a couple of months ago when my wife was cruising through the hunger games, i got jealous.  she would start telling me what was happening in the book and then stop herself and tell me that i needed to read it.  she said i could borrow her copy when she finished.  well, i have no patience.  i wanted to start it that day, so i bought a copy on my ipad thinking she couldn’t accuse me of being wasteful since we weren’t owners of two physical copies of the book (smart right?).  i read it in three days – partly because it’s a fast read and partly because of the kindle app.  i’ve since read 4 or 5 books on the kindle app and couldn’t be happier.

i can’t explain it, but i read much faster on my ipad.  my eyes don’t get tired as quickly as they do when i’m staring at page after page of a physical book.  i can increase or decrease the font size which helps my eyes adjust and stay fresh.  another thing i love about reading via app is that i can do it from my ipad, iphone or computer and never lose my place.  if i’m waiting on someone at an appointment, i can pull out my phone and catch up on a few pages.  it’s an added bonus not to have something else to carry.  plus, no one can see what you’re reading if you’re apprehensive about reading a book marketed towards “young adults.”

i understand the argument for the physical copy.  we like the look and feel of books.  we also like how they look on our shelves (how else will people know how smart i am?), but as i get older and want to get rid of clutter, it helps to know that my book collection will rest safely and soundly in some cloud somewhere. 

thanks for letting me take a break from menswear.  give the kindle app or ibooks a try and let me know what you think.  i prefer the kindle app over ibooks, but couldn’t tell you why.  they both do the same thing.