Books

I never thought I’d be an e-reader person. I own plenty of books, I visit the library all the time. What need would I have for a Kindle?

But as I prepared for my trip to California, I looked at my carryon and thought there’s no way I can fit enough books in here. I’m not an over-packer, but the thought of shoving three paperbacks into a small bag full of essentials seemed like too much. And in retrospect, bringing a milk crate full of books up north every year for my marathon read was too much. So after much deliberation, I dove in and bought a Kindle.

And I love it. Sometimes I surprise myself.

What I ordered

After exhausting all my friends and coworkers, I decided to opt for the Kindle Paperwhite (the ad-free version). The $150 price tag gave me some serious pause, but some Amazon Rewards and $50 in lottery winnings (thanks, Aunt Debby!) made clicking “buy now” a bit easier. At the end of the day, I only had to kick in about $40.

The Paperwhite is the Kindle with the nice backlit screen for reading in low or no light. I opted for the ad-free version – even though it was $20 more – because I didn’t want to be distracted.

Initial thoughts

I’ll admit, I opened up the box telling myself if it’s not for you, you can just return it. When took it out of the package I was honestly shocked at how small it was – about 6½ x 4½”. It was also surprisingly thin and lightweight.

Once I booted it up and connected it to the internet, I downloaded my first book with the credit Amazon provided. I pulled it up, and my first thought was oh wow, the pages seem so small. And they are compared to a normal hardcover book, but really they aren’t that much different than a paperback. After a few pages, I was used to the quicker page turning and was loving the lightness!

After poking around for another 20 minutes, I downloaded a handful of books from the library and connected my Goodreads account (my new favorite thing!).

Really getting into it

I, of course, downloaded even more library books – gotta have options – and wrapped up my new toy in a case. I tossed my Kindle in my purse and headed to the airport. On my 5:30AM flight to Chicago, I fired it up with the backlight. The folks around me got to sleep without the annoying overhead light and I got to enjoy the second novel from Paula Hawkins – win-win!

I kept up the momentum on my layover and next flight, too. But what I really loved was being able to stash it in my bag and walk around San Francisco with it. It weighs almost nothing, so there wasn’t that bookbag shoulder strain. Instead, I got to carry a nice, little purse while also being ready to read whenever I found a café with a decent bakery selection.

The verdict

I think you know this one: I love it. Having the ability to bring dozens of books anywhere is a big deal to me! It saves space at home and on the go. And I can still rent plenty of books, too!

Also, I notice that it’s changed my reading habits a bit. I’m reading more often. Sure, this could be the novelty – I mean, who doesn’t love a new toy – but I think just being able to carry it anywhere means that books are just more available at any given moment.

So, to all you e-reader skeptics out there, I say definitely give one a try. You might surprise yourself!

When it comes down to it, I fancy myself a reader. I’ve always got a book on my nightstand and I’ve got a pretty good relationship with my local library (and the fines to prove it). That being said, I can’t say I read every day. Instead, I go in spurts, like this January when I read a book a week (almost) or like when I go vacation up north and read six books over the course of seven days.

This year I thought I’d write up a quick review of my vacation reads. There are some good ones and not so good ones, so hopefully, this helps if you’re standing in the thriller section wondering which novel is going to make your flight, lunch hour or long hours of tech-free vacation go quickly.

The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ll be honest, on vacation, I like a good thriller, something suspenseful, something that makes me a little bit scared to walk from one cabin to another. But I made an exception for The Book of Essie. I saw this pop up somewhere online (or maybe the Girls Night In newsletter) and it sounded interesting. Basically, a girl from a Duggar-esque family (TV show and all) finds herself pregnant a 17. She suddenly has to figure out how to deal with that, her family, the show, the press and how to make it all work (or not work). I really enjoyed this one, plus it was a nice change of pace.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am a sucker for Ruth Ware. I first listened to In a Dark, Dark Wood a few years back and it totally struck a chord with me. I’ve since devoured all the rest of her books. While that first novel and The Woman in Cabin 10 are likely still my favorites of hers, I still heartily recommend her newest.

A poor tarot reader inherits an unexpected fortune – doesn’t that make you want to read more instantly? It fit the bill for me: thrilling, tarot-inspired, kind of spooky. An A+ vacation read.

Blood Sisters by Jane Corry • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read My Husband’s Wife (Corry’s other book) earlier this year and really enjoyed it, so grabbing her second novel was only natural. The premise of the book is fairly simple: three girls walk to school one day and one doesn’t make it. The book takes place about 20 years later and is told from the point of view of the two survivors. There were lots of great reveals in this book, so it was a pretty satisfying read!

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Full admission: This is not a typical vacation read for me. Rather, it’s what my book club chose for our September meeting. Overall, I found it pretty readable for a memoir (especially a memoir from someone who’s not traditionally famous – no offense to J.D. Vance). My book club chose it to help us get a different perspective on the world and to kind of understand Trump voters? I feel like this book is often held up to be some sort of representation of that lifestyle.

Vance is a decent writer and I had sympathy for so many of the people he wrote about. I think he did a nice job of representing that Appalachian life. However, I think it’s unfair to think that working-class problems start and stop in that region. I think it’s also unfair to not discuss race with this book. But I have to remind myself that this is a memoir; it’s not on Vance to represent all of those perspectives (though I feel like much of the book begged those questions).

Our House by Louise Candlish • ⭐️⭐️

The premise of this novel sounded great: A woman goes home only to find that her family and possessions are gone and a new couple is moving in. Right away that grabs you (or it grabbed me). However, I kept wishing for this one to be over. This book could have easily been 100 pages shorter and came to the same conclusion.

Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

OK, this one is an old one, but I’d never read it! It was on a shelf in our cabin and I blitzed through it in a day. It was good. That’s what everyone said three years ago when it came out. That’s all you need to know!

Also, new development in my life: Goodreads! I never used this site before because I didn’t want to sign up for one more damn thing, but it turns out that it’s super helpful. So now I don’t need to keep checking out the same book thinking maybe I read this? again!