Page Traitor

It's not too often that I'm really, truly surprised. When our anniversary rolls around, or even my birthday, Gene asks me what I want...and that's what I get. You know, as long as I don't ask for anything too exorbitant.

So I was really shocked last Christmas to find a gift under the tree with my name on it that was not something I had asked for. Oh sure, Gene got me the new pillow and the new bra that I had requested (I know you're jealous; my life is soooo exciting) but he had also, in a brilliant flash of brilliance, gotten me a Kindle.

Kindle - for those of you who either live under rocks or have never read a book - is the Amazon e-reader. You can download books and books and books - there are a ton of free books to be found online, and plenty to be bought at cheaper prices than "real" books. It'll hold 3,500 books in a slim little 8.5 ounce package, so you can haul a whole library in your purse. Oh, and the battery life is about two months before you'll need to charge it again.

So you can see why this would be an amazing gift for a confessed bookworm. I have always, always adored books, and would happily do very little else but read...except for having a family to care for and whatnot.

It wasn't very long (about fifteen minutes) before I started encountering Kindle haters. Those who claimed that Kindles were evil, that they could never be as good as a real book, that those who owned them were vile traitors to paper pages everywhere.

They were partly right - the Kindle will never be as good as a real book. There's something so satisfying about the feel of paper pages and (probably because I'm a tad insane) the smell of a library book. I can't line the shelves in my living room with Kindles since a) that would get expensive really quickly and b) it wouldn't be as aesthetically pleasing since all Kindles look pretty much the same. And there's just something lost when you curl up with your child and a good book...on a screen.

But in other ways, a paper book can't compare to my Kindle. Being thin and flat, I can lay the Kindle down anywhere and the pages don't flop around while I'm simultaneously trying to read and, say, cook. (Not that I would ever. Ahem.) Books are heavy and bulky, so the Kindle is really nice to have on long trips. And the speed of acquiring new books is both exhilarating and dangerous. Just a couple of clicks and voila! New book.

Take this past weekend, for instance. I finally picked up a copy of The Hunger Games from the library. I had been hearing about it for months and finally decided to give it a try, even though it didn't seem like anything I'd be interested in. You know, just based on the title and cover. It was wonderful. I literally devoured that book - 384 pages in 36 hours. That might not sound like a lot to some, but when you factor in child care, dinner guests, church, housework, basic hygiene and sleeping, that's pretty speedy. I couldn't put it down - and once I finished it, I needed the second book in the series. So I hopped online and went to the library's website. Out of six branches, not one had a copy available. Who knew when they would be returned? I put it on hold and waited. And twitched. I willed whoever-it-was that had the books checked out to bring one back on Monday, but they didn't. *sigh* I couldn't last much longer.

And I didn't. Just a couple of clicks and I had that second book (and the third, and what the heck? the first one too, for good measure) on my Kindle. Downloaded in a minute, Jack, and I was off and reading again.

Oh yeah. I'm an addict, and Kindle is my enabler. It's not the same as a book - never meant to replace them, at least not to me. But I love it just the same.

Ahh, my precious...it is lovely, yes? And the cover that it's lying on? Well, thank you for noticing!

Isn't it pretty? This is my Kindle's new home. One of the first things I did on Christmas Day (after downloading a bunch of free books) was to whip out the yarn and needles and knit a quick Kindle sleeve. This didn't work out as well as planned, yarn being a bit of a dust magnet and all. So I put "find a better Kindle case" on my to-do list, then promptly ignored it, since I'd taken the time to cable my knitted sleeve, for Pete's sake. But then I found Polka Dot Birdie's lovely Kindle sleeves on Etsy.

Polka Dot Birdie (aka Angela) was kind enough to send me a cover to review, and I am very impressed. To begin with, the fabric is soft but very sturdy, and the stitching is so strong, straight and professional. There's an outer pocket on each side of the cover, with a thicker, firmer sleeve in the middle to protect the Kindle. (Or Nook, or whatever e-reader you have. My Kindle has a little bit of wiggle room, so it would accommodate a reader that's a little larger.) It has a snap closure with strap wide enough to keep the reader from falling out if you turn the sleeve upside down. (Yes, I tried it, just so I could honestly say that. Yes, I was holding it over the bed at the time. I figured it would hold, but why take crazy chances?)

So to recap: Pretty. Sturdy. Padded. And keeps the dust off my screen so much better than my own creation. The pockets are handy for storing ear buds or USB cord for charging. And now, my Kindle "lives" in its Polka Dot Birdie sleeve, only coming out when it's time to read.

Okay, so it's out of the sleeve nearly as much as it's in. Anywho.

Being all-around amazing, Polka Dot Birdie also sent a second case for me to give away to one lucky reader!

Prize: One Kindle (okay, okay, e-reader) sleeve from Polka Dot Birdie.

To enter: Go visit Polka Dot Birdie's Etsy shop, then leave me a comment to tell me which of her items is your very favorite. It doesn't have to be an e-reader case - she has other neato stuff to choose from as well! As always, please be sure to leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you win.

That's the mandatory entry, but here are a bunch of ways to earn extra entries as well. Each one is worth one additional entry unless otherwise noted; please leave one comment per entry, and don't forget your email address!

Additional entries:

• "Like" Polka Dot Birdie on Facebook and leave her a note to let her know I sent you.
• Follow Polka Dot Birdie on Twitter.
• Sign up for "Birdie News" to receive updates, coupons and giveaway news.
• Comment and tell me which e-reader you have and/or why you're NOT a page traitor!
• Follow June Cleaver Would Be Shocked via GFC.
• "Like" June Cleaver Would Be Shocked on Facebook.
• Follow me on Twitter.
• Snag my button (top right of this page) and add it to your blog. Leave a link in your comment!
• Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link! (+2)
• Tweet about this giveaway - may be done once per day, for one entry each day.
• Subscribe to this blog via email - just look near the top right for that too. :)

Contest ends: 11:59 PM EST on Monday, August 22. Winner will be chosen by random number generator and emailed immediately. Please contact me within 48 hours to claim the prize, or a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck, everyone!