I have really been enjoying my lighted cover for my Kindle. Before I bought it, I read some other reviewers that suggested using the elastic band to bind back the cover when reading. As in, open the cover all the way until it touches the back cover and flip the band around it to hold it there. This works great. The cover is nice and stiff which seems to provide good protection. The light, for me, works really great. It is really convenient not having to have a separate light and/or batteries. Some reviewers have complained about the included LED light being unevenly distributed. This is true, but mine doesn't seem to be in any way that bad. I played with the light (it slides out on a molded flat plastic arm in the top right hand corner of the back), and see that if the light is angled just a little bit more down or up it changes the light distribution considerably. Which leads me to wonder if the lights that are giving the most problems are just off-angled. Anyway, it is just a thought. Oh, and I love the detail for the band, meaning the sliding leather tab which assists in locking the cover open/closed. 

Question: Is the cover hard?
Answer: cover is nice and stiff which seems to provide good protection