Kindle Failure……. Or, how My Kindle reduced me to tears. Almost…


I’ve suffered several failures in my life so far. Catastrophic Shoe Failure at least twice. Car-failure is a common one. Lack-of-common-sense-while-drinking-jugs-of-Margarita has happened once or twice. iPod failure was panicky, but Kindle failure… Tears were not far away.

Luckily, I was with a good friend, and she took control of the situation. We’d been uploading some freebies and I think mine had just about reached capacity. Enough, it cried, but I foolishly ignored it. I’m full, it wailed, but did I listen? No.

Me: That’s odd….

A: What?

Me: (staring intently at Kindle) I’ve got a blank screen. A blank white screen. I’ve not seen that before.

A: (glancing across) Have you still got the swirly thing in the top corner?

Me: Yeeees, but it’s stuck. It’s not swirling.

A: (taking Kindle off me) Let me reboot it.

Me: (note of panic creeping in) Reboot it? Will I lose all my settings? My folders?

A: Probably. That’s what happened when I rebooted mine.

I stalled. It had taken me weeks to set up folders and tag all (well, most) of my books accordingly, and the thought of doing it again was painful! My swirly thing continued to stay frozen and I stared some more, while A (smarter than me) Googled FROZEN KINDLE for ideas.

A: Here we are. Hold the ON switch for 5 seconds.

Me: (holding switch) Oh no!! The swirly thing has gone altogether now!

A: Ah, that’s not good. Let’s try again. (frantic tapping continues on her iPad)

Me: (a hysterical note in my voice) Have I lost everything?

We did the reboot thing again, held the switch for longer, and it finally woke up. Yes? It murmured sleepily to me while I cuddled it to my chest.

A: But, have you still got your folders?

Several long and nail-biting minutes later, the folders began to reappear. Honestly, it felt as though my Kindle was teasing me. Go on, it would giggle, here’s the COWBOYS folder, but you can’t have the SEXY SHORTS back yet.

A kept me sane, fed me tea and homemade scones, and made sure that all was well before I finally went home – with my Kindle fully restored to normal. I swear it smirked at me.

I love my Kindle. It’s one of my most favoured possessions. It sleeps beside the bed in a handmade cover (designed and made by another friend) and travels almost everywhere with me. I joke that I spend more time with my Kindle than with my husband!

How did I exist in the DBK (Days Before Kindle)? Judging by the stack of paperbacks beside the bed, I must have read real books, but they seem strangely bulky now. You have to turn real pages. There’s no easy highlighting of my favourite sentences, no instant gratification when I download a new book.

As I explained to a colleague recently, Kindles are like dishwashers. Once you’ve bought one, you wonder how you ever managed before 🙂

(Images courtesy of

5 thoughts on “Kindle Failure……. Or, how My Kindle reduced me to tears. Almost…

  1. O hey, I ve had that happen. I called DH at work frantic. He suggested I calm n see online for solution. Yes, that was it. I feel for you. It’s terrible and kindle ppl over at Amazon shouldn’t joke like that. LoL

  2. My Kindle is strangely mostly empty and I am too lazy to use folders or tags. I really should get a grip. I’m glad your Kindle is back to full health though 🙂

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