In-Flight Reading With Kindle Unlimited

Over the past month I have been stressing about what I need to have with me when I leave for my study abroad trip in June. One of the larger things I managed to think about packing when trying to remember that I still need to get a cable adapter of course, is books.

While still at school this topic came up between me and a few others who are also going on the trip soon. There was only so much that I could fit into my carry on and actual luggage. A Little Life was definitely not going to be able to come with me to France no matter how long it would keep me busy during the long flight.

New Italian friend, Maria, asked if I had a kindle.

My answer was hesitant and not just because, though I love my kindle, it would never beat the experience of a real book. "Um, yes. I guess so."

"If you don't, you should really get one," she said. "I have a paper-white and absolutely love it."

"Well I mean, I have one." I began. "It is just that it is the kindle fire...like the first kindle fire. Some of the bugs had obviously not been worked out quite yet."

For example, the pages didn't quite turn when you want them to all the time. My books sometimes casually loose their covers in the digital bookshelf display. All the internet gadgets and apps that they included never really worked, or worked for about a minute before shutting the entire kindle fire down. My kindle fire is like that first ever phone that you had that was full touch screen. Really cool for what it was...at the time.

"Ah," she nodded and showed me how reasonable these new paperwhites were on amazon, along with the coveted, and very expensive, oasis kindle.

The kindle oasis is like the designer kindle. We all want it. Mostly because, by designer, I mean you can take it into the tub without fear of it falling to its death by bubble bath. Waterproof! I am sure that it has other features, but that one seemed to stand out the most to the two of us who debated how likely it was for us to be reading in the middle of a pool.

Still, I couldn't and can't bring myself to purchase a new kindle, even if the one I have has a few issues. It is still a kindle. Maria however, brought up another topic.

"Unlimited."

"What?"

"Kindle unlimited," she explained, "You can read free books on your kindle with the unlimited for I think like ten dollars a month. There is a free trial."

It turns out that through kindle unlimited is basically the upgraded library version of kindle books. At $9.99 a month, you can read/borrow up to ten free books at a time. The only downside I see is that I can't have over ten free books at a time on your kindle, and they disappear if I ever decide to not to continue with the kindle unlimited service.

Still, all the books to read!

Though I couldn't read these borrowed free ebooks on a new fancy kindle, this unlimited possibility was something that I could wrap my head around. So to amazon I went for my free trial asking my mother to please cancel it when it was over while I was abroad...or maybe don't...I was not sure yet. I was sure however that I would be bringing my glitching kindle with me for plenty of in-flight entertainment.

What kind of entertainment you ask?

The Bird and the Sword by Ami Harmon

Swallow, daughter, pull them in, those words that sit upon your lips. Lock them deep inside your soul, hide them ‘til they’ve time to grow. Close your mouth upon the power, curse not, cure not, ‘til the hour. You won’t speak and you won’t tell, you won’t call on heaven or hell. You will learn and you will thrive. Silence, daughter. Stay alive.
The day my mother was killed, she told my father I wouldn’t speak again, and she told him if I died, he would die too. Then she predicted the king would sell his soul and lose his son to the sky.
   My father has a claim to the throne, and he is waiting in the shadows for all of my mother’s words to come to pass. He wants desperately to be king, and I just want to be free.
But freedom will require escape, and I’m a prisoner of my mother’s curse and my father’s greed. I can’t speak or make a sound, and I can’t wield a sword or beguile a king. In a land purged of enchantment, love might be the only magic left, and who could ever love . . . a bird?

Vicious (Sinners of Saint) by L.J. Shen

Emilia
They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true.
The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares.
He is a brilliant lawyer.
A skilled criminal.
A beautiful liar.
A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.
Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.
   Vicious
She is a starving artist.
Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom.
Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down.
She paid the price.
Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate.
That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t.
So she hates me. Big fucking deal.
She better get used to me.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Vanessa Mazur knows she's doing the right thing. She shouldn't feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.
But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she's beyond shocked.
For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn't find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He's asking for the unthinkable.
What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

Arrogant Devil by R.S. Grey

Everyone in Cedar Creek, Texas, knows Jack McNight is an arrogant devil. Physically, I get it: he’s tan and fit, with coal-black hair that’s clearly been scorched by hellfire. Oh, and his personality? It burns just as hot.
   When I show up on the doorstep of Blue Stone Ranch, I’m run-down and rockin’ my last pair of underwear. I’m hoping for a savior, but instead, I find him.
   My opinion of Jack is marred by a dismal first impression, but his opinion of me is tainted even before I arrive. He’s heard I’m a spoiled princess there to take advantage of his goodwill. To him, I’m more trouble than I’m worth.
   Our button-pushing banter should get under my skin. His arrogance should be a major turn-off. Problem is, devils are known to offer their own form of temptation.
   Every one of his steely glares sends a shiver down my spine.
   Every steamy encounter leaves me reeling.
   Sure, it could be the Texas heat messing with my head, but there’s no way I’ll survive the summer without silencing him with a kiss and wrestling him out of those Wranglers.
   Who knows…going to bed with the devil might just be the salvation I’ve been looking for all along.

Yes, I know. A lot of romance which is all subject to change considering I very well may read a few of these before I even make it to the airport. What can I say? Definitely going to keep entertained. Also, any other recommendations, kindle unlimited users? I am open to all genres as long as they are fantastic.