Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Kindle is the Devil

A few friends, relatives and aquaintances have been singing the praises of Kindle. I will not be singing along. I don't care how many books can fit on it, or how light weight and portable it is or the fact that you can read in the dark. Here is why. Books have soul.

Have you ever purchased a used book and found a note, a receipt or something stuck in the middle that was maybe used as a bookmark and forgotten? It's like a little clue to the mystery of the previous owner. Have you read the inscription in a used book and wondered about the person that gave it and the person that received it?

There are books that I took on vacations, books that I read while nursing my baby, books that I wet with my tears and books that made me giggle out loud. I can look at them on my shelf and remember that. A file on a machine would not evoke those memories.

I love the weight of a book in my hands, the smell of the paper and ink, watching my progress as the bookmark moves through the pages. I even love the irritation of a dust jacket that won't stay in place. I enjoy the process of selecting two or three light weight books to take on a trip.

A book store is like a crack den for me. It's hard to go in without buying something, and once I'm there, I don't want to leave. Being there lifts my mood. I'll pick up book that I never would have considered reading just because the cover or title is eye catching. I can read two or three pages to see if it grabs me without committing to a purchase. If book stores go out of business because everyone is reading electronically, it will be a great loss to me.

I know, Kindle might be greener than paper books, but I do my part to recycle. I keep a few books and the rest are resold or given to the thrift store or donated to the library. I've read that paper production is not a cause of deforestation because of aggressive replanting.

So lets make a deal... I'll try not to sneer at your Kindle if you don't try to sell me on it.

Here's a leather bound, 1905 edition of The Works of Edgar Allen Poe, Vol. II, that I bought at a book sale near Rockport Massachusettes for $2. This book has so much soul, it nearly has a heartbeat. Or maybe it's just a "Tell-Tale Heart".








8 comments:

Liz said...

I prefer books too. There is just something about them.

Anonymous said...

i wholeheartedly agree. i will not be touching kindle EVER. it's just not the same.

Lorilee said...

I love books on my shelf, but then some books are kinda pertinent to a particular time. I figure I will only read them one time, while some books can be read over and over because they are timeless. The one time type of books might be OK on something like Kindle. Of course, I have pretty large bookshelves in two rooms that are overflowing!
Blessings,
Lorilee

Vicki said...

I could never give up my books. I've tried reading downloaded books, and it just doesn't work for me. I don't care how portable Kindle is, it's not the same.

Have you tried swaptree.com? I love it. Trade what you have for what you want.

Clare said...

I love the feel and smell of a used book in my hands. I will never own a kindle.

I am still locked out of NaBloMo. Send an email on my behalf!!

erin said...

I love books but I want a Kindle sooo bad. I'll collect books (I have a 1st edition The Maguz by John Fowles) still, but there's a lot of one time reads I'd love to have a Kindle for.

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

My goodness I couldn't agree more!!!

NEVER will a kindle enter my home. I ranted about this a few months back myself. I went crazy when Oprah said that this was so much better than having to carry all her books on vacation. Who's she kidding - someone carries her books for her. Give me a back ache - but give me books! The smell, the life, the whole damn experience! Technology isn't always the answer my friends.

Aunt Becky said...

I like books. Always will. They'll have to force me into doing my research online one day and pry the book out of my cold, dead hand.

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