In Mourning for my Kindle

 

And now it is time to sing sad songs of the death of Kindles.....

I got my Kindle a few years ago, when a Chinese businessman who was a friend of my late father gave the family quite a large sum of money. Mother shared it out with family members and I got a Kindle with my share.

I loved it. Unlike trying to read an ebook on my computer, reading it on Kindle was a lot like reading a real book. Plus I could enlarge the print size to something comfortable.

I took advantage of the many opportunities open to Kindle owners to save money on books. I went to ManyBooks.net and downloaded free ebooks. I also picked up many books that were only temporarily free. I got new stuff to read at a time when I thought poverty was going to condemn me to nothing more than rereading what books I already owned, and reading the few interesting books in the local library.

But the problem with poor people and gadgets is that the gadgets always die, and the cost of replacing them is high.

My Kindle cost about $200-250 when new. I despaired at the thought of ever replacing that. And at the thought of the Kindle books I had bought--- often for 99 cents, but it was money all the same--- and could now never read.

I checked on the Amazon.com web site and found they had a Kindle model for $69 dollars. Not quite so far out of reach. I thought of crowdsourcing it. If 35 people each gave $2--- but I don't know ANY people I could hit up for money, especially for something non-essential. (And as for those people that I know a little, I don't really want the relationship to be changed/warped forever into that of pauper and benefactor.)

I then thought of offering to write reviews on Amazon.com of people's books in exchange for a little money. And then kicked myself in the butt (or tried to) for not remembering that I couldn't accept ebooks for review until I had a new Kindle to read them on. Besides which, I don't like writing reviews because I suspect I'm not very good at it (though I'm sure there are many people who would take any Amazon review they could get and be glad of it.)

I know that of course one can read ebooks on a computer. I downloaded the software. I just can't imagine sitting down to read a book off my computer. I read a few chapters from Caleb-Seven this afternoon, but even though I rather like the book I can't really see myself finishing it reading off my laptop. 

Let's face it, I need a new Kindle. Only I DON'T really need a new Kindle. Or a computer or a television or an internet connection or indoor plumbing and central heating and all the many other things Third-World people do without every day. I know that if I were a better person I would just look at the problem of my dead Kindle and just 'offer it up' to God for the salvation of poor people in real need. Only I'm not there yet, and I want me a new Kindle. *sigh*

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My Free Tor Ebook --- and How You Can Get One

In a previous post I mentioned that Tor books is offering free ebooks to those who sign up on their web site.

My free ebook for the week arrived today--- Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey A. Carver. It's available in PDF, HTML, and Mobi format. They also gave a link to the previous week's book, In the Midnight Hour by Patti O'Shea. Next week's book will be Flash by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

I read my ebooks on a Palm Zire 72 PDA, but others read them on Smartphones, iPhones and other devices, or on their home computer. Most of us already have Adobe Acrobat Reader, to let you read a PDF format ebook. You can get free Mobipocket software from the Mobipocket web site.

Why would a book company give away free ebooks? It's good for business. Visit the Baen Free Library to read their reasoning for their free ebook program, and to download some of their many free sci-fi and fantasy ebooks.

Watch the Skies for Free Ebooks from Tor

I (heart) ebooks!

I first found out about ebooks when I bought a Palm Zire 72 PDA. I hadn't intended to use it for reading books, instead I wanted it because I would be able to work on writing in places other than my living room. But I found there were lots of free ebooks available--- many even worth the price.

I just found out that Tor books is having a free ebook promotion at their web site, under the title of 'Watch the Skies'. They want you to sign up, giving your name, email address, and zip code, and they will send you a link to a free ebook. Each week they will send you another free ebook link. I don't yet know what format the ebook is in; when I find out I will update this post.

Update: On TeleRead there is a post mentioning the Tor free ebooks, which says that the Mobipocket format is one of those available. (The Mobipocket format can be read on Palm devices, and also can be read on your PC.)

There are a number of reasons that I like ebooks. One is, I like gadgets, especially ones that remind me of the ones on Star Trek. Another is that I like the experience of reading a book on my Zire 72. It's as comfortable as reading a real book--- and when reading an ebook I'm less likely to skim-read past important details of the story. And perhaps the most important thing is that there are a number of worthwhile and/or interesting ebooks out there for free. As a person of low income, I like to be able to get a new book even in months when I can just barely pay the bills, and can't even leave the house much due to gasoline prices.

I will (probably) be writing a lot more about ebooks on this blog, telling about some of my favorite sites for ebooks and such, perhaps reviewing some of the free ebooks available.