Day 153: e-Readers Be Damned

Now....for the record, I love my Kindle; absolutely love it! Not in the same way I love my Vernie, my Mother, Father, myself, Bareman's or my friends, but I love it all the same. Costing varying amounts of money, from free to way too damn much (fuck you Penguin publishing), I can load up my Kindle for a good weekend, week, month or longer. I can load it up with as many books as I want to read and it takes up less room than the standard paperback book, weighs less than a standard paperback book, and is much easier to handle in awkward positions than a standard book. Trying to sound eco-friendly, it removes tree killing from the equation, though it does require energy to run; where you exactly get that energy is your problem, but even then the energy stamp is very minimal.

All the gloriousness of the Kindle aside, it will never actually be as good, as comforting, as a good book can be. Sitting down to read with a good book - a physical book - is as comforting to me as Grandma's cookies (though I don't really remember her cookies anymore). It's as rewarding as winning a few bucks from the lottery. As relaxing as a day on the beach enjoying the crashing of waves and the warm sun invigorating your skin with cancer (sorry, had to say it). Frankly...you can do both at the same time ;) AND YOU CAN DO IT NAKED!! Jus' Sayin'...

Reminder to self: make a list of things to do naked, if only to make eyes roll.

Books are everything and more. Even if it does come in e-form, but reading an actual book is like holding hands with an old friend. The touch, the smell (of cotton.....the fabric of our lives....sorry) of a good book is a very time bending thing. It can take you back to the days of King Arthur. A book can help you think of what it's like to not be allowed to read books. Can help you feel like you can fly or help you imagine what it might feel like to spew fire from your fingertips. It can help prepare you for the eventual loss of loved ones. It can educate you on new ways to look at life; new ways to look at people and change yourself accordingly.

Consider also the journey the book takes, though this assumes you borrow from your library, buy used, and trade/sell your own books back. Think how many hands a book has been handled by. How many places a book has visited. Perhaps a book has seen Paris. Think about the feel of the paper between your fingers. Is it an aged feeling, or a very new feeling? The smell alone can take you places.