In which trek reviews the Kindle (Wi-Fi)

My last review was on the first ebook I read on my Kindle. I've downloaded quite a few ebooks since then.

I bought (yet again!) The Dresden Files. Dudes, if you haven't read The Dresden Files, you are missing out. Seriously. Hie yourself over to your favorite purveyor of the written word and start reading Storm Front. What? You haven't ponied up the bucks yet? Here, meet Harry. Still not sure? Go read chapter one. See? Now that you can add a dozen or so books to your TBR pile, my work here is done.

Okay, so I'm not really done. In addition to Jim's books, I've also "purchased" a heap of classics and books on Amazon's limited-time promotional list - all for free. The best part of the zero price tag on these books is that they remain in my digital library and I can download them to my Kindle for PC client or to a second Kindle for free even though most of these books are no longer listed as free.

It's just like needing to buy something, catching the sale, and then realizing the next week that the item you needed just took a major price hike.

I'm really enjoying my Kindle, so I thought it would be cool to give the blog peeps a bit of a review on it. My unit is the third generation model and it weighs in at only 8.5 ounces. I can walk and read and it isn't too much strain on my hands or shoulders. Won't walk with it "nekkid", though: costs too much to replace if I trip and drop it. The Oberon cover affords me peace of mind by acting as an insurance policy, looks great, has a nice, easy to grip texture, and while it does increase the weight significantly, it is still light enough for my purposes.

Have I ever mentioned how I like to prop a book up on a cookbook stand and read while preparing meals? I'm a little leery about having the Kindle near the sink, so ebooks might not be good candidates for the kitchen counter but they are definitely on the list of things to read while catching a snack or sipping a cup of tea at the table. Best "stand" I've found so far is an 8"x10" photo frame oriented landscape. The Oberon cover fits right in the lip formed between the wood of the frame and the glass.

Speaking of sipping there in the previous paragraph, I was reading an article online the other day which really summed up why some people are reading a lot more with their ereaders. Ereaders make reading in little sips, rather than big gulps, much friendlier. Lightweight and compact, most ereaders can be toted along or slipped into a briefcase or tote bag quite easily and the user has a whole library from which to choose. Ever been reading while waiting for an appointment and suddenly you reached the end of the book but your name has not yet been called for service? Been there, done that, right? With an ereader, you can go start in on a new book immediately - instead of starting to pace, tap, fidget, and otherwise drive the other antsy people in the waiting room loopy.

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I just got back from volunteering at Neatnik's school's annual bookfair. They partner with Barnes and Noble - but I brought my Kindle with me anyway. I didn't have an opportunity to read at all since I was busy visiting with a number of the other moms. We got on to talking ereaders and one of the classmate's moms is getting one for Christmas. Great conversation there.

Had another good conversation with the mom whose 6th grade daughter has and loves her Kindle. The mom admired my Oberon cover, so I demo'ed it for her, showing off how easy it is to insert and remove the Kindle and how secure the ereader is. Think I convinced her to go with an Oberon cover: she took the company name and pricing information home with her.

Does Oberon pay out referral fees?