a little bit better. And, if you have a friend who owns a cat, consider buying Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul as a gift for them. They will love you for it.

The book is probably available at your nearest bookstore or library, or if you can’t find it locally, you can order it through the Amazon link provided below. When you get your hands on this book and see for yourself what a great read it is, you'll wonder why you waited so long.