Friday, October 24, 2008
Okay, so I just finished watching Oprah and I guess my friend Vanessa did too because she just posted something on her blog that I am going to share because I feel exactly the same way. She can just write way better than I can... so here it is! ...
The Death of Books?
"I was just watching the first few minutes of Oprah and she's raving and drooling over her new "faaavorite gadget". It's called the Kindle, and it's an electronic, wireless book reader. It's basically like an ipod for reading. You can wirelessly download books from Amazon and they go straight to your Kindle. Sounds cool right? But honestly... as cheesy as this sounds... my heart just broke a little bit. They were raving about how it's the future of reading and soon everyone is going to own one. It saves paper and space and blah blah blah. But what about BOOKS? What about the excitment of coming home from Chapters or the library with a stack of new books? The crisp, clean smell of the un-touched pages of your new hard cover? Or the musty smell of the pages of an old classic? What about bookshelves? Lined and stacked with books read and re-read and shared. The bittersweetness of turning the last page of a much loved novel, and the excitment of standing in front of a shelf thinking "Hmm... what should I read next?" The joy of holding it your hands, getting so lost in the story you don't even realize you're turning pages. Bent corners to hold your place or draped over the arm of your favorite chair, waiting patiently for you to pick up where you left off.
What about libraries? The quiet hush, the stack ready to check out. Second hand book stores! The thrill of finding an old copy of a childhood favorite.
I know I sound overly dramatic. I realize that books are probably going to be around until I die. But I can't stand the thought of them slowly dying out. The way records and cds have almost died out with the rise of itunes. There just seems to be something so cold and impersonal about clutching a flat, electronic piece of equipment rather than a real, honest-to-goodness book.
If my grandchildren ever ask me what it was like when real books were still around, I swear I will die of a broken heart! :)"
The Suspect in Question...
So what do YOU think?
"I was just watching the first few minutes of Oprah and she's raving and drooling over her new "faaavorite gadget". It's called the Kindle, and it's an electronic, wireless book reader. It's basically like an ipod for reading. You can wirelessly download books from Amazon and they go straight to your Kindle. Sounds cool right? But honestly... as cheesy as this sounds... my heart just broke a little bit. They were raving about how it's the future of reading and soon everyone is going to own one. It saves paper and space and blah blah blah. But what about BOOKS? What about the excitment of coming home from Chapters or the library with a stack of new books? The crisp, clean smell of the un-touched pages of your new hard cover? Or the musty smell of the pages of an old classic? What about bookshelves? Lined and stacked with books read and re-read and shared. The bittersweetness of turning the last page of a much loved novel, and the excitment of standing in front of a shelf thinking "Hmm... what should I read next?" The joy of holding it your hands, getting so lost in the story you don't even realize you're turning pages. Bent corners to hold your place or draped over the arm of your favorite chair, waiting patiently for you to pick up where you left off.
What about libraries? The quiet hush, the stack ready to check out. Second hand book stores! The thrill of finding an old copy of a childhood favorite.
I know I sound overly dramatic. I realize that books are probably going to be around until I die. But I can't stand the thought of them slowly dying out. The way records and cds have almost died out with the rise of itunes. There just seems to be something so cold and impersonal about clutching a flat, electronic piece of equipment rather than a real, honest-to-goodness book.
If my grandchildren ever ask me what it was like when real books were still around, I swear I will die of a broken heart! :)"
The Suspect in Question...
So what do YOU think?
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