A Week of Kindling

So I've had my Kindle a bit over a week and have read several things on it. By and large, I love it. But last night I hit a snag that is probably more common than people will admit and it made me pause. See, I was reading a relatively suspenseful book. And what usually happens when I hit a point in a book where I just have to know how things turn out (because I can't stand hanging in through a book, only to find a completely unsatisfactory ending), I flip to the last couple of chapters, see how it turns out, then return to my previously scheduled reading.

This does not ruin it for me. It does, in fact, make it more tolerable.

I also flip to the end if I'm stalled out and slightly bored and trying to figure out if it gets better.

Yes, I'm a chapter flipper, I admit it.

But as I searched for how to do this on the Kindle I was hit with a wave of panic. It cannot be done! There is no "skip ahead a bit, Brother Maynard" button anywhere on there. Sure, you can hit the page turn button a hundred thousand times in quick succession, but that's just not the same. (Plus I'm guessing the next page button really isn't designed for such treatment.)

So, ok, maybe the Kindle will make an honest reader out of me...but I don't have to like it.

The only other snag I've hit, and this is much less annoying (in comparison) is the lack of page numbers and chapters. I get that the "page" on the kindle isn't the same size as the page on a book and so they can't use the same numbers, blah blah blah. But apparently I draw comfort from knowing I'm on page x of y and that there are only z more pages til I'm finished and so on and so forth and the little percentage status bar isn't cutting it for me.

Even with that? I still love the thing. It's just not going to replace a real book any time soon.