I am a Kindle convert

So, I babbled here awhile back about how Kindles were evil, because they were inferior to books. I love books, you see. I have a house full of yummy books, and I love the way they feel and smell and are made of paper and ink. Books are good.

So is Kindle. I got one for Christmas, and I was skeptical. I felt like I was betraying my books just by touching the Kindle. It's a gadget that wants to obliterate centuries of print and art and. . . whatever.

Here's the thing. No one makes such an argument about iPods or digital cameras or cars that have certainly made horses less essential for daily life. I jumped to an illogical conclusion without examining the evidence firsthand. I'm a book purist.

But the Kindle is also an amazing thing. You download a book (in my case, the complete works of Edith Wharton for $2.99) in a couple of minutes. The Kindle comes with an Oxford Dictionary of English, so when Edith uses words that are beyond my vocabulary, I can immediately define the word and look at its origin. The very definintion of joy for a word lover like me! I can highlight, take notes, and I'm sure a lot of other stuff that I haven't discovered yet. If I had had this little guy when I was in college, life would have been so much easier. Instead of six thousand index cards, I could have done it all with the Kindle.

I love my books. I love my Kindle. I have a lot of love to give.