Still lovin' the Kindle, although one of its major drawbacks is becoming more apparent: my mother and I share a pretty similar taste in non-fiction, non-academic books which, over the years has led us to swap and enjoy various titles.Now, of course, I have my portable reading device.
Just the other day I was minded to read Simon Sebag Montefiore's 'biography' of the city of Jerusalem, so within a minute(!) I had downloaded the electronic copy from Amazon.
It's a very enjoyable read, and written in the slightly gossipy style of a gripping historical narrative.
I just know that Mum would love it, but other than pass the Kindle over (which I am not going to do, all my other books are on it too, including my current fiction read, Stephen Fry's The Hippopotamus) I am potentially faced with the prospect of buying a hard copy for her to read. I don't think she'll buy it for herself - my father's a bit careful on the spending front (especially if he isn't likely to benefit, which he won't as he doesn't read - apart from the newspapers).
She may even buy it for me as a birthday present, because obviously I can't really tell her I've already got a digital copy, because that would make me feel mean as she would patently be unable to share it.
It's a very enjoyable read, and written in the slightly gossipy style of a gripping historical narrative.
I just know that Mum would love it, but other than pass the Kindle over (which I am not going to do, all my other books are on it too, including my current fiction read, Stephen Fry's The Hippopotamus) I am potentially faced with the prospect of buying a hard copy for her to read. I don't think she'll buy it for herself - my father's a bit careful on the spending front (especially if he isn't likely to benefit, which he won't as he doesn't read - apart from the newspapers).
She may even buy it for me as a birthday present, because obviously I can't really tell her I've already got a digital copy, because that would make me feel mean as she would patently be unable to share it.
I'll probably wait until it comes out as a paperback, then get a copy to pass on to her.
So I'll have bought the book twice over. Curses!
I wonder if there's any facility for linking Kindles and sharing content? Probably not, because that would be open to massive abuse - think book-clubs just downloading one copy to share!
Although she's a bit of a technophobe (whilst aware of technological omnipresence - the parents think the novelty will wear off in a few years), it would be a brilliant step into the digital world, and if she got a 3G version they wouldn't even have to get the internet, a step my father has been resisting with every one of his eighty-four years!
I wonder if there's any facility for linking Kindles and sharing content? Probably not, because that would be open to massive abuse - think book-clubs just downloading one copy to share!
Although she's a bit of a technophobe (whilst aware of technological omnipresence - the parents think the novelty will wear off in a few years), it would be a brilliant step into the digital world, and if she got a 3G version they wouldn't even have to get the internet, a step my father has been resisting with every one of his eighty-four years!
