Technotramp

Have you ever purchased or been given something that at the time you were wanting, but less that thrilled with, because you didn't think it would be all that great and you could have bought/ asked for something even more spectacular instead?  Hello run-on sentence!  Well, I've done that before.  You know, you ask for something for your birthday that you might need (practical) or just want, but since you can't think of anything really special, you just go with the next thing that pops into your mind? 
I know there aren't many things that I really need anymore, aside from maybe new underthings to replace the worn out ones, or the random new appliance.  I already know that I have far too much stuff.  Witness my MIL's basement and the amount of time it took us to pack away the household goods. (And that was after several big clear outs and trips to the charity shop.)  But are these really things anyone would like to give you as a gift (think carefully about this one before you purchase, fellas), or you really want to receive?  Not really, I would guess.  That's not to say I don't appreciate an appliance or tool I've been coveting as a gift, it's just a little less spectacular when it's a practical sort of thing.
So my point in explaining all this is that for my past birthday I asked for a Kindle.  Yes, this lover of books finally joined the 21st century and went electronic.  Shocker, I know.  This was for two reasons.  One, we knew we were going to be moving to RSA and I didn't want to have to pack a bunch of books with me as we were moving just with our suitcases, and I didn't want to have to deal with higher book prices at the shops here.  I could get a cheaper price purchasing a download than a new release paper copy.   Also, it's just cool to carry around a skinny little tablet instead of a huge tome, am I right?  Two, I was simply running out of space for all the paper copies I would get and heap at the foot of my nightstand.  I've been known to buy several dozen books at a time at the thrift store or charity shop.  Just ask my husband about buying dozens of books at the charity shop in the UK and then a few weeks later taking them all back as a donation and picking out several more dozen.  Compact and convenient, that's the ticket. 
I do miss the smell of the books, and there is no second hand download, and you can't REALLY loan it to another person. (Kindle has that option on some titles, but you can only share with one other person and it appears there might be a time limit on the loan.)  I know in my book group we shared some books around a few times.  So that's a bummer, but I gotta say I'm enjoying being able to download a book in less time than it usually takes me to fix a drink, and I have dozens of books just waiting for me, at my fingertips.  On my sidebar are several other titles I've finished most recently that are decent reads if you are looking.  Read on!  I've been busy reading a book called Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson, which I can recommend if you like sci fi.  Think Ray Bradbury.  And upon looking up the title to make sure I had the authors name right, what do I find?   Steven Spielberg is directing a movie based on the book, supposedly.  Figures that all the best ideas for movie plots are coming from actual novelists nowadays.  Can't Hollywood come up with their own ideas anymore?  Here's hoping they can do the book justice.