Love Me Some Words on a Page

Call me old-fashioned, but I still love books. You know those mostly rectangular objects with inked words all over their paper pages. Yeah, those things – well, I love them. This isn’t news to you, I’m sure. I’ve blogged about my obsession before.

I have friends enjoying their iPads, their Kindles and Nooks, but I just can’t do it. You can’t cuddle with an electronic device. (sputter) OK, maybe you can, but I don’t want to go there.

What I meant to say is that I personally like to curl up with a good book. I get comfy in my favorite chair, wrap up in my Snuggie (HA!) and completely lose myself in a world of someone else’s making. Somehow, I just don’t get the same happy feeling holding a slim gadget in my hand and flipping from screen to screen. Where is the magic in that? Something feels lost in the transition to a dull flat screen.

A month ago, I read a 200 page novella on my cell phone. It was the only resource at my disposal to finish the document on my mini-vacation in North Carolina. And while I loved the story, I didn’t like reading it on my phone. It just wasn’t the same.

I was nostalgic for something more. I wanted the sweet sensation of a book in my hands, preferably hardback. I wanted the smell of the ink on the page. I wanted the potential for paper cuts as I turned each delicate page for myself. Yes, I confess, I wanted something less Eco-friendly.

And so, I continue to stock my shelves with various titled volumes. I’m not ready to let go of them. I might be conserving on printed documents in the office, I might be recycling as often as I am able, but I’m not ready to give up my books. Please don't judge me too severely.