The Luddite and Magpie could be the name of a British pub but it’s also how I’d describe myself when it comes to e-readers. Like a lot of aspects of my life, I find myself straddling two worlds – I was school-kid excited on Christmas Day as I unwrapped my new Kindle but I’m also deeply suspicious of the long-term, eagerly seeking out the cons as well as the pros.
My magpie heart is drawn to new and shiny things, takes them back to her nest and shows them off to other birds. ‘Look!’ she says, ‘I can prop up my Kindle on its new leather stand and continue reading my book even though I’m eating a two-hand-sandwich.’ (NB. not a sandwich consisting of human hands; beetroot and salad – very messy.) ‘Look!’ she says again, ‘I can pop onto Amazon at 2am and buy the new Cat Clarke novel with one click, and it’s there in an instant.’ (NB. not a dramatisation. This actually happened at 2am this morning. My magpie heart has jet lag.)
‘Pfft,’ says my Luddite soul. ‘What about the time you were on the plane about to take off and you were distracting yourself from your flying phobia by reading the latest Liane Moriarty, hey? What happened then?’
My magpie heart sinks. ‘The flight attendant told me to turn off my electronic device,’ she says, sadly. ‘I experienced turbulence with no buffer.’
