Reasons Why I Do Not Have a Kindle

All this Kindle talk has made me think about Kindles. And how I don't have one. It seems like a must-have for any reader, but here are the reasons why I have not yet jumped on the bandwagon:

1. I don't have much time for reading. I feel shallow and ignorant for admitting this, but reading always gets pushed to the bottom of the list, and I usually only do it when I can't do anything else. Like when I'm on a plane. Or in the bathroom.

2. I like real books. No matter what you say about being convenient or saving space, I have no issues with slipping a book in my computer bag before a flight. In fact, I always plan on devoting a small pocket of space just for this purpose. And I enjoy physically holding a book in my hands, admiring the cover, smelling the pages, using a book mark, etc.

3. I want to be in control. Maybe I have the wrong idea about what using a Kindle is actually like, but I'd prefer to see the whole page at a time instead of scroll a screen up gradually to see the next couple of paragraphs. I'd rather use my hand to flip to chapter 10 than clickity click my way through some sort of table of contents. I sneak glances at fellow passengers as they read on their Kindles and it just doesn't look like a reading experience that I would enjoy. At all.

4. I fear the end of the brick and mortar bookstore. It's already happening and there's probably nothing we can do, but my heart aches a little when I think about what it would mean if everyone had a Kindle and exclusively read with it.

I'm sure all you Kindle fiends could argue that I would love a Kindle once I tried it, and you might be right. Back when ipods were new Back when I realized that ipods existed, I couldn't think of any reason why I would ever want one. Then I got one. And now I can't imagine life without it. Still, I'm planning on holding out on the Kindle. The only compelling reason I've come up with for Kindlizing is that I don't necessarily want to buy (as in add to my own book collection) every single book that I want to read. So a Kindle would be a nice way for me keep my bookshelves less crowded. That said, for now I still choose to buy a physical copy of books I hear about that I want to read.

You know, as long as we're talking about it, what I really want is a way to borrow or rent books without having to add them to my personal collection. If you're thinking this sounds a lot like a library, you'd be right. But time is money, my friends, and I don't want to have to drive anywhere. Or search alphabetical listings. Or wait on a list for my turn to check out my library's single copy of something. What I want is a Netflix for books. Could someone please get that going? #ipromiseiamnotaslazyasisound