I have a new Kindle baby.
I have been a member of the Kindle family since July of 2010 -- when I decided to buy the second generation Kindle reader to feed my book jonesing in Mexico.
And a good buy it was. I have been able to purchase books electronically as soon as they are available -- or to find editions that are no longer in book stores.
That is, assuming that the book is available on Kindle. Now and then I have been frustrated that both new and old editions are not available electronically. But, overall, the experience has been great.
I have had only one problem with my Kindle. The letters on the tiny keyboard are starting to rub off. I don’t know if my fingers are the culprits -- or if the letters are rubbing on the cover when it is closed. Either way, I am starting to play a game of “guess the letter.”
But Amazon has come to my rescue. Just before Christmas Amazon issued two new Kindles. A touch version -- where all navigation is done on the screen. And a Fire -- a small backlit tablet designed to take on the iPad.
I was almost seduced by the Fire. It is nearly as sexy as the iPad. But the backlit screen makes it impractical for reading in the Mexican sun.
So, I bought the touch version. I like the touch commands. But I need to learn how best to navigate. The shortcuts I learned on my old Kindle are not as intuitive. I suspect all of that will change over time.
One thing I have discovered is that I enjoy reading on the Kindle. I thought I would miss the feel of the books. If I do, it has been eclipsed by the Kindle’s light weight and the convenience of buying books whenever the mood hits me.
Here is a sampling of my reading for 2011 -- several of which I have reviewed in posts during the year.
American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America by David O. Stewart
Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions by Mark Eden Horowitz
New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: Insights from His Jewish Context by David Bivin
: 1493: Uncovering the World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann
The Hebrew Yeshua vs. the Greek Jesus by Nehemia Gordon
1491 (Second Edition): New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War by Amanda Foreman
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
Manana Forever? by Jorge G. Castaneda
Restoring The Jewishness of the Gospel: A Message for Christians Condensed from Messianic Judaism by David H. Stern
Ballistics: Poems by Billy Collins
Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of FDR by H. W. Brands and Mark Deakins
You can tell a lot about people by what they read. I have looked at several book lists posted by fellow bloggers and realized that we each read entirely different books. That sounds like a great strength to me. Especially if we are willing to share what we have read.
So, what was on your 2011 book list?
