The Kindle conversation

I'm fairly certain that it's happened to all Kindle owners who read in public: you're happily flipping through a white-knuckled Harlan Coben novel when someone says "excuse me, how do you like it," indicating your Kindle.

Here are the 5 questions I most often get asked, and my responses:

1. How do you like it?

--A lot!

2. Is it hard to get books for it?

--No! Or, if I think the questioner is sufficiently technology-oriented, I rhapsodize about the joys of the Whispernet service.

3. How expensive is it?

--$359.

4. How expensive are the books?

--Inexpensive compared to print editions. New hardcover books, which might retail for $25, are $9.99. Books available in mass-market paperback are considerably less--usually $5 or so, often even less. Also, free public-domain books are available.

5. Can you add notes?

--Yes (followed by a demonstration). I suspect people asking this one have already done some research and just want to see how it works.

And here's a secret--I actually like being asked about my Kindle! People who start these conversations need to settle in for a long discussion!