My Love/Hate Relationship with my E-reader

Before anyone says anything, I know this is a first world problem. So don't be mad if I am a little whiny today.

My e-reader screen is kerflooey.

I held out on buying an e-reader for a long time. I love the smell and feel of a “real” book, and buying an e-reader felt a little like deserting an old friend – one that hasn't quite kept up with the times, but that has shared a lot of great memories with me.


I've now owned two. One was half e-reader/half tablet, and it was okay. But with my most recent one I discovered many things to love about it, including:

• I can carry a library with me (handy for traveling - or when I'm too lazy to get off the couch)
• It's easier to eat and read because I don't have to hold it open (you should have seen some of the contraptions I used to spread the pages open)
  
• My arms don't get tired reading a Diana Gabaldon book
  
• I don't have to leave my house to go to library

The main drawback to an e-reader is its very nature. It's a machine, a delicate instrument. And while I don't toss it about the room, I do use it. A lot. And it might have got a bit of a bump yesterday. I didn't think the bump was big enough to cause the screen to go kerflooey, but it did.

The top 1/5 of the screen has “faded” for want of a better word. The words are there, but very faint and streaky (like a printer when it runs out of ink). I can still get to all the menus, and I can read all but two lines on every page. But I have to admit, it's driving me crazy. I've just started Belle Andre's Sullivan #9 and I feel like I'm missing all the “good parts” (if you know what I mean.)

The worse thing is, I only bought this e-reader last July. I haven't even had it a year! That's not very long for an investment of $220 (I'm including tax and a cover, because, yes, it did have a cover on it when it was bumped). I could have bought a lot of "real" books for that amount!

So now what do I do? Do I struggle through with the faded screen? Do I shell out another couple hundred bucks? It feels like a lose/lose situation.



Bah, humbug!!!

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