Review: Kobo Reader

I received this remarkable little contraption for Christmas, and have been wanting to write about it for quite some time now. Already it has generated much curiosity from friends and acquaintances, as well as and random strangers at Starbucks and the like. Everyone seems interested in hearing first hand what the e-reader experience is like - so here's the rundown.

The Kobo made an excellent first impression on me due to the fact that it comes with 100 classic books. Some I will admittedly never read. (I'm looking at you, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.) Others I have not yet read am quite excited about (The Importance of Being Ernest, The Three Musketeers,) and still others (Great Expectations, Prufrock and Other Observations,) I love dearly and enjoy the idea of "carrying around" in my purse all day long.

Books are much cheaper when bought electronically - at least half the price of their physical counterparts. I'm also looking forward to being able to limit additions to my disturbingly large book collection.

Physically, the Kobo is very light and can comfortably be held in one hand, as pictured above. Its size and design also come in very handy when trying to read while eating, as you can set it on the table and still have two free hands. The best part: the Kobo is not back-lit, making it feel like you're reading a real page as opposed to a screen. This was probably the thing I was most worried about, but its easiness on the eyes was a pleasant surprise.

The Kobo does have some drawbacks, though, the major one for me being that this is one more thing to charge and re-charged - and through the computer no less. However, the battery is relatively long-lasting, and has thus far not needed to be charged more than once a week.

Then, of course, it's just not a "book." As a person with two English degrees, I suppose I SHOULD concede that it's not the physical book but the words in it that count. But truly believing in this philosophy is more difficult than you might think, and I don't plan on abandoning physical books altogether - at least not yet.

As you can tell, I'm pretty enamoured with this thing. The best part is I find myself reading more because the Kobo literally goes everywhere I do. Those extra ten minutes here and there can really go a long way...