Quick! Peek out the nearest window. Are pigs flying? Are zombies shuffling down the street? Is the apocalypse commencing? 'Cause I'm pretty sure this is the end of the world.

Why?

I bought a Kindle. And not just any Kindle, but a Kindle Fire. Yes. I. Did. Me—the one who's so anti e-reader that I had never actually touched my husband's Kindle (the one he's owned for nigh on 3 years) until last week. I have always sworn that I would never ever ever contribute to the death of real books in any way, shape or form and now I've gone and done it. Oh, the shame.

Even worse? I like the Kindle Fire. It's a fun little gadget. I'm so not a gadget kind of person and yet, I'm enjoying this one. Not only can I read books on it, but I can also play games (Anyone into Words With Friends? Play me—I'm sjwordnerd), listen to music, watch movies and so much more. I kind of love it.

Here's the real question, though: How does reading on the Kindle Fire compare to reading real books? It doesn't, of course. I still much, much prefer the latter. But, I don't mind reading on the Kindle, which totally surprises me. I don't think I'll ever be a total e-reading convert—I'm not that much of a sell-out—but I'll definitely be using my Kindle reading to supplement my real reading.

You may be wondering about my policy (stated so vehemently on my left sidebar) to not accept e-books for review. That will stand for now since I'm still learning all the ins and outs of e-reading. Rest assured, though, that I'm sloooowlllly making my way into the 21st Century, so maybe I'll allow e-books sometime soon. Maybe.

For now, I'm reading PDFs of some of the Whitney finalists. My first Kindle read was Dan Wells' novella, A Night of Blacker Darkness, which is hysterical and by far my favorite of his books. As for the first full-length novel, that honor goes to The List by Melanie Jacobson. Since the author will be my instructor for the Publication Primer class I'm taking at the upcoming LDS Storymakers conference, I was a little worried about reading her. Turns out, I enjoy her writing style. Her book's lighthearted and fun. It could use a plot, but still, I'm liking it. Look for reviews of both these titles soon (well, sort of soon).

So, what do you think of my Kindle-buying decision? Are you shocked? Outraged? Or just told-you-so smug like my husband? What's your opinion on the Kindle Fire? If you haven't abandoned me yet for being such a hypocrite, I'd really like to know what you think: Real books or e-books? Kindle v. other e-readers? Susan's a sell-out or just a practical person facing the inevitable? Discuss.

After nine years of dealing with infertility, 33-year-old Susan Weller and her husband, Brent, finally get the baby they've been dreaming of for so long. Adopting Anna, an infant whose birth parents died in a car accident, replaces the cruel emptiness in Susan's heart with a joy she's never known. Not only is her daughter perfect in every way—healthy, smart, beautiful, happy—but she's actually more than that. She's ... special. Like an angel. She's got an otherworldly quality about her, something that's difficult to understand, let alone describe. It just seems that when Anna enters a room, it becomes instantly brighter. When she's present, people are nicer, teachers are more effective, and the world at large seems a kinder, happier place.

Susan's astounded by Anna's abilities. She knows she has to protect Anna—if anyone knew about the girl's extraordinary gift, they would want to study her, exploit her. Susan can't let that happen. But, the older Anna gets, the harder it becomes to explain why she's so different. Especially to Anna herself. Torn between trying to keep her daughter safe and letting her use her special talents to help those around her, Susan must decide where to draw the line.

(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult)

Grade: C-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for mature subject matter

To the FTC with love: I bought Gifted from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.