A Season of Reading

Mike and I decided about 2 (maybe 3?) years ago to get rid of our tv. Me having a secret ambition of being a hippie played somewhat of a role, but really the main factor was that we didn't have cable. Once the switch to digital tv happened, we could not get anything to come in without cable except occasional PBS (which I did love my Antiques Roadshow!) So we found ourselves watching all our regular shows online on a relatively small computer screen, while our large tv sat in a corner, barely used. We decided to sell the tv and ended up buying an extra large computer monitor (can't remember the size, but the biggest we could find).

I have to say that while there are occasional times I miss the tv, I really enjoy not having one. I find that I don't care to watch tv as often as I did before. I feel tied down by regular shows, so I just don't start new ones. But as I've cut back on tv, it's left some time voids to fill. Obviously being a mom helped to fill a lot of that up, but I need something to do to relax and unwind. The internet tends to serve that purpose, but I find that the more time I spend online, the more discontent I feel. I'm not sure exactly why, because I try to read interesting and educational things, but still, I feel kind of yucky after too much time on the computer. So lately, I've been really trying to read books in my free time instead. I got several books for Christmas, which I've already made a pretty good dent in, but what I am most excited about is that I got a Kindle Touch!!!

I've been anti e-reader since I heard of them. I am a bibliophile and would love nothing more than to just fill my home with shelf upon shelf of books and more books. Something like this would exist in my dream house:

I just love owning a physical book, being able to touch and smell the pages, browsing the titles on a bookshelf. Compared to the romanticized view of a floor to ceiling library, an e-reader just seemed cold and sterile.

But then, my brother and my Dad both got Kindles. The more I started to learn, the more interesting they became- free books (!), easily borrowed books from the library (!), having thousands of titles at your fingertips at a moments notice (!) Plus, while my fantasy may be to have a room at home that is a designated library with floor to ceiling books, old leather chairs, and a ladder, my reality is cheap chip board bookshelves in the basement. So for now, the Kindle could be my space-saving savior! I figured I would read the books I got for Christmas throughout the year this year, and then maybe put a Kindle on my wishlist for next year. But then for Christmas, Mike's parents gave me a gift card to Amazon that I was able to use for a Kindle touch! I just got it in the mail today, but I already have 20 books on it (all free) that are ready for me to read! I am planning to make my own cover using an old hardcover book (of course!) to give it more of a book feel. Just need to head to Goodwill or the antique stores to find the perfect one. I'm definitely not ready to give up old fashioned books, but I really think I'm going to like my Kindle!