Maybe you have heard of them ... the new eReaders? Perhaps you are an avid reader who always keeps up-to-date on new things in the publishing industry. Or maybe you are technically inclined and enjoy all things digital ... televisions, i-Pods, computers.
But books? Really? Digital books. Hmmmmm.
The eReader is sort of like a very small laptop onto which you can download books. Every major electronic company has one ... Apple has the i-Pad, Sony has their version, Indigo has the Kobo and Amazon has the Kindle. You can download books from the comfort of your own home, in your jammies. You don't even have to get up from your favourite chair. And it is light and very thin, so it is very conducive to travel.
But, isn't a book easy to travel with?
Don't get me wrong ... it looks super cool. And, I am not saying that I would not give it a try, however - and I have a feeling I am in the minority when I say this - I love a good, old-fashioned book, with pages and stuff.
I love the feel of the pages in my fingers ... turning them as I read, flipping through them, occasionally using them as a fan when it is hot. And, don't tell anyone, but sometimes I flip ahead in the pages just to find out what is coming up next. I love the different sizes of the pages. Books come in different sizes and sometimes, I am drawn to a book just because of its size. Like, a big thick cookbook speaks to me in every time. And sometimes, the publisher will put the book together with smooth edges or with those rippled edges - makes it seem really old-fashioned to me. All the edges are the same on the eReader ... wait, there are no edges. It's a computer.
And, what about the cover design? Sometimes it is raised or glittery, and I like to feel it. I cannot feel the cover of a book on a computer. In fact, I probably shouldn't even put my fingers on the screen.
I have written about this before ... I love to walk around the bookstore. Looking and touching the books. And then, when I get my new book home, I love to curl up with it and start the adventure. Can you still curl up with a hard, cold eReader? I think not.
What happens if your battery runs out, just as you are about to find out who did it? Or, if they end up together? Or if it is a boy or a girl? Or that he really is a vampire? That would never happen with an old-fashioned book. And, if you drop your book, you don't have to worry about it breaking. Nope, a book ... hard- or soft-covered ... would never break.
So, for now, I'm sticking with my book ... the old-fashioned kind. With a raised design on the cover and real pages to turn. Because I like to curl up with a book and hear that crackle as the glue pops when I open it real wide. And I like to smell the fresh ink in a new book. And when I am really in love, I like to hug it and keep it where I can see it.
So, I guess, for now the only thing I want to kindle is a fire.
But books? Really? Digital books. Hmmmmm.
The eReader is sort of like a very small laptop onto which you can download books. Every major electronic company has one ... Apple has the i-Pad, Sony has their version, Indigo has the Kobo and Amazon has the Kindle. You can download books from the comfort of your own home, in your jammies. You don't even have to get up from your favourite chair. And it is light and very thin, so it is very conducive to travel.
But, isn't a book easy to travel with?
Don't get me wrong ... it looks super cool. And, I am not saying that I would not give it a try, however - and I have a feeling I am in the minority when I say this - I love a good, old-fashioned book, with pages and stuff.
I love the feel of the pages in my fingers ... turning them as I read, flipping through them, occasionally using them as a fan when it is hot. And, don't tell anyone, but sometimes I flip ahead in the pages just to find out what is coming up next. I love the different sizes of the pages. Books come in different sizes and sometimes, I am drawn to a book just because of its size. Like, a big thick cookbook speaks to me in every time. And sometimes, the publisher will put the book together with smooth edges or with those rippled edges - makes it seem really old-fashioned to me. All the edges are the same on the eReader ... wait, there are no edges. It's a computer.
And, what about the cover design? Sometimes it is raised or glittery, and I like to feel it. I cannot feel the cover of a book on a computer. In fact, I probably shouldn't even put my fingers on the screen.
I have written about this before ... I love to walk around the bookstore. Looking and touching the books. And then, when I get my new book home, I love to curl up with it and start the adventure. Can you still curl up with a hard, cold eReader? I think not.
What happens if your battery runs out, just as you are about to find out who did it? Or, if they end up together? Or if it is a boy or a girl? Or that he really is a vampire? That would never happen with an old-fashioned book. And, if you drop your book, you don't have to worry about it breaking. Nope, a book ... hard- or soft-covered ... would never break.
So, for now, I'm sticking with my book ... the old-fashioned kind. With a raised design on the cover and real pages to turn. Because I like to curl up with a book and hear that crackle as the glue pops when I open it real wide. And I like to smell the fresh ink in a new book. And when I am really in love, I like to hug it and keep it where I can see it.
So, I guess, for now the only thing I want to kindle is a fire.
2 comments:
I'm still trying to figure out my cell phone for heaven's sake!! LOL
I can totally appreciate your willingness to hold on to tradition...but what is the cost of your old-fashioned comfort?
What is the environmental and economic impact of your love of printed books?
I bet when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440 he did not expect that we would still be using it 600 years later. No doubt that his invention was probably one of the greatest inventions of all time to increase the efficiency of communications around the world. Kind of makes you want to embrace new technology.
I did some quick research tonight on how many books are created from one tree. The best I could come up with was 50 books per tree. A lot comes into the equation, tree size, type of printing process, type of paper...anyway this is a good average. So...you killed two trees with your challenge this year of reading 100 books. I know you used the library, which is great, but 2 trees were destroyed to create 100 books.
In fact, one of the books on your list, The DaVinci Code was one of the best selling books of all time with 80 million copies sold (or 1.6 million trees)...I think you can see where I am going with this, so I think I will stop at the billions of books sold by our religious friends (insert your favourite book of salvation)... Maybe God or Allah or Mohammed wanted us to destroy all of the trees?
The economic impact is easy.
- 20% discount to purchase an ebook.
- No fuel required to drive to the bookstore or library and back.
- the efficiency of being able to browse online for a new book from the "comfort" of our own favourite kindle location.
-reduced cost and environmental impact of delivering millions of copies of books to locations worldwide.
- reduce cost in packaging books in boxes for delivery.
Finally, I think the sustainability of writers is dependant on this new technology. If you want to write, you need to know that the sale of books in the future lies in this technology. A good example or early indicator is the migration of newspaper reporters to online publications.
Also, think about the potential impact on learning. I am sure that our school boards could benefit from some economies of scale by purchasing millions of copies of the same book for download to an ebook.
I don't know...seems like the most sense to head in this direction...maybe someday you can kick back in some virtual world with a virtual book with a virtual Chai Latte and a virtual fireplace...one can only dream.
Love you.
Jonesy