A few days ago I blogged about books, but didn't really get into the topic so today I'm revisiting it.
I love books. LOVE them. I also love reading. Not surprising from an English teacher, I know. But I must confess, I don't read nearly as often as I would like. If left to my own devices, I would lie on the couch (or in the backyard if the weather obliged) reading book after book, day after day. I can honestly say I have never gotten bored of reading. When I was younger, I would go to the library once a week and get as many books as I was allowed. I was so excited to 'graduate' from the children's section to the adult section, because then there was no limitation on the number of books I could take out at any given time (the children's library, for practical reasons, I'm sure, limited patrons to 15 books at once).
When I started school I was so excited to get my first reader, that I read it all at home before we even cracked its spine in the classroom. Novel distribution classes were some of my favourite times at school - a whole fresh book that I could read and call it homework! Another favourite school momoent was being the first class to get to use a set of textbooks - fresh pages, unbent corners, no scribbles - what a treat!
I would like to differentiate here between loving reading and loving books. This is an interesting discussion in the age of e-readers. Some will say, "What's the difference? You're still reading.". But the difference is the lack of book. You can't SMELL an e-reader. (My Mom likes to tell stories about my childhood self choosing library books based on their smell! True story. And between you and me, I still smell my library books. I know I'm weird. I'm okay with it.) You can't appreciate the feel of the pages. Reading is a sensory experience for me because although I love reading, I LOVE books. Just being surrounded by them makes me feel cozy and good. I have many books that I purchased years ago that I've yet to read, and their promise excites me just as much as reading them is sure to.
I love love love my ereader! I can read my books knowing someone hasnt borrowed them from their library...picked their nose and smeared it on the pages. I cant stand having to read a library book! I belong to the library book club and I always try to download the book before accepting a hard copy.
ReplyDeleteAs a fairly big fan of books and reading (although you are definitely a bigger one) I wholeheartedly agree. e-Readers are not replacement for books. I don't care if they're compact, glare-free, etc. now; they are not -- and will never be -- books. I guess it's good that my mother has a used book store AND is a book hoarder. I can always go visit her and be surrounded...
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