The Kindle vs. A Guilty Pleasure

I have lots and lots of guilty pleasures.  For the most part, I tuck my guilty pleasures away because they really are meant just for me and no one else. That's what makes them a guilty pleasure.

One of Kim's Guilty Pleasures

Let's take the movie Grease 2 as an example:

I would be simply mortified if anyone knew that I cry my eyes out everytime I see the scene towards the end of movie were Michael (aka Cool Rider) is presumed dead after he's chased by the T-Birds through a construction zone.  Poor Stephanie--she'll never know that Michael really was the sexy and mysterious Cool Rider all along.  

Wait.  Scratch that.  What was I thinking?  It's Danny and Sandy. Definitely Danny and Sandy.

I got to thinking about guilty pleasures after a morning coffee conversation  with my coworkers Michelle and Marybeth.  I think we began discussing the Amazon Kindle because Michelle's husband ending up downloading a historical book for 50% less on their  Nook vs. the actual book for sale in Barnes & Noble.

Marybeth's Favorite Book!

Marybeth piped up saying how much she loves her Amazon Kindle and I mentioned that I had recently gotten the 3G Kindle as a gift from Spencer although the only thing I've really done with it so far was download free trashy supernatural romance novels and a Scrabble game.  I can't recall Marybeth's exact remark, but she told us how just a few days ago she got to reread one of her most favorite books Ribsy by Beverly Cleary while waiting for her car to be repaired at the dealership.

Now isn't that the cutest thing?  Here before me sat a professional, young married woman confessing her love for a children's book and making absolutely no apologies for reading it on her Kindle when most people would be reading the latest James Patterson book or that insanely popular Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo series.

I think the beauty of the Amazon Kindle or any e-reader, for that matter, is you can read whatever you want and you don't have to be concerned with people nosing in on what you're reading. I really hate that.  "Whatcha reading?" someone will ask. "Oh, I read that..."    You don't have to be like one of those women reading their Danielle Steel books wrapped up in a quilted book cover while waiting for their hair to dry under the heat lamp at the beauty salon.   If so desired, you could quite  easily download and read Mein Kamph by Hitler and then move on to Twilight by Stephanie Meyer without anyone ever knowing.

I respect all guilty pleasures.  They've got to be pretty special people, places or things that make you swim against the tide and carve out that little spot of happiness in your life that you can call all your own.  So I've got that cheesy Grease 2 movie that I bet Michelle Pfeiffer would love to remove from her IMDB profile and Marybeth has got her story about the dog who gets lost in a huge shopping mall parking lot.

So I ask you:  what's your guilty pleasure?  Tell me, it's OK, I swear I won't tell  a soul. It'll be just between us.