I got a Kindle for Christmas. Santa was good to me. I finished my first e-novel last week, and decided I am now a "proficient user" with the authority to write something about it on this weird cyberspace thing. But I can't decide if I want to write about the Kindle or the novel itself. Ok, I'll do both. Livin' on the edge today.
First, the e-reader. I have the smaller version. Fits in my purse. Ease of Use: A+. I was up and reading within minutes after charging. The book selection is plentiful, with many classics offered for free - books I've always wanted to read but have never gotten around to. And now I can take my entire library wherever I go. There is no eye strain beyond that of "normal" paperback reading, and my pages will never get old and make me sneeze. And the screen shots as the Kindle sleeps are a nice touch (see: Harriet Beecher Stowe in the photo below).
The e-novel is Duma Key -- a recent release by Stephen King (I discovered Carrie at 13, and have read 40 of his books since...you could say I'm a fan). It had the chills found masterpieces such as The Shining, and is as well-written as any. But what I love about the past decade of King is the stories have become less about supernatural terror and more about every day terror. The darkness that comes from relationships, divorce, children, life-altering accidents, loss of love, loss of dignity - and in the case of Duma Key, the loss of limbs. This new slant on fear can be traced to King's own brush with death in 1999, which has elevated his writing to a new and scarier place.
But for anyone who reads King as religiously as I do knows he is not concerned with simply frightening us. He also has an uncanny knack for provoking thought. I consistenly uncover nuggets of wisdom in his stories... lines that aren't there simply to move the story along, but ones that take on a meaning all to themselves:
"...when memory takes its strongest hold, our own bodies become ghosts, haunting us with the gestures of our younger selves."
I love it.
