I have never been an early adopter. By the time I got a cell phone, they were common. I still don't own an iPod. I've never in my life been the first to have some new technology, but now I'm only the second person I know with an e-book reader. I have hopes for the technology partly because of that. If they could persuade me to get one (OK, to ask for one as a gift), there's hope for the rest of the world.

It's kind of cool to be the first. When I whip out my Kindle and start to read, people ask me what it is. They're eager to see what it can do, and often ask how much it costs and where can they get one. Their eyes light up when they find out how many books could fit on one Kindle (approximately 2,000 since I got the 4-GB SD card; I'm only up to about 45 so far).

And even more encouraging, I have read more books in the month and a half since I got my Kindle than in the year before that. Partly that's because it's a technology that allows more efficient use of time when it comes to reading. And partly it's because I had a lot of time on my hands lately (my son was in intensive care for a week; he's OK now). And partly it's because once you spend that much money on something, you have to justify the expense by using it.

Here's hoping the wave will turn into a tsunami that floods America with e-book readers. Because really, we want everyone to be a reader.