Amazon has reported that Kindle is their most gifted product in the company’s history, and for the first time this Christmas e-book sales surpassed paper book sales.  What does this mean, the end of the world as we know it?  Not quite, I mean if people are reading, that’s good.  It’s good for the civilization that people are getting educated or receiving quality and thoughtful entertainment.

I don’t need a Kindle.  I have an e-book reader and it is called the iPod Touch.  It’s fantastic as an e-book reader (never ceases to amaze me what this little thing can do).  The app I use is called GoodReader.  Reads pdf files like a breeze.  Large pdf’s?  No problem, it renders page by page so everything’s fast.  I like landscape view so the type is bigger.  It’s still small though, but passable.  Of course you can zoom in and out using multi-touch gestures, and then swipe to move through the page.  I don’t like doing this too much as then I’m not reading in a straight line.  Too much fuss.  Just swiping up and down works very nicely.  GoodReader is a highly recommended app.

I like it, yet I don’t use it too much.  Maybe because I don’t read too much, what with the information overload and all.  I got movies, sports, internet, plus the time I actually spend doing some work.  Then I gotta sleep.  Maybe I’m getting old or something but I don’t need to read too much before I zonk out.  I read a couple of pages and I’m ready to sleep like a baby.  Back when I was a little youngster, I would read multiple chapters, stay up until 3 in the morning reading.  I don’t find time to read anymore.  I read the internet, and that’s a lot of content to get through.

I used to read books so I can identify with those that currently do.  E-books are good for people that need to travel with large libraries.  People who read several books at the same time.  People who need a certain kind of book depending on their mood.  I am not one of those people.  I’ve been carrying around A Clockwork Orange with me for months.  I just read it when I’m waiting at the doctor’s office, trying to decipher its weird Russian slang.  Try to keep from losing my mind in the waiting room.  Poor little Alex.

Personally, I don’t have a need for e-books.  I have tons of books I bought at the thrift store that I’ve yet to read.  Plus, I still have to finish Confederacy of Dunces and Infinite Jest.  I still have to read the Bill Clinton autobiography as well.  And the John Adams biography.  And… I have to catch the Lakers game tonight.  So much to do, so little time.

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