I read only one at a time, of course.

They're not real, paper books.

They're ebooks, stored in my new Amazon Kindle digital reader.

Mine, with about 200 books, is vastly under-utilised, considering it can store up to 1500 books.

I bought the books without going near a bookshop.

They arrived wirelessly within a minute or so of ordering from Amazon in the US, through the device itself a one-click process.

The most expensive was a history book I had been planning to buy for $40-$50: it cost $US11.99.

The cheapest I bought was $US2.99. The best value was the complete works of Shakespeare for under $5.

A collection of 30-plus novels from another author cost $US3.

Just choose from about 280,000 books, check the price, and click ``buy''.

A minute later you can be reading your new book.

Books arrive in your Kindle through a free 3G wireless connection. No computer or internet hook-up is required: no monthly fees, service plans, or wi-fi hotspots.

The Kindle has been available in the US since 2007.

Amazon released the Kindle in about 100 countries in October, for $US279: they have since cut it to $US259.

Books can be read on other devices, such as the iPhone, however, reading many pages on a backlit and smaller screen is harder on your eyes than reading the ``electronic ink'' reflective screen of the Kindle and other e-readers.

The ``page'' looks like a printed page. The black letters on a light grey background are crisp and clear and the size can be adjusted to suit your eyesight.

You ``turn'' pages forward or back with a click. When you shut it off Kindle remembers your place and jumps to it as soon as you open that book again.

You can bookmark pages or highlight passages as you go and the fiddly keyboard below the screen lets you add notes or search the text.

The Kindle can also read to you in either a ``male'' or ``female'' computerised voice, automatically turning the pages as it goes.