Kindle Regret
Posted: October 12th, 2009 | Author: Sally Bjornsen | Filed under: Reading, Writing, books, culture | Tags: Amazon, Kindle | 4 Comments »
My mom just got a Kindle. I find it kind of depressing. My brother bought it for her as a thank you gift for a trip she hosted for our family last summer. It was a smarty-pants, show stopping gift to end all gifts. Now I don’t know what to get her for birthdays and holidays. A certificate for an e-book? Call me old fashioned, but in my opinion giving an e-book electronically just isn’t right. I am sure that Miss Manners would concur. My brother wasn’t thinking long term when he decided to go big or go home and pony up for the $300 book killer (that’s including tax and shipping). At the very least he wasn’t thinking about me or my other siblings. The Kindle completely takes books wrapped in beautiful paper, Museum branded book bags and fancy reading lamps from Sharper Image off the “gift option” table. Now what I am left with? Broaches?
I refuse to get on board the Kindle train! I want a regular trade paperback to read and then keep on my bookshelves that I can lovingly revisit again and again. Or pass on either by leaving in the back of an airplane seat pocket for someone else to discover or share with my friends. I hope Kindle doesn’t win!
Buy her a real old-fashioned well made book, one with illustrations, hard-bound, good paper, in a topic she enjoys. Even better, buy a book from a small press or an academic press, not from the big major publishers. Support the smaller publishers and keep the tradition of real book making alive.
sally! a book will ALWAYS be a great gift. just as siblings will always vie for the ‘best’ present to give mom. nothing says ‘i thought of you’ like picking out a book the person will enjoy and treasure for years. the kindle may be the swankiest new gadget, and not too long from now new books might only be available via e-file (it IS inevitable), but that will just make the ones that we give and have given that much more special. books are treasures!
I refuse to get on board the Kindle train! I want a regular trade paperback to read and then keep on my bookshelves that I can lovingly revisit again and again. Or pass on either by leaving in the back of an airplane seat pocket for someone else to discover or share with my friends. I hope Kindle doesn’t win!