O'hai!
Ya know, a while back, just as I sat down to start scribbling in this dwindling collection of mad ramblings and sundry observations, I went out and picked up a Kindle and spent countless hours with little more than cups mugs of tea and a ton of delightful words.
It's strange. When the Kindle first came out, I found myself thinking that I would never really use something like that. I'm a fan of books, after all. I like the heft and scent of a big hardcover. The feel of a cumbersome tome in my hands is comforting, and when I finish the book, close it with a 'thunk' and admire the distance I traveled between those two covers, I feel a sense of sublime accomplishment. With this odd, little gadget, there is none of that.
What it does have is convenience. All books, from a tiny novella to a Dostoevsky opus, are the same size. They fit into this little device, and that little device fits into my pocket, and suddenly, instead of hoisting around a ton of dead trees for my entertainment, my hands are free to pick my nose, hold a mug of tea or what have you. Plus, shopping for books is a hell of a lot easier for a reclusive, little rodent like me.
It's nice. Of course, I still love my books though, and I don't think anything will ever come along to actually replace the joy of reading actual paper. The Kindle does it's best, and it does an amazing job, but it just can't match the deep and ancient connection people have to holding the printed word all bound happily in our curious hands.
So far, for what it's worth, I think my favorite read on the Kindle was Paolo Bacigalupi's novel, The Windup Girl. That's a book that genuinely surprised me. The writing is astounding and brilliant, and it pulls a person into Bacigalupi's imagination with ease. It's dark. It's dystopic. And, as you read, it's easy to see that the world created in this novel is a very, very probable thing. The only complaints about the story is that it can feel a little fragmented or disjointed at times, and the ending felt a little hurried. But, all-in-all, it's a damn fun read, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for dark, speculative fiction.
Other than that, I'll try to be back to writing in here tomorrow. Right now, however, I'm smashed tired and ready to crash.
-DP
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