My reading material is mostly comprised of e-mails, Facebook postings, Web pages, signs or advertisements, instruction manuals, my own writing, recipes or cooking instructions, and TV/movie listings. I haven’t read many books lately, though. The last book I read was The Art of War by Sun Tzu three or four years ago. Every once in a blue moon I open up Larousse Gastronomique or another cookbook to get some cooking tips. About a month ago, I received two items that changed my reading habits forever: a Kindle, and my first pair of reading glasses.
I was gifted the Kindle by a very good friend who I am sure would prefer to remain nameless. She had upgraded to an iPad and no longer needed the Kindle, and was thoughtful enough to remember little ol’ me in my dialysis chair. Next thing I knew, the Kindle was in my hands! I immediately started downloading and reading free samples and, as I cannot currently spend much to order reading material, posted an inquiry on Facebook’s Kindle page asking how and where I could obtain free reading material. Within a half-hour I received a dozen recommendations and links to free reading sources. (Interestingly enough, all of the responses were from women. Why I am learning all of this now that I am married?)
The first book I chose to read on the Kindle was Shoeless Joe Jackson by W.P. Kinsella. Shoeless Joe is a nice read for a baseball fan like myself who missed out on baseball’s “golden era”; it is truly invigorating. One vignette was the coolest thing I’ve read or heard in a while. Two pages later, a flat-out prejudiced racial aside has me bristling like I do when someone stares at me for too long. The book also contains wonderfully useless information; for example, Shoeless Joe Jackson has the same birth date as my mom!
I am currently reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin on the Kindle. I downloaded it to indulge my interest in history, the man, and his thoughts. As it turns out, Ben Franklin’s writing style is very timely and only the tiniest bit stilted for a work that is well over 200 years old. I’m about a tenth of the way through the book, and have not yet once had to consult a dictionary or thesaurus. I get the sense that if Mr. Franklin were alive today, he would indulge in a lot of smack-talking. It’s not that he’s a blowhard; he just liked to hear himself talk and see his written words. And why shouldn’t he?
The Kindle is a marvelous instrument. It is in fact nothing new – this technology has been around for a while – but the geeks at Amazon have figured out how to package it in an inexpensive and pleasing way. Forget all the technological whiz-bang stuff – just imagine carrying a single slim, light book around with you for the rest of your life. Just one slim little book – that’s it. Whatever you want to read is already loaded on it, and for all practical purposes it will never wear out. The Kindle makes the time go by much faster for me both in the dialysis chair and on the commute to and from dialysis. It has also contributed hugely to my reignited interest in prose. I recently downloaded Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals by Andrew Caldwell just in case I don’t feel like reading my other choices. It remains to be seen whether I can indulge one of my favorite hobbies – learning foreign languages – on the Kindle; I’m sure I can as it has an audio component for audio books and music. Boredom should not be a problem for quite some time going forward.
Whoops! I just searched for Larousse Gastronomique on the Kindle Store, and it is not available. As my hardcover version weighs about 7.5 pounds, an electronic version would be sweet! I don’t think I’d buy it, though. I’m just sayin’….
It is a most interesting coincidence that I purchased my first set of reading glasses the same week that I received my Kindle; without them, the Kindle may as well have been kindling! Whilst I have fighter-pilot vision in all other circumstances, I cannot read anything at arm’s length without some sort of assistance. I had noticed this for the last year or so but endured the condition by use of a magnifying glass, squinting, and just reading less. My reading ability at home was assisted by my 32-inch bedroom TV which doubles as a computer monitor; if not for this setup, I probably would have taken my reading deficiency seriously much sooner. The condition really became noticeable during my recovery from kidney failure; I was having a devil of a time reading all the pamphlets, handouts and papers about my condition and the treatment of same.
A visit to the ophthalmologist confirmed that all I needed was a pair of reading glasses (1.5 magnifications). Thanks to my high school alumni Facebook group, I knew that I could purchase reading glasses at the local drugstore, and that I should probably purchase more than one because they are inexpensive enough to do so. I purchased a three-pack, and three is currently the magic number for me. I leave one pair on my nightstand, one pair on top of the microwave in the kitchen, and one pair in my knapsack. No doubt when I purchase my next vehicle I’ll stick a pair in the glove compartment or the center console. In my opinion, a vision test should be made mandatory for anyone over age 40, because there are lots of people out there squinting to read things like I was who don’t have to be squinting.
There is a certain “dork appeal” aspect to wearing reading glasses. I vividly recall the first time I looked at myself in the mirror while wearing them; I had to resist the urge to smack myself around a little. The urge passed by fairly quickly as I got used to them, and I must admit that I love when the other Metro passengers stare at the huge dorky black dude with the reading glasses and the Kindle. They set me apart, even in Washington D.C.
The Kindle and my reading glasses have revolutionized my reading habits. Reading
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