Step 1: Get a Kindle

If you love reading, get a Kindle. There, I said it. Most of my friends who read are still steadfastly going on about the smell of paper and the feel of holding an actual book. I was once of the same voice. But then one day, on a whim, I bought a Kindle. I read all of about 5 pages before I fell hopelessly in love, and I've never looked back.

During my four years of Kindle ownership, I've come across only a few (slight) disadvantages:

• The battery needs to be charged. Super sucky for most devices, but the Kindle battery life is really quite awesome. And also, you can recharge using any mini USB, so nice and easy to plug in next to your bed at night.
• Food mess and crumbs. I like eating while reading. Books are easy - you mess, you wipe it off. Kindles - not so much. Same for reading in the bath, big Kindle no-no, especially if you are even half as much of a klutz as I am. 
• Sharing books. You don't have a physical book to hand to a friend, which can get a bit annoying. Fortunately you can get around this by having multiple Kindles on the same Amazon account. Works well, and I think you can have a book on up to 5 devices simultaneously?

On to the list of things I adore about this gadget:

• The screen. Seriously, it rocks.
• Books are cheaper. Not as cheap as I think they should actually be, but substantially cheaper than buying a newly published hardcover or trade paperback.
• Amazon itself. Their reviews are really helpful, and with such a large reviewer base you can pretty much tell whether a book is for you or not.
• No more hand cramps trying to prop a book up in bed. Also, in winter you can turn the page with your hand under the covers. Beat that, paper relics!!!!
• You can make notes. As I read, I like to highlight favourite lines (yes, I will be including these in future reviews). 
• You can share books by linking multiple devices to a single account. I mentioned this in the "disadvantages" section, but it bears repeating here. 
• You can carry LOADS of books around in a single little lightweight device. I used to be the girl whose books made up 50% of her total luggage weight. But those days are gone. My Kindle lives in my handbag.
• Buying books is so easy. One click, it gets delivered. I'm not sure if Amazon's one click system is entirely ethical though, waaaaaaaay too easy to buy a lot without taking the total cost into account. But I'm a creature of convenience, so I think it's brilliant.

Happy reading!