A few of you might be thinking about getting a Kindle for Christmas.If you read a lot, and you move around, meaning that you're usually carrying books, I'd recommend it. And perhaps have another recommendation for you: my wife.

I lost my Kindle this past weekend in Winter Park. We went up for vacation and I went to pick it up one evening and it wasn't where I'd left it. Now I didn't lose it, lose it, meaning that I don't know where it is. Instead, I found it in my wife's hands and she was eagerly digging through one of the first books I'd purchased (Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais).

She hurt her ankle a few weeks back and couldn't ski with us, so while sitting in the condo, bored, she picked up the Kindle that she'd seen me using for a few months and started flipping through the content. I'd never really showed her how it works, but she figured it out. She's a techie as well, so it wasn't a stretch, but still that should tell you something. It's easy to use.

She did have a complaint, which is that there is no lighting, and in the condo there wasn't great light near the couch as twilight approached. I argued a bit that it would eat batter life, but she said it was a gadget, and that's a disappointment. Some type of low, LED type light would be nice to be built it. Point taken and I'll submit that to the Kindle team. 

She finished the book on Friday and then bought a few more. More by Robert Crais (The Forgotten Man and The Watchman), so Mr. Crais has a new fan. I had applied a few gift certificates to my account, so I didn't feel bad that she bought Kindle versions of books sitting on my bookshelf at home. However it was good for her since there aren't a lot of bookstores in Winter Park, and she was laid up. But from the couch, on vacation, she could find books she wanted to read and she grabbed a few. She did complain that only 5 of Mr. Crais books were available, and that's valid. I'll send him a note to get the rest up there.

We shared the Kindle and she was tempted to get her own, but at $360, it's not worth it to her. She doesn't read enough, and she typically reads about horses, which means pictures.  She did like it.

As have many other people. On every trip I've taken recently, someone in an airport or on the plane has asked me questions about the Kindle. Most have never seen or heard of it and I'm usually happy to spend a few minutes explaining it. Most people are impressed, but the price bothers them. Amazon would really do better by lowering the price and perhaps requiring xx books purchased within a year.