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Hey guys! So to those of you who actually read my blog *in my dreams, at least some of you have it in their bookmarks bar*, I wanted to let you know I'm not dead! While I can't exactly say my summer's been busy, I haven't had the chance or mind to write a new post. Two posts ago, in Currently, I mentioned that I had ordered two items on Amazon Prime: a Bloom Daily Planner and a Kindle. That's where today's post comes in. I'm here to tell you all about the Kindle; including my thoughts, review, and insane story of how I got it. Before I go on, I'd like to mention that this post is not sponsored and I love Amazon Prime!
When I last talked to you, I had just become a member of Amazon Prime! As a student, it costs $50 a year and as an impatient person, I rationalized that I'd be saving money by signing up. Usually, when I go online shopping, I become really excited and impatient for my new purchase to arrive. Just about every time I buy online, I spend extra money to ship it in a few days; I am crazy enough to spend $10-$20 for quicker shipping, but I never chose one day/two day shipping, especially not on super pricey products. By spending $50 a year, I can have just about anything shipped to me in two days, and I save money by spending an annual price. Also, I love having Instant Prime (although I wish they had more free choices, I've been really enjoying Sabrina the Teenage Witch reruns).
IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE HEARING THE BACKSTORY ON HOW I GOT MY KINDLE, SKIP TO THE *
Back to the main point of this post, I ordered a Kindle; and let me tell you I have BAD LUCK. I originally ordered the Kindle and was planning to have it sent to my shore house, since two day shipping meant it would deliver on Saturday. Except I made the mistake of using my home shipping address. I quickly went into recent orders and changed it to the address I intended, and thought everything would be alright. Turns out, that split second later that I changed the address, meant the Kindle would arrive by Monday night at the shore; we would be back home by then!
Long story short, with the help of my mom and Amazon Support, I "cancelled" the already shipped Kindle and ordered a new one to come a couple days later. Well, I got the Kindle that I ordered correctly. And I loved the Kindle! I set it up right after it came and downloaded books I'd been meaning to read. But the next day, I woke up to an awful scratch on the screen. While a scratch may not sound like a big deal, it made me sick to look at it! Think I'm exaggerating? Look up images of scratches on e-ink tablets. The worst part is, I had taken amazing care of the Kindle and it could not have possibly been caused by me *I'm that girl who can't understand why people think Apple wires are poorly made, because I treat them like newborn babies*. We sent it back immediately, contacted Amazon, and got a new replacement sent out. The new Kindle was guaranteed to arrive the day I was returning to the shore, so if it didn't make it before I left, my dad could bring it when he got off work. It came, I brought it with me to the shore (didn't even open it yet) and guess what was on the kitchen counter when I walked in!
I know I've been rambling on and on, so for real this time LONG. STORY. SHORT. I ended up with two Kindles and decided to keep both. Since the original was never returned, I did pay for both of them, but I realized that due to all the conflict I've had, it would be best to have a backup and two Kindles still costs less than an iPod touch or an iPad.
*
Now that I've bored you with the story of my bad luck, I'd love to tell you that all the stress was worth it! Since buying my Kindle(s), I've spent more time reading, less time bingewatching Friends, and more money; the last one isn't fun, but most of the books I've bought were $1-5 with some over $8. Here's what I LOVE about the Kindle:
Lightweight
Doesn't strain my eyes
Easy to hold (with one hand)
Easy to use
Doesn't make noise
Can hold thousands of books
Saves me space makes my bags lighter when I travel
Slightly cheaper than actual books
Can read it outside (and there aren't pages to flap in the wind)
Can read it in the dark
Looks like paper
Doesn't need to be charged often
I don't get distracted by the internet on it
I can borrow some books for free with Amazon Prime
I can borrow free books with my library card
Easy to organize
Those are only the first things that come to mind when I think about my Kindle(s)! There are some cons, but it's actually hard to think of any off the top of my head; the only one I can actually think of, is how I'll miss the smell of slightly older paperback books. I'll never stop loving physical books, but Kindle has made my life easier and reading simpler.
Since I've only had them for about a week *sidenote, I have not opened the other one yet, even though I plan to keep it. I'll probably share it with my family or keep one at home while I use the other at school, etc* I haven't grown my "library" too huge yet. It's especially hard to buy a ton of books when I've spent the money from my school year job on two Kindles and many other things this summer, I'm trying to make the rest last at least till I'm back to work.
I've organized my Kindle with a collection for TBR (books I've bought but am not currently reading or giving all my focus to), Samples (samples that I will eventually read and decide to buy or discard), and the books that aren't in a collection are those that I am currently reading along with my clippings and the Kindle Guide (which I decided to keep in case I'm ever away from the internet and can't figure something out). I have books that I've bought from Kindle's Monthly Deals, Kindle books that I felt were worth their original prices, Classics, and books from OverDrive.
OverDrive is really cool because certain libraries (including the local one I belong to, that I haven't stepped foot in for years) will purchase Kindle/e-books and make them available to download/borrow on your e-Reader as if it is a physical library book. I was able to borrow Food Rules by Michael Pollan for 14 days from my library's OverDrive!
As for the other books I've downloaded, here is a list as organized on my Kindle (the words in pink are where I found the book/where I got it)
What I've Already Read (Books that are no longer on this Kindle)
Food Rules by Michael Pollan OverDrive
Wither by Lauren DeStefano Amazon
TBR
That Boy by Jillian Dodd Goodreads/Amazon (cheap)
Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham Amazon (cheap)
Sherlock Holmes Ultimate Collection Amazon (cheap)
Beauty Rules by Bobbi Brown Amazon Deals
The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell Amazon Deals
Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen Amazon Deals
Mini Habits by Stephen Guise Amazon Deals
The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer Amazon (free)
Lost & Found by Nicole Williams Amazon (free)
Wake Up Food for Thought by Sethu Subramanian Amazon (free)
Grimm's Fairy Tales Amazon (cheap)
Alice in Wonderland Amazon (cheap)
The Girl's Guide by Melissa Kirsch Amazon
SAMPLES (there are 65 samples in this collection, so I'm only going to list the ones I'm really considering)
Desire by Brian McGreevy (author of Hemlock Grove)
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Dark Metropolis by Jaclyn Dolamore
Seriously ... I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres
Emancipated by M.G. Reyes
The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
The Truth About Us by Janet Gurtler
Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell
The Real Simple Guide to Real Life Edited by Noelle Howey
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Fever (Sequel to Wither) by Lauren DeStefano
Music of the Heart by Katie Ashley
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell
Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour
#GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
You are a Badass by Jen Sincero
Adulting by Kelly Williams Brown
Pledged by Alexandra Robbins
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
CURRENTLY READING
Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy (I originally discovered the Netflix Original Series and finally decided to read the book while I wait for the third and final season)
How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are by Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sophie Mas
UChic College Girls' Real Advice For Your First Year (and Beyond) by Christie Garton
-Kat
xx