kindling to the fire

After a holiday I always like to look at what we packed and what we actually used and needed. There are some items that are heavy or bulky that can't be avoided: shoes for example, although quite how many pairs of shoes one person requires for a week is a matter of some heated debate in our family. Tennis racquets aren't strictly necessary, but they seem worth while taking. On holiday is only time we seem to get to play tennis and it is one of the few sports activities we can all 4 play together where the children don't (yet) completely humiliate us.

In the past I have always regarded books as absolute essential holiday luggage. Having time to sit and read is part of the indulgence that we are paying for. I do wonder though is it time to switch from paperbacks to an electronic device.

The benefits of e-books are:

• less to pack
• able to choose from a wider selection

Possible disadvantages include:

• once dropped in a swimming pool, all of the reading material is gone
• are the authors and titles that I want to read available?
• is the interface as enjoyable as an actual book
• are the books in UK English or American English?

The Amazon Kindle and Sony Digital Reader seem to be the front-runners at the moment. It will definitely be worth doing some research into these before the next long trip. One of the features I would look for is to have text and audio books on the same device as that would be a real bonus