The Sunday Salon: Spring Begins Anew

When Spring arrives it brings with it such hope and promise for a fresh start and that's why I think people look forward to it so much. I've started my Spring cleaning and have a few projects around the house I'm anxious to get started. With the March winds in full force, I'll also be doing more yard clean up in the next week or so, which is really interesting for a girl with less than half of her vision! Luckily, I'll have help with that!

My reading has been going very well this past month, mainly because I changed e-readers. For the last year, I've been using the Kindle Paperwhite because of the non-glare, e-ink screen and I'd been doing fairly well with it. I wasn't reading as fast as I would have like, but with the page lit up, I didn't have to worry about having a light over my shoulder all the time. That is the main problem with my reading - having enough light to be able to see the large print. In January my mom bought a Kindle Fire HD and I fell in love with it when I saw it. Having the ability to change the background and font colors is exactly what I needed but was unavailable on the Paperwhite. The white background on the Paperwhite was getting increasingly difficult for me because it was too bright and I had trouble keeping the words in focus causing me to blink a lot. While toying around with Mom's new Kindle Fire, I switched the background to black and made the font white and Wow! It was incredible! I honestly don't know why I didn't think about that sooner. I was able to fly through the pages and it was so much easier on my eyes. I knew right then and there I was getting a Kindle Fire for myself. 

After receiving my Kindle Fire HD, I read two books in 14 days (one was almost 600 pages!) and didn't have the eye fatigue I'd been experiencing with the Paperwhite. I'm reading almost at the speed I used to read before my RP diagnosis. I'm not saying the Paperwhite isn't a good product, but for my sensitive and complicated eye condition, it just didn't give me what I was needing anymore. The Paperwhite is completely different than the Fire and it has features that are very helpful (like being able to read in bright sunlight with the non-glare screen) but I am so much happier with the Fire. I also love how quickly the pages turn. There is no delay at all, unlike the Paperwhite where you have to wait for the screen to 'flash' and turn the page. You wouldn't think it would, but that makes a huge difference in your reading speed.  Another feature of the Kindle Fire HD is the voice over option. Though I don't need it now, there may come a day when I will. My sister, who is totally blind, uses that feature on her iPhone and you'd be amazed at what all she can do! 

Another reason I think I'm enjoying my reading so much lately is that I'm reading books from my TBR pile.  I am finally getting to some books that have been waiting on me. They may not all be new releases, but that doesn't really bother me. I've also been borrowing Kindle books from my local library, which I think is the best thing EVER! 

I'm still listening to a good amount of audiobooks on my iPod as well. I rarely clean house or do laundry without an audiobook going in my ears. But my favorite thing to do is to cook while listening. I get so absorbed in what I'm hearing and what I'm cooking that I lose all track of time. If I was still driving, I think I'd really enjoy that time as well, but that ship has sailed.  I never thought I'd enjoy listening to audios the way I do, but I have become a complete audio hound!  

Between my new Kindle and my iPod I'm keeping very busy. Right now I'm reading Jeffrey Archer's new book, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR and I'm listening to Louise Penny's THE CRUELEST MONTH. They are both series books that have totally sucked me in. If you've never read an Archer book, just know that he is the King of the Cliffhanger! 

That is all the ramblings I have for today. I just wanted to share my insights about the Kindle Fire and hopefully the information may help someone else who is having difficulty reading. It looks like its going to be a beautiful day and I'll be heading over to my mom's house later for a cookout to celebrate my, um...50th birthday, which is tomorrow. My mom is making my favorite  Boston Cream Pie and some of my extended family are coming over. It should be a lot of fun. 

Enjoy your Sunday and Happy Reading!