The new Kindle just doesn't work for me

I have a hard time coming up with gift ideas for myself - I'm usually pretty minimalist. So when my husband asked what I might like for Christmas, I came up blank. Then I thought - why not replace my ancient Kindle?  It has dings on the front (from when I let my son Kenny use it) that make it look like there's extra commas scattered across the page, and the right side button to go back a page doesn't work.

My old Kindle

So, I asked for a new, touch-screen Kindle. I didn't want the Kindle Fire, since I'm not looking for a new color computing device, I just want a no-distractions electronic book.

And I got one. Here's my new Kindle, the Paperwhite:

New Paperwhite Kindle

It was great to have the built-in light. But that causes the battery to deplete correspondingly quickly. Another negative - the new Kindle was thicker and heavier.

But, the thing I really couldn't take was the touch screen. I always had to be careful where I touched the new Kindle, because any touch on the front would cause a page turn or some other event. Also, on my old Kindle, turning pages was easy, with the buttons right on the side of the device. With the new Kindle, I had to actually tap the right side of the screen to turn a page. It sounds trivial, but I read very quickly, and I was constantly needing to move my thumb to turn the page, while needing to avoid touching the screen otherwise. Reading basically went from a one-handed operation with the old Kindle to a two-handed one, just like with a paper book.

So, back to Amazon the new Kindle went. And I now have a greater appreciation for my old Kindle.