Even though I told my wife that I did not want an Amazon Kindle digital reader for Christmas 2008 (especially a "paperback" that costs $359), I received one anyway.

She had, in fact been trying to buy me one ever since Kindle was featured on the cover of Newsweek. "You're always buying books," she argued, citing my mass purchase, from Amazon, of all twenty of Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin sea sagas. I didn't tell her that was exactly why I didn't want another gadget eating up my reading time. I also suspected that the only reason she wanted to buy this gadget was because she figured I was one of those, "the-man-who-has-everything guys (ignoring my request for a Honda jet plane).

So my wife ordered my Christmas present anyway, which arrived three months later, in time for my birthday.

Amazon had run out of the number one version of Kindle and sent number two as soon as it was released. Sometimes you just get lucky.

Everyone I know who owns a Kindle claims to be in "love" with it, and now that I own one, I must admit that I feel likewisealthough "love" is a stretch. Let's just say that I like it a really lot.

Mostly, I like being able to take as many books as I want to on a flight without eating up valuable carry-on space. Kindle 2 is about the size of an 8 X 5 trade paperback but only 3/8ths of an inch thick. It weighs almost nothing. And if I happen to see a book that I must have, I can download it to Kindle in seconds

Kindle 2's operating system is controlled by eight buttons. To activate, tap the "Power Switch." Press "Home" to display and select books, newspapers, or documents you've downloaded. Once you make a selection and begin reading, the "5-way Controller" allows you to define individual words you may be unsure of and underline passages. The "Menu" button can take you to the Kindle Store, turns the wireless on and off, and performs several other functions. "Next Page" and "Previous Page" are self-explanatory, whereas "Back" returns the screen to the previous function. The "Text Key" on the tiny keyboard beneath the screen can be used to change font sizes. Hold the "Power Switch" four seconds to deactivate. When you turn Kindle back on, it will automatically take you to where you left off reading.

Kindle 2 comes preloaded with a dictionary and user's guide. Books have to be ordered from the Kindle Store. To order, press "Menu," turn the wireless on by underlining and pressing the controller button,

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