Kyle Kerr

Kindle: Read It, Or Set It On Fire?

01/18/08 | Books, General | 4 Comments

I’m a pretty technologically appreciative person; I couldn’t live without my laptop, my BlackBerry, or my iPod, not to mention my new digital camera, and all of the cool new entertainment products out there (flat panel HDTVs, Blu-Ray players and DVDs, and new 7.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, none of which I have but hope to at some point soon).  I have been buying music online ever since I got an iPod three years ago, when iTunes was just starting to get big, and I have also purchased just shy of 70 TV shows and 4 movies online (haven’t gotten into movie downloads too much yet… I still prefer DVDs).

But, taking all of that into consideration, there is one thing that I have yet to purchase.  Something that has been around for a while, but has been making a little bigger splash now that technology is catching up to the concept: eBooks.

Up to this point, you would have to download a PDF of the book to read on your computer, or some sort of PDA version (which, I would think, would be a real pain in the patookus to read).  Reading a book on your computer is the equivalent of watching TEN movies on your computer in a row (considering a good sized book is about 20 hours on an audiobook, and an average movie is about 2 hours).  I have never wanted to be restricted to my computer for that length of time.  In fact, that’s one of the main reasons why I haven’t downloaded more movies on my computer.  Two hours is long enough to lie in bed, or sit at a table to watch a movie, so I could never imagine sitting there for the inexorable amount of time it would take to read a novel.  I even have a tendency to print out longer websites, because I prefer paper to screen.

But, like I said, technology has caught up with the concept of the eBook.  Not only has Sony come out with their E-reader, but Amazon.com has recently released the Kindle, a wireless version of the E-reader (meaning, you can connect to WiFi and download new eBooks without connecting to your computer).

I have to admit that the second I first saw the E-reader… I HATED it!  I hated the very idea of that little device of the devil.  Who would ever want to replace a book, something that has been around for millennia, with a black and white screen?  You could never replicate the feel of a book in your hands, nor the smell of a fresh book from the store—or an old one off your bookshelf, for that matter!—not unless they put a little scent emitter into the machines (which I wouldn’t put past them).  And they just look so damn good lining my walls.  If you know me, you know that I live in the smallest apartment known to man, yet half of my wall-space is devoted to shelf-space.  In fact, I have recently run out of room, and have an ever increasing stack of books piling up on my desk!  And, as a writer, the thought of an eBook, or Kindle for that matter, appalls me.

Yet, Uncle Stevie (Stephen King, people, keep up with me!) recently reviewed the Kindle in his monthly Entertainment Weekly column.  Shockingly, he likes it.  He argues that “the story means more than the delivery systems involved.” He’s also referencing audiobooks in that statement (which I don’t have a problem with, because stories were spoken even before they were being written down).

I’d honestly like to see one of these machines in action, to see if they really live up to the hype.  Is it at least easier to read than I think it is?  How does it feel in my hand?  Would I instinctively want to chuck it across the room?

But, I think I can safely say that they will never replace books (certainly not with me), at least not in my lifetime.  It saddens me to think that physical books may one day be obsolete, but they will always hold a special place in my heart, and they will always add some color to my white walls.  And, who knows, if all my worldly dreams come true, I may very well get the Beauty and the Beast library I’ve wanted since I was a kid.

Until next…

Kyle W. Kerr