We're fortunate enough that this year I am getting a fairly significant tax refund. Most of it's going into savings, but I decided that the sweetie and I would get Kindles.
I'm going to back up for a moment and explain a little bit-- I have been dealing with a shoulder injury for months now-- it's difficult to hold anything for an extended period, but the Kindle is small and lightweight. It also has the benefit of not being backlit, so it doesn't produce the same problems with (a) eyestrain and (b) screwing up sleep patterns by focusing light into my eyes at 2am. Books are tricky for me lately-- I can't hold them in place for long enough and adding an extra light makes it worse and more complicated.
But the Kindle is something fairly awesome for me and it's brought my interest in reading back.
This piece isn't intended to be about the Kindle itself in terms of explaining its benefits or advocating for it-- if you have a different eReader you prefer or don't like any of them, that all seems perfectly reasonable. What I'm looking for here is to start a discussion about what to read on my Kindle. I am glad to pay for books, but I also am glad to get good deals on pretty much anything as well.
I figured for my first book on the Kindle, I wanted to go with a familiar author but a book I hadn't read before. I choose Octavia Butler's "Fledgling." She's one of my favorite authors so I thought it would be a good test of the device. It's great reading in this format, and I'm reading at a good pace with it. I don't seem to miss pages the way I thought I might. I like the device and I like the case with the built in light that's charged via the Kindle itself.
What I am not sure is, specifically, what to read on the thing. Like I said, I'm enjoying the Butler book. My taste runs towards sci-fi and fantasy, but since I've got this new tool, I'm looking for suggestions: what books do you suggest that I check out on the Kindle? I'm looking for legal and free (or very low cost) books.
If you're an author, feel free to use this to promote your own book. If possible, please include links to any book you're suggesting. I'm totally game for loading my Kindle up with things to check out. Since I'm looking for suggestions of something different, I'm looking to be challenged to go outside of my normal reading material and am even glad to read something with a political point of view which is diametrically opposed to my own from time to time.
So... what are you thoughts? What free or cheap Kindle books have you read recently and what did you think of them?
Quick note: I set this to be posted in the book readers and book lovers group, but left it up to them to schedule a time that best suits them. Therefore, I may not be around to interact when it first gets posted, but will check in later. Apologies in advance if I come across as inattentive --Julie
Updated by Julie Waters at Tue Feb 15, 2011, 08:43:59 PM
Thanks everyone for all your thoughts. I'm loving this discussion and will probably be referring back to it later.
Updated by Julie Waters at Wed Feb 16, 2011, 04:50:43 AM
Wow. I went to bed and when I woke up there was a bunch of new information. This is awesome. Thank you.