I love books! And reading!
Some people love books for how they look. How they feel. How they smell. And for what they represent. I love books for all those reasons.
But not everyone who loves books loves reading too. For some, the look, the feel, the smell and the potential is enough. Not for me. I love reading. I love reading more than eating, more than sleeping, more than most other things. I love reading more than I love books.
As a child in primary school, I would visit our local library every school holiday, reading everything I was allowed to. Over the years I must have read every book in that little library at least twice. More often if I liked the book.
My favourite birthday gifts were books. My favourite hobby was collecting a whole series or every book a particular author had written.
And I love reading the thoughts of someone with whom I disagree. It becomes a great argument and I can scream and shout and no one gets offended or hurt. I can even lose the argument without suffering any humiliation...
But now I have a Kindle. And a tablet. And a smartphone.
I live in a smaller house than before. We have fewer shelves than before. But I have more books than ever before. And as long as I remember my password, I have my books with me wherever I go.
The collecting part of having a series is no more fun. But I have the whole series to read and re-read. No gaps. And no duplicates. Just the whole series and nothing but.
I miss my books. But I do not miss the clutter.
I miss my shelves. But I do not miss the futile search for a book I'm convinced I already have. Or did I lend it to someone? If so, to whom?
And I love the extra space.
Is it a good thing, this reading on a device? I do not know. It is convenient. I read more. I own more books.
But I miss the feel. The smell. The sound. Of a real book with a spine...
Are you a reader? Which do you prefer? I would love to hear from you:
