To Kindle or Not To Kindle (or Nook, or whatever...

It's snowing outside. In some parts of the country, that's not really news, but in Tuscaloosa, Alabama it's pretty unusual. The list of business and school closings on the television screen is getting longer. So what's the best thing to do when the weather's bad outside? Curl up somewhere warm and read a book! And when you get a chance to do that, do you want to curl up somewhere warm with a rectangle piece of plastic and lots of buttons to push? No! You want a real book - with real pages to turn.

Having said that, I also have to be honest and say that it was love at first sight for me and Kindle. The first time I saw one, I was beside myself. What a fabulous thing! They were really expensive at first and I started to scheme about how I could get one - take on an extra job, turn off some utilities, rob a bank? (Ok, scratch that last one - they probably don't allow Kindles in jail!) Lucky for me, I had a big birthday on the horizon (25, right??) and my mom surprised me with one. I told her I would have squealed and attempted back flips, but we were in this

super fancy restaurant in Charleston, SC and I opted not to embarrass us all.

I charged it up and downloaded my first book - wonderful!! Did you know that you can download "classics" and the Bible for free? I wonder if someday at church my pastor will say, "Ok, everyone, fire up your Nooks and Kindles and let's read Psalm 120"? Maybe my pew will have a place for me to recharge if I need it. Who knows?

People will often ask me - and you may be wondering the same thing - "So now that you have your Kindle will you quit buying books in the bookstore?" NO WAY!! Heresy!! As much as I love, love, love my Kindle, it will never be as good as a real book. I don't think I'll ever download books from my favorite authors on my Kindle instead of buying them. I love having books around me in my home. "Gadgets" don't make a house feel homey like books do! Henry Ward Beecher said, "Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house." Amen.

You may want to read all your books on the Kindle, but here's how I'm using mine for now:

Travel: This is the very best perk for me. I travel a lot. In years past I would have taken 4 or 5 books with me on a trip. They take up too much precious space and they're too heavy. The last time I went to Brazil (pre-Kindle), I missed my flight and was stuck in Rio de Janeiro over night. I had finished the books I

took with me, so I bought the only two decent looking English paperbacks in the Rio airport bookstore. They were $23 EACH! Yes, I paid $46 for two paperbacks and was glad to do it because it took me 3 days to get home. With my Kindle, I can take 1000 books with me on the plane if I want to. I can also purchase books on my Kindle from almost anywhere in the world and it takes up virtually no space. This is the best part for me, by far.

At the gym: I love taking my Kindle to the gym. I use it on the treadmill and on the elliptical machine. Lots of people say they can't read while doing these exercises, but I've never had any trouble. I read my Janet Evanovich novels at the gym. No disrespect to Janet, but her books don't take a lot of brain power and her characters are hilarious.

Waiting: My Kindle is fantastic for those times when you know you're going to have to wait. At the doctor's office, before meetings, waiting on the friend who's always 15 minutes late - all these situations and others are great opportunities to catch up on a little reading.

Do I think the day will come when we are no longer publishing books? I don't think so and I certainly hope not. There's nothing like the feel, the weight and the smell of a real book. Most importantly, your favorite authors can't sign your Kindle! Here are two of my own prized jewels. I'd trade my Kindle any day for either of these books signed by the author. But I'm lucky I don't have to!

Fun story about this autograph

ed Rick Bragg book (a fantastic writer, if you haven't read any of his books). I went to hear him talk about this book when it came out at The University of Alabama. He's an entertaining speaker and story teller. He said his publisher was encouraging him to write the next book and told him to write about something he was interested in. "Well," he said, "I'm interested in majorettes.... and midgets." While the crowd laughed Rick started telling some crazy story about a circus and midgets - I'm kind of glad that book hasn't come out yet. When it was my turn to have my book signed I leaned over the table and quietly said, "I used to be a majorette!" He laughed and said, "Oh! Where's your boots?" and that's what he wrote in my book with his signature. The most uniquely autographed book around, I'm sure!

Read on, Snobs!