My reading marathon for both learning and pleasure continues, and I’ve been perusing the bestseller lists, reading book reviews and blogs to get recommendations. Recently, I was invited to subscribe to another newsletter, , To Be Read, and it’s brilliant. It’s very simple in nature–book title and the cover, a quick synopsis, and blurbs from major reviewers or authors.

The newsletter comes three times a week, and so far the selections have been pretty intriguing. The founders welcome suggestions of all kinds so you might see both recently published books or some pretty old ones.

If you want some great reading suggestions, check out the site and sign up for the newsletter. It’s free and very welcome visitor to your inbox.

I’ve fallen hopelessly, madly, giddily in love. I thought I would never feel this way ever again. That a love this strong would have me so-so-so verklempt. I love my beautiful, sleek, quiet and unassuming . . . Kindle.

After waiting  three long years for the price to drop, I decided to buy a Kindle and shelled out close to $200 plus shipping and handling and a leather cover, I had my new baby within three days I placed the order. Shortly after I received it, I went on a shopping spree and downloaded three books that first day. What do I like so far apart from the immediate gratification of ordering the book and getting it in seconds (by the way, toodle-loo shipping charges and sales tax!)? I love the built in dictionary and that I can highlight sentences and keep a list of the turns of phrases that caught my attention. I love that it’s light. I love that I can sample a chapter and see whether I want the book or not. I love that if I order a book by mistake I can easily cancel the purchase. I love that I can download public domain books (all classics) for free or as little as ninety-nine cents. I love that I can make the print larger. I love it’s long battery life. I love that I never lose my page. Shall I go on?

Yes, I love my Kindle, but it’s dangerous. I’ve had it less than a week and I’ve bought almost a $100 worth of books. I suspect in no time at all I will have it packed with ebooks just the way I have my house packed with hard copies (and more keep coming in). Now, I just have to make the time to read all these books. So far, I’ve finished one book: The Violin of Auschwitz by the Catalan writer Maria Angels Anglada. Excellent. I will have a review on Alvah’s Books soon.

The most recent purchase was Hush by Eishes Chayil (a pseudonym meaning “woman of valor” taken from the Yiddish eishet chayil)). Hush is about sexual abuse in the Hasidic community. It’s a YA book. I’m not inclined to read young adult fiction, but I am mesmerized by the ultra-orthodox Jewish community and its lifestyle and beliefs that I thought it would be an interesting addition to my book collection.

Now I have a nice selection of ebooks to read along with the hard copies that are coming in the mail to review for Dan’s Papers. With NANOWRIMO, HAND/EYE, and other like eating and sleeping, writing this blog, the question is when will I be able to read? Soon I hope. Very soon.

I love gadgets. The more buttons to push, bells and whistles a contraption has and I’m like a delighted five year old clapping my hands with glee.  There are too many electronic appliances and toys that I wish I had, and these range from an Illey espresso maker to a Kitchen Aid mixer to an iPhone. The latest toy on my wishlist is a Kindle.

What’s stopping me? Most of the the items are over the $200 range. If you add it up, it can get beyond $2,000. Do I really need the Illey espresso maker when I can get a decent stove top Alessi for at least one-fifth of the cost? Yeah. And how often do I drink espresso? Not often enough. Okay, one major expense rationalized. As for the Kitchen Aid, how often would I use it? About as often as the food processor, and I rarely use that. Plus, there are space issues to consider. Okay, another item scratched off the list.  Now the iPhone is a whole different story. I can have my music, my phone,  emails, photos, video all in one very neat little package, but wait…when I had a cell phone, I rarely used it. I dislike texting, do I really want to be surfing the ‘net when I’m running my errands? I guess I really don’t need it. All right, that’s off the list too.

The Kindle. Do I really need it? Well, I’m looking around my workspace/bedroom and on every surface I have books piled up, and they’re also on the floor. Between the review copies and my own personal purchases, I’m inundated with books. So the Kindle would help me with space. Plus, I am the Queen of Schlep. I can never decide which book to bring when I go to the city so I end up carrying at least three books, and after walking a few blocks they can get heavy.  If I had a Kindle, it would eliminate these two issues–space and weight. There’s the instant gratification factor to consider. If I want a certain book, I can download it immediately, and start reading. I can have the whole Marx and Engel’s library within five minutes. Imagine having all four volumes of Das Kapital at my fingertips and not have to break my back? Although, I suppose I can be more disciplined and settle with one book. I can read and finish it before I move on to the next one. So no more sore back.

However, there’s another reason I want a Kindle–one of the writers from the writers workshop uses it to read everyone’s manuscripts in one fell swoop. It might be easier to read and crit manuscripts this way. This writer did email me to let me know that it’s not all that easy to provide notes. Hmm, well, that’s a strong con. She uses a Kindle when she works out. I don’t like to read or watch TV when I’m working out I find that I’m not quite as focused on the subject matter or the workout; I rather listen to music or even an audiobook.

Hmm, it seems I’ve convinced myself that I really don’t need a Kindle after all.

Yesterday afternoon I was at the library and while I was browsing at the new book section it occured to me that I should read a book that’s out of my comfort zone and review it for Alvah’s Books. The one I was thinking about was Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue.

I went to the checkout desk and asked in sotto voce if the book had been ordered. The librarian asked why was I whispering. I admitted I was embarrassed because I felt I was betrying my political beliefs. “I’m a Marxist,” I said and then went on to explain that I wanted to review a book that I typically would not consider. The problem, I added, was that it might put off my readers, but most importantly, would I give it a fair and objective review considering my politics? The librarian laughed and said that if I wanted the book she would order it for me. I finally decided to let it go because I know that the final result would be a bad review.

The idea of reading something out of the ordinary has a certain appeal, but I know myself well enough that I don’t like science-fiction, fantasy, romance, or books written by conservative politicians. So why seek these books out? I suppose it’s the idea that if you don’t read it you won’t know if you like it or not.  There might be that golden nugget in a basketful of rotten ones that stands out, surprises you, and changes your mind about the genre or the author.

There’s a part of me that really wants to give Sarah Palin the benefit of the doubt and maybe if I decide to read her book I’ll find a redeemable quality. However, I’m too much of a cynic to be fully, or partially, convinced, that Ms. Palin might have an endearing characteristic that might sway me a little to her defense. Well, there is one thing that she’s got going for her–the cover photograph on Newsweek. She looks great.