My New Kindle: First Impressions

My first Kindle arrived yesterday! I was so excited waiting for it that I could hardly concentrate on anything else. I had seen Kindles before in Target, but I mainly bought main based on reading online reviews of E-book readers.

I got the Kindle 3 wi-fi in graphite. It is sleek, attractive, and has a really nice feel to it. The screen is just beautiful, and I love reading it and looking at the pictures when I put it into sleep mode. It was easy to use right out of the box. It came with simple instructions on how to plug it in.

The only snag I ran into was hooking it up to the wireless network in our house. I had to wait for my husband to get home to ask him where the password was. After trying to input the password several times, he realized that we had too many devices hooked up to our network. He disconnected the Wii, and the Kindle was good to go. It quickly downloaded several books I had "sent" to it from my Amazon account.

I originally felt like I would continue to use the library and buy used books when it would save me money. Now, I am thinking that I will be a little more choosey with my purchases and perhaps read mostly on the Kindle. I actually regret buying a couple of used books recently--I wish I would have waited so that I could read them on the Kindle instead.

I find that I read faster, that it is easier to hold than a traditional book. I love how I don't have to dog-ear pages. I am constantly being interrupted by my children while I read, and the Kindle keeps my place.

So, after one day of owning a Kindle, I can say I am very happy with my purchase! I will post again in about a month (hopefully) to report on how I am enjoying it (or not) at that time.

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

I finished Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach recently. I've read two of her other books, including Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, all about what happens to dead bodies, and Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, basically showing that science shows nothing about the afterlife. I liked Stiff a lot but found Spook to be a little too dry.

Anyway, Packing for Mars made for some very good and interesting light reading. I laughed out loud several times, especially in the chapter about the space chimpanzee. It also answered many (but not all) questions I had always had about personal hygiene and bathroom use in space. It's just as difficult as one would think to manage these bodily functions in a zero gravity environment. It's kind of an "Everything you want to know about space but were afraid to ask" sort of book and even tackles zero G sex.

The book increased my admiration for astronauts and all that they sacrifice in order to do their work. Despite having no real scientific background, there was always a part of me that wanted to be an astronaut (probably too much Star Trek). Anyway, I now have no desire to be an astronaut in the 21st century. Backpacking sounds a lot more fun and a lot better for one's health and personal hygiene.

I read nearly every page, although I do recall getting bored once or twice and skipping ahead a couple of pages. It looks like the Roach book I haven't read is Bonk: The Coupling of Science and Sex, and I have that on my wish list now!