For more bookish thoughts go to Booking Through Thursday.
'Up until recently, people could browse your bookshelves and learn a lot about you - what your interests are, your range of topics, favourite authors, how much you read (or at least buy books).
More and more though, this is changing. people aren't buying books so much as borrowing them from the library. Or reading them on their e-readers or computers. There's nothing PHYSICAL on the shelves to tell strangers in your home, for better or worse, who you ARE'. Do you think this is a good thing? Bad? Discuss!
To answer the question, well I don't have many strangers in my home, but if I did there's plenty of evidence in the form of books to tell them who I am (although as I have a pretty eclectic collection they'd probably be hard-pressed to come up with a definitive character analysis!).
And I think people still buy books, I know I do. I like browsing in bookshops, and I always make for the books in charity shops. I like having the physical object in my hands, I like being able to scribble thoughts or notes as I'm reading. I like being able to read in bed and not worry about a Kindle falling on the floor or onto my face! I like old books in which a previous owner has left a forgotten postcard or list as a bookmark so that I get a peek into the life of another who has read and enjoyed it. I just like books.
6 comments:
I have to stick up for Kindles here! :o) You can make the print big enough for your aging eyes to cope with; you can look up tricky words right away, without having to reach for a dictionary; and you can write notes in it! But I love paper books, too, as you know.
A complaint! Why is this blog post not illustrated with lots of bookshelf photos???
Penny
I'm with you! Nothing better than a book! The electronic sort have been mentioned as 'the dark side of reading' (:
I will admit to not owning many books as once I've read them I give them to the charity shop or lend them to friends who eventually give them back months (or even years later). I don't even have a bookshelf!! I put them under the stairs. (I know bad SIL). My new years resolution was to use my local Library so they didn't close it down and so far I've done OK. I didn't say no though when Ruth bought me three C J Sansom books last week as a JBP. I'm reading Dissoultion just now and hate to put it down. Working is playing merry hell with my reading time :0)
Ooh a veritable hornet's nest! Penny - David works for Penguin so I'm staying loyal to 'real' books. (I do have a Kindle App on my smartphone but never use it though) :O) I apologise for the lack of illustrations and will try and rectify it.
MumJ - Well D says my qualification is Master of Dark Arts so it's quite apt!
Liz - Am a bit shocked about the lack of a bookshelf but am with you on the work thing :O) I've got Dissolution on my TBR pile so am now eager to give it a go.
I love books, old, new, small, large, fact, fiction - everything is grist to the mill!
Me too. I just like books - the feel, smell, look. I don't know if I'll ever switch to an e-reader.
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