Reading

I've been a fan of reading ever since I was a kid. I used to love riding my bike to the library, coming home with 4 or 5 books and curling up under a blanket with my new treasures. I often was reading two or three books at one time, usually because a new book would catch my eye before I finished reading my current one. I still read a lot but not nearly as much as I would like. I almost never give myself over to an entire day of just reading. Oh, what a lovely thought....

I am baffled by the idea of e-readers, Kindle and the like. They just seem so hard, so cold, so un-book-like. There is something very comforting about holding a treasured book in your hands, reading it for the umpteenth time, turning each well-worn, dog-eared page, the spine cracked from bending the cover backwards. To this day I still hold my books a certain way as to avoid damaging the spine.

My eyes get tired more easily when I read words on a screen so I can't read for hours at a time. Something about the screen's re-fresh rate making us unconsciously blink less, I believe. But more then that, there is the color and the light. Books are printed on paper that naturally defuse light and so the pages are soft and warm. The computer screen is pixels of dark and light; there is nothing in between, nothing soft or warm at all.

I was reading an article in the Chronicle today (yes, the print version that I subscribe to daily) about a report that Amazon is now selling more e-books then hardbacks and that independent bookstores are getting excited about Google Editions which will allow for the download of over 400,000 books from smaller bookstores onto to almost any platform thus leveling the retail playing field.

What a shame. I love browsing bookstores - big and small. You hold the new book in your hand, read the back cover, maybe grab a comfy chair so you can scan a few pages before you realize that you must buy this book immediately, crawl into bed and read the whole thing at once.

And then there is the "used" bookstore. What a great way to buy that best seller you've heard so much about for a reduced price. Finally, you will know why Oprah raves about this one author. Or figure out it was all hype but at least you didn't pay full price.

Oh, but e-books are so "green". Saves paper and all. Well, guess what? There is this thing called the public library and that is pretty damn green, my friend. And cheap! And they have more then just books - music, DVDs, periodicals, Internet. The public library is there for you, the public. If you haven't been in a while I suggest you stop by before books become a thing of the past.

Classic Book Recommendation of the Day:

Watership Down by Richard Adams.

This book changed my life. I first read it when I was about 12 or 13 and the story and plot just blew me away. Yes, it is about rabbits but it's more then that - it's a story about society and survival and strength of character.

The 1978 animated film does not do the book justice - it's pretty trippy and even a little bit scary. But then so were a lot of animated versions of novels from that period of time (see The Last Unicorn, The Hobbit, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe).

I've got a copy if you want to borrow it.