So one of Kindle's selling points over something like an iPad is the long battery life. There's no actual screen; it's pieces of ... metal I'm guessing? ... under the screen that only move whenever you turn a page, meaning it only consumes electricity at those times. There are other drainers like a dim back light and wifi (both of which can be turned off) but really you only need to charge it once a month. Harlan bought one for my mother because she complained about how heavy her library books were, but she can't concentrate recently so the Kindle was left to me. The battery did indeed work for that month, and afterward I charged it. Since then it hasn't even worked for a whole day, even if I never use it. I can't understand how it died so quickly. What the hell did I do?