For as long as I can remember, I have always had a thirst for knowledge that could only be quenched by reading. Due to the fact that I have so much difficulty physically holding a book, not to mention seeing the small print, it has always been somewhat of a challenge. If I was able to find books with large print, they were either extremely outdated, or completely unavailable because they were sold out. Needless to say, reading a traditional book has been anything but easy, and in my opinion, the simple pleasure of reading should never, ever, ever, ever be any sort of a challenge, let alone a difficult one.
Just within the last year or so, I started going to my local library to get books on CD. For the most part, I've had success with making that work. However, they too have their pitfalls. For example, when I check out of book, I have no way of knowing what condition the CDs are in until after I get it home, start reading it, and then realize that one of the CDs is so scratched up that I wont't be able to finish it unless I go to the library, get another copy, and start from where I left off. Even then, there's no guarantee that there will even be another copy available at the time that I go to return the scratched up one, which means I may have to wait to finish it until another copy becomes available. Furthermore, there's no guarantee that the second copy will be in any better condition than the first, so there may come a point where I'm not able to finish the book at all.
The other big downfall that books on CD you have for me is the fact that I need help putting a new CD in after I've finished the one that I'm currently reading. As a result of this, sitting outside on a warm day and reading for as long as I like without interruption isn't possible because each CD in a book is only about an hour long. When the CD is finished, I have to make my way all the way back upstairs, have someone help me put a new CD in, back downstairs and outside, and then the cycle starts over again. While I'm grateful that technology has advanced enough for me to be able to even have access to books on CD, in order to get everything out of the reading experience that I want, books on CD on to ideal.
At the beginning of this year, after seeing a bunch of advertisements for the Kindle, but not really knowing what it was, or what it did, I decided to go do some further investigating. What I discovered was more than I could have ever dreamed! It's a wireless reading device that only weighs 10.2 ounces, is as thin as a piece of paper, and reading on its screen is just like reading from a piece of paper. By the time I got done reading all of the things that I've just listed here on the Amazon page, I was convinced that I had to have one at some point because it was everything I could've wanted in a device that would make my ability to indulge in the simple pleasure reading so much easier!
Well, that some point has arrived! It is with great excitement that I announce that I have officially ordered a Kindle, and I'm looking forward to its arrival very soon! I've already found seven books, four of which are a series from a free e-books site, and can't wait to start and finish all of those! There are many books that are also available on Amazon. A great number of them are New York Times bestsellers, and the Kindle versions of them are priced way below list price at $9.99 or lower. There are a couple of books on there that I really want to read that aren't yet available on CD, or if they are, the waiting list is extraordinarily long. If you would like to help me get some of these books, you can do so by getting me an Amazon gift card, which I will then apply to my account and use it towards getting those books. Please, don't feel like you have to, it's just an idea for all of you searching for the perfect Christmas or birthday gift. If you can and want to, you can do so by clicking here, and when you get to the page, and you need to enter my e-mail address, here it is: [email protected] .... copy and paste that into the e-mail address field, and that should be about all there is to it. Again, please, please, please don't feel like you have to, but it would always be appreciated! I'll keep all of you posted on whether or not it was everything I expected, and wanted it to be when it arrives and I have some time to actually utilize it.
Thanks so much to all of you in advance! 
UPDATE: I'VE RECENTLY ADDED A DONATE BUTTON ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PAGE AT THE BOTTOM OF MY BLOG PROFILE THAT'S CONNECTED TO MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT. FEEL FREE TO USE IT INSTEAD OF RISKING ERROR IN TYPING IN MY E-MAIL ADDRESS INTO AMAZON. NO MATTER WHICH WAY YOU DO IT, (E-MAIL OR PAYPAL DONATE BUTTON) REST ASSURED IT'LL ALL GO TO THE SAME PLACE! 