This is NOT a sales pitch...

As we all know, technology advances at break-neck speed.  Something that just came out today will probably have three new versions by this time tomorrow.  And then you’ll be looking at your antiquated version peevishly, wondering “why do I even bother?”

With that said, I have always been somewhat reluctant to keep up with the trends of the newest hot-tech items.  I didn’t get my first i-pod until it had shrunk two sizes.  I barely got an i-Home as a gift this past Christmas.  And I’m usually one of the last to get the newest cell phones.

However, I have recently fallen head over heels for a relatively new piece of technology: The Kindle Fire.

I promise you, this is not a sales pitch.

Along with my i-Home, I also got a Kindle as a gift, after years of deciding I’d never fall victim to the page-less book.  I used to always think “a book without actual pages is no book at all” or “I prefer the feel and smell of real books fresh of the bookshelf.”  But, I stepped out of my comfort zone and asked for a Kindle, and I’m never looking back.

Benefits?  One of the best practices you’d hear from any writer is to read, read, read!  Understand the current market.  Read old stuff and new stuff, great stuff and awful stuff, classics and populars, genres you prefer to write and more.  The Kindle (or any e-book or tablet with book capabilities, I figure) allows you to do this with such ease, it’s almost cloying.  I’ve had my Kindle since December 25^th, and I’m already onto my fourth book (and that’s while having a two jobs, a husband, and a life).  Not only can I research what’s new and hot, but I can look at the ratings of the book, read a synopsis, and buy it for my own electronic bookshelf all from the comfort of my bed.

And that’s not all.  I am a lover of words (hint the title of my blog).  I love learning new words and challenging myself to use them.  The Kindle comes with the capability to touch a word, prompting the word’s definition to automatically pop up onto the screen, which helps me to expand my vocabulary AND study for the GRE at the same time.  I’m smitten.

Once again, I assure you, this isn’t a sales pitch for Amazon.  No.  It’s just a thankful author joining this century and sharing her excitement with other book-lovers and writers who are looking for some motivation to make their passion that much easier (no more “I just don’t have time to write/read”).  I’m sure there’s a way to download a notebook right onto your e-book so you can read and write as inspiration hits you.

What this is is me showing gratitude.  Paying homage.  Homage to a device that I know is going to help me continue to grow as a writer.  So, if you have pushed e-books out of your mind, consider reconsidering.  You might find yourself to be an e-book lover too.

What's your pick: book or ebook? Why?