Is the Kindle worth it?

Kindle Keyboard

Since my husband surprised me with a Kindle a few months ago, people have been asking me one question - "Is it worth it"?

In my humble opinion, yes...and no. One big advantage is that I can carry around thousands of books in my handbag without, er, having to buy a bigger handbag.

Another great advantage is that you can get hundreds of free books. All of the old classics are free, and many new books are free too because publishers are trying to promote new authors this way. It's also a good thing for independent authors, as you can clearly see from the whole raft of them that have popped up on Kindle's "Top 100 Free" list. Whilst there are many gems amongst these writers that are "doing it for themselves", there are some mediocre efforts mixed in, and most of them can't spell for toffee. I never knew until I got a Kindle that an author can love language and have the ability to craft a spellbinding story, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can actually spell. Back to the point, though, I'm reading all sorts of things that I never would have considered before. My previously steady diet of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert, and Michael Crichton just got a lot more flavourful.

That takes care of the "yes". Now for the "no". Kindle is not intuitive. You get used to it, but  it just isn't user-friendly. And in this day and age, you would expect a device like this to have a touch-screen. It's like clinging to a Nokia when everyone else has iPhones and Androids. Which brings me to my main point. If you ARE still clinging to your Nokia (like me), the Kindle is worth its weight in gold. If you have one of these new-fangled smart-phone thingies, download the free Kindle App instead. End of.

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