This is what it's come down to, folks:  if a book is not available for reading on the Kindle, I won't read it.

It's not that I'm taking a stand or anything.  I've never made it a secret that I love my Kindle but it's not like I'm gonna march on Washington or anything.  It's simply that there are a lot of books out there clamoring for my attention.  I have enough samples downloaded on my Kindle to last me a couple of years if I chose to purchase and read all of them.  And I am constantly downloading new ones based on recommendations by friends, book reviews, authors, et cetera.  I'd say about a quarter of the books I want to read are not available on the Kindle.  Considering there's 75% available and with more being added every day I probably won't run out any time soon.

If I am missing out on a great book because of my new inability to hold an actual book and turn pages, then so be it.  And actually, that's not why I like my Kindle so much (that might be a little pathetic).  For me it has more to do with instant access to books and the portability of it. 

But if I'm missing out on books, the publishing industry is missing out on sales.  In this economy, that's a very bad thing.  I am exactly the type of consumer they want on their side–I buy books impulsively and often.

Aside from the cost issue (which I sympathize with), I have heard over and over again "but I like the smell of books," or "nothing beats opening up a new book," or "I love actual books too much to give them up," blah blah blah.  Poppycock.  I adore books and have done ever since I can remember.  Reading is my favorite form of entertainment.  I will always love traditional bound books.  The secret is that the Kindle takes nothing away from the reading experience.  If a story is good and compelling, you won't be aware of whether you are reading a book, a computer screen, or a Kindle.  And if it's not, why are you reading it in the first place?  Having it in the form of a bound book isn't gonna make it readable, no matter how good it smells.

Since I got my Kindle, I have been reading more than ever before, and I'm reading a much more varied selection of books.  My favorite will always be mystery/crime fiction, but I'm reading more popular fiction now, and a lot of non-fiction.  You know why?  Because these books are available at my finger tips.  Easy and immediate access.  Like it or not, that's the world we live in, and I for one am not looking back.