Time to eat my words..

And that's something I don't often do!

You may have read a post I did a couple of months ago about how Kindles and other e-readers measure up to paperbacks. You may also remember that I concluded that they weren't for me, and I'd take a battered, old paperback over a shiny, sleek piece of gadgetry any day. Well how wrong was I?

My Dad gave me the new Kindle Fire HD exactly a month ago for my 20th birthday, and truth be told, I've hardly put it down since! So much so, that I've worked my way through three books in that time, and have just begun my fourth this very evening.

I can't remember the last three books I read before getting my Kindle, which is probably testament to how much reading I was actually doing. I've always regarded myself as a keen book worm, but I don't think that description's very fitting if you only read once or twice a year on your holidays (this is the type of person I'd become pre-Kindle!). But now it would seem I am never without a book in hand - albeit a virtual one!

I think I can put my sharp increase in reading time down to two things: the price and availability of e-books. Whilst perusing the shelves of Smiths and 'Stones can be interesting and intriguing, there's something about being able to purchase (and start) a book without ever having to leave my bed, let alone get out my pyjamas. The price of the books is a cheeky bonus too, and of my three recently read books, they all cost me less than a pound! How often can you say you picked up a paperback for that price?!

My Kindle Fire is frequently used to surf the web and listen to music too, but, already having an iPad, it's main use is being glued to my left hand as I flick through the on screen pages.

I think in a way I sort of didn't want to believe the ebook hype, as there's something so romantic and old fashioned about a traditional book. After all, that's what I've grown up with; being read bed time stories from them, learning to read myself, and swapping them between my friends and family. Fortunately - and despite my previous post on the matter - you can still do all of those things using an e-reader, but so much more as well!