"Wine Club" and Kindles

I'm a member of a book club.  I love to read.  This book club is better than just a book club, though, because we drink wine.  I love wine.  And even better yet, this book club is full of fabulous ladies at various stages of their lives and careers with all the perspectives that come with them.  It's filled with former and present coworkers, neighbors, mothers, brides, sisters, and friends.  I love them all!

We talk a lot, we drink a lot, and sometimes we even discuss books a lot.  We respect everyone else and so we respect everyone else's books and everyone else's opinions on the books. And when we're done discussing the books, we bond.

There are so many "best things" about this book club.  Probably the best thing I can think of is the bonding time with other women that once a month.  For some, it's a way to find a new book they wouldn't have otherwise read and to see what someone else thought.  For some, it's a way to have some adult conversation without the kids or the spouse.  And for some, it's a source of life lessons and first-hand advice from someone with a different perspective or experience.

One of my favorite experiences in the book club is when the woman who hosts the book club secretly informed us that her mother, who is also a book club member, would be having a major birthday and invited us all to the surprise party.

We, of course, felt like we should help celebrate with a gift.  Knowing that her mother was never really interested in reading before joining book club and has since discovered the joys of reading, if not simply the joys of a girls night out once a month, we felt that we should signify our love of her with a gift that reflected our role in her life and her role in ours.

I suggested a Kindle.

Surprisingly, it didn't take much convincing.  Although her mother could take or leave most technology, it was pretty universally agreed that the Kindle would be a great gift because it's simple, it's light, it doesn't require lots of book shelves, and the text can be adjusted to get around any issues with small print.

It was up to me to do the research, so I did.  As I did the research, I was even more convinced that it was the right choice.

(And I was convinced that I wanted one, too.)

Upon finishing my research, we pooled our money together and bought her the Kindle DX with a 9.7" display (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GYWHSQ/ref=s9_simh_bw_p349_d0_g349_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0Y5KMQQCRB41SX7TTQ2Q&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1294530842&pf_rd_i=133141011).

All in secret during our monthly club meetings with her present.

The surprise was a success.  And so was the Kindle!  She uses it for all the books for which a Kindle version is available.

After all of this, I find myself finding more and more reasons to get one for myself.  Of course, the 4 bookcases full of books is a great incentive!