Last year, very randomly and indeed most surprisingly, my husband bought me a Kindle. I’d heard all about these mystical devices from friends and every second person on the internet and liked the concept.

I probably shouldn’t be terribly surprised by his generous gesture. I started using the Kindle app for my iPhone shortly beforehand while I was away for a few weeks on a university placement on the other side of the country. I read quickly so for a trip of several weeks I need a fair stack of books. It’s murder on my baggage charges. My husband also tires rather quickly of tripping over them and isn’t exactly impressed that our daughter’s bedroom is, for all intents and purposes, my library with a cot in the corner. Up0n reflection, his generous gesture is more like an attempt to prevent “to read” piles from expanding until they turn the house into an obstacle course.

I was already a fairly frequent browser on the Amazon bookstore – it had come to my attention years ago that it was a fantastical repository of pages that will never see the light of Australia. Every so often when I was cashed up I’d put in an order. Delivery charges really sucked though. When I discovered the Kindle app, it was like all my prayers were answered at once! I could get books that weren’t freely available, pay and have them instantly with no delivery fee! Woohoo! Reading a book on an iPhone screen wasn’t as much fun though.

Enter generous hubby and the wonderful Kindle purchase. I charged it up and immediately bought a bunch of books from authors I’d never heard of, simply because Amazon said I might like them based on previous purchases. I did. Then I bought the rest of their books. Then I got pissed off because I read them all. Then I went in search of more. Not one of the books I bought for my Kindle have I ever seen for sale in Australia.

The next reason – OMG it syncs with other devices! It’s so incredibly useful that it’s probably going to be changed now that I have discovered this awesome feature. Browsing the store yesterday and attempting to leave some feedback and reviews for these random books that I discovered (I read a brilliant article on how Amazon feedback can be really critical to writers and I can’t for the life of me find it again, someone I follow on Twitter posted it…anyone??) I learned that you can have Kindle PC! How amazing!

This is great news for me! I can download a book on my Kindle to read, and then when I’m at work and have to look like I’m working, I can read it on my phone or (as of yesterday) the PC! It saves the page where I’m up to and everything. Best invention ever!

I’m also aware that e-books can sometimes be quite a contentious subject in the writing world, but honestly, I think it’s a wonderful invention. I have been able to read so many author’s works that I just wouldn’t be otherwise. And I’d totally buy most of them in print if I didn’t have to pay squillions in shipping.