To Kindle or not to Kindle, that is the question that has been bugging me for a while now. So this week I’ve been trying out Amazon’s new Kindle Touch (£109, Amazon.co.uk) and getting my book fix from, er, ebooks. And I’ve been pleasantly surprised. As much as I love proper, paper books, sometimes they are just not very practical. I’ve given myself a very stiff shoulder lugging hardbacks around with me recently, and even paperbacks take up lots of space in my already-overflowing bag, so an ebook reader like the Kindle seems like the perfect solution.
The Kindle Touch is very easy to use, and just two minutes after turning it on, I’d downloaded a book and was happily reading away. The display takes a little adjusting to – it’s quite different from a computer or phone screen as there’s no backlight, but this does help to make it more book-like. ‘Turning a page’ is as simple as touching the screen, and swiping up and down, takes you back and forward whole chapters. Best of all, there’s no forgetting what page you got up to, as the Kindle returns to the last page you viewed when you switch it back on – very handy!
So while I won’t be giving up ‘real’ books any time soon, I do think a Kindle is about to become part of my life. Time to start shopping for pretty covers for it, I think…
This week I’ve been reading: Fifty Shades Of Grey, by E.L. James (£2.69, Arrow, Kindle download)
Yes, I’ve finally given in and read the book that everyone’s talking about. Check out what I thought here.
I’ve also been reading:
Tell the Wolves I’m Home, by Carol Rifka Brunt (£6.02, Macmillan, Kindle download)
I downloaded this book because there’s also been quite a buzz around it. It’s quite different from many of the books I read – and almost the polar opposite of Fifty Shades – but it more than deserves the buzz.
It’s set in the mid-’80s, when HIV and Aids were just becoming words people understand. June is 14 when her uncle Finn dies from Aids. Before his death, the celebrated artist paints a portrait of her and her 16-year-old sister Greta, and this painting becomes the heart of her story. What follows is a heart-breaking, insightful novel, in which both June and Greta struggle to come to terms with their confused feelings over their uncle, their parents, boys, and even their sisterly relationship.
For me, this sisterly relationship was especially poignant and emotive. I’m very close to both my sisters, but growing up alongside each other as teenagers could at times be fraught as we struggled to find our voices and roles in our trio, so I could very much relate to how June and Greta feel in the book. What author Carol Rifka Brunt does so well is underpin the girls’ relationship at all times with love – and not in a sickly, prissy way. She cleverly captures emotions so they are wholly believable and vivid. Warm, thought-provoking and affecting, this book is my pick of the week.
Have you tried a Kindle? What did you think? And have you read Fifty shades? Tweet me @FabFrosty or join the debate on Facebook. See you next week!
