The Day My Kindle Died

I've already shared before my thoughts about the Kindle.

And in the year and eight months since I received my Kindle for Christmas, it's become an essential in my life.
It lives in its purple case in my purse.
And goes with me everywhere.

I read a LOT people.
I read over 80 books last year.
Going for 100 this year.

Some of those books are bought on Amazon,
others are borrowed from the public library through their e-book lending system.
It's wonderful.

So that makes today a sad day.
It's the Day My Kindle Died.

It's unresponsive.
Stuck on it's screen saver of John Steinbeck.
And after lots of charging and trouble shooting, on the phone with Amazon trying to figure it out, Amazon called time of death.

And you know what else they told me?
Kindles under a year old get replaced for free,
but since mine was 1 year and 8 months ... no replacement for me.

I can buy a new one at a discounted price.
Unbelievable.

I haven't dropped it.
It hasn't gotten wet.
It's used a LOT, but it stays safe in its case.
It's treated well.

It died in under two years and NO REPLACEMENT?
No Bueno.

I'm seriously disappointed in Amazon.

My thoughts about the Kindle

I put one on my wish list for Christmas.

I wasn't sure I really wanted one,

but I thought I'd try it out.

OK, the real reason?

My mom and sister had one,

and I felt left out.

I love electronics and new technology,

and I love books,

so while I had some hesitations about combining the two,

it seemed like something I should check out.

I received the Kindle for Christmas, to my suprise...

and slowly fell in love.

It wasn't a full blown immediate, passionate love affair,

but a slow, kindling kind of fire.

hehe

Pun intended.

I personalized it with a cool-looking skin and found a nice purple case to keep it safe,

and it fits in my purse and goes with me everywhere.

I've downloaded free word games...
to further my addiction of word games.

And I can connect to Amazon anytime I want via the Kindle...
to browse books and download the first chapter FREE of any book I want.

The instantaneous access is powerfully addicting.

The cheaper price of new hardbacks and best sellers is extremely gratifying.
I don't have to feel guilty about buying the latest Karen Marie Morning or Kim Harrison novel.

(Amazon hasn't paid or compensated me in any way to write this post!)

Also cool? 
You can loan some books to anyone else with a Kindle. 
And, since my mom and sister have one,
and we all read voraciously, this is awesome...
although not many books are "loanable" yet. 

I have a Kindle App on my iPhone now where I can read any of the books on my Kindle, on my iPhone.  The Kindle and the iPhone share knowledge
and keep track of where I am in a book. 
How smart is that?

I love technology. 
And I love reading. 
And I now love the Kindle.

Have you tried an electronic reading device?

Are you for or against them?

I don't want hard and soft cover books to go away, or bookstores for that matter,
but I love the buying convenience and the ability to store thousands of books on my Kindle.

Eights

Today's theme is 8's.

First I saw a news story about a Hexapus. I like to root for the underdog, the odd man out, the weird gene mutation, the octopus named Henry with six legs instead of eight. I'm kind of surprised we haven't run into more of these. I have to admit, I'm not sure I'd stop to count if I did run into Henry...I'm kind of wimpy about scary looking sea creatures.

Secondly, I was reading a hilarious blog where a woman was chronicling everything in her pantry, and I ran across something I had never heard of before. She had an Octodog Frankfurter Converter. Oh my gosh. I was falling off my chair laughing at this thing. Such a simple little contraption, hilarious, not sure I'd ever use it, but I find myself wanting one. Not sure if the kids would love it or run screaming.

Thirdly, I'm going to share eight of my favorite websites today. Drumroll please...I know you're waiting with baited breath...

Amazon is my best friend. Everyone knows about Amazon (unless they've been living under a rock or in a cave for the past ten years but even then, if these people have access to Internet, then there's no excuse for you). If I'm not buying books online, then I'm spending time researching subjects, finding authors and titles for me and the kids to check them out at our local library. I have that nifty Amazon Prime service where everything I order shows up on my doorstep within two days (and since I do most my Christmas shopping on Amazon, it pays for itself!). Gotta love it. I also put up wishlists for the whole family for Christmas and birthdays, so relatives can find a variety of gift ideas.

WebMD is another old friend of mine. I go there regularly to research exotic diseases I'm convinced I have and to discover all the bizarre side effects I'm sure I have from the meds I might be taking. WebMD is the paranoid girl's best friend!

Sometimes a girl needs to just veg a little, and People is a good website for that. If you need to catch up on the celebrity gossip or see all those beautiful Oscar gowns you might buy one day. US Magazine is fun also, albeit a little more smutty. But, smutty is fun.

In case you're counting, those are four of my favorite websites. Here come four more:

I have hundreds (or maybe thousands) of photos stored on Shutterfly. I have tried other photo-sharing websites and most of them are fine, but Shutterfly is my favorite. I share photos, upload from my camera, and am constantly making photo books and photo gifts for people. I could spends lots of money there if I had it!! Photography is a big passion of mine.

I love the mother's bracelet I bought from Sterling Sisters. I don't visit this site much, but I've had my bracelet (and made other bracelets as gifts) for years, and they're beautiful!

Another great website for making photo gifts for women is Contessa Bags. They're awesome! I had pictures of the boys made into make-up bags for my mom and mother-in-law a while back, and I've made photos into pillows and purses. Great gift ideas.

Finally, each year I faithfully order my new Mom Agenda. I couldn't make it through the year without it and it's my lifeline!

This is just a small snipit from my massive favorites file.