I never thought I would like an e-reader. Actually, I'm still not sure I like it, but I sure need it.

As I mentioned, I lost my Kindle on a business trip to Toronto  Everyone I contacted was very helpful, including the Toronto Police Department, but it has not turned up.  Next week I am flying to Las Vegas and then driving up past Jacob's Lake to do a one-week hike down the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

I like to read in the evening when I hike.  And, at this time of year, there is not only evening but a lot of night that I can't really sleep through.  But books are heavy.  Sometimes I've hauled pretty heavy books, which is great for when I'm not moving, but made moving painful and slow. Pretty dumb, in retrospect.

A Kindle, or similar e-reader, is a great solution. Doesn't weigh much, and carries a lot, including maps and trail information.  I often PDF notes and other information to put on it.

My Kindle stores a lot of classic literature, obtained for free or for really cheap.  And, believe it or not, sometimes I read it.  I've done Barchester Towers, which I keep meaning to blog about. Actually, there's a lot I keep meaning to blog about, but I usually only blog when I'm avoiding writing...like right now.

It also has a distressing amount of self-help literature on it, the main thing I am missing right now. I don't like getting too intimate here, but there have been several big problems in my life recently and among the vast mass of self-help books are some that are...well, extremely helpful. Call them "moral philosophy" if it makes you feel better about them. Most of the great books of philosopy from the Roman period, whether Epicurean, Stoic, Skeptic, or Cynic are really self-help books.

A Kindle is also perfect for insomnia. It won't wake anyone else up, and the light level is really low, so I'm convinced it doesn't reset my internal clock. Because of those stresses, I wake up a lot in the middle of the night.

So I need to get a new one, and, as it happens, a new model of Paperwhite is ready just before I go. So I ordered it.  And I thought these things were supposed to save you money.