Kindling

I have always been a keen reader and I well remember walking what must have been two or three miles to the public library when I was but 12 years old. I have never been one for buying masses of books; I would then have the problem of either storing them or giving them away, something I would be loth to do. There are some books that I am happy to read again and again, and they do have pride of place on my bookshelves.

But - a few months ago I decided to bring myself into the 21st century. I bought a Kindle!

I was really very dubious about using such a device. There is something special about opening a new book - the smell of it and the crisp feel of the pages. But I rarely managed to be the first to read any of the books I borrowed from the public library so there was little chance of me missing that special feeling.

I still do like reading a 'proper' book, but I have to confess I am very taken with ebooks. There are various advantages:

• the Kindle fits in a jacket pocket so is easy to take with me;
• I must have the better part of 50 books in my library, many of which I will read again;
• the size of the font can be altered at a whim, so I can increase the size when my eyes are tired;
• the pages are back-lit making reading easier in low light;
• many 'classics' can be downloaded free of charge, and there are plenty of books priced at less than a pound!

On the other hand, there are disadvantages;

• in my experience, there is a tendency for errors to creep in due to lack of editorial control over the electronic version of books;
• one occasionally needs to recharge the battery before the Kindle warns of low battery life - and it is too easy to forget.

On balance, I consider myself hooked.