I love books and I love technology, but I certainly don't love the idea of the two merging. You see, La Shy Girl has asked me for a Kindle for her birthday and, of course, I plan on getting it for her. Then I thought, "Maybe I should get one for myself..." Those digital books are pretty cool, I must admit. But it's got me thinking about how much I'd actually miss books if I chose to get one for myself. Books have been a major part of my life since I can remember...I mean, The Mom's always made sure that I had an endless supply of them. And she tells me that I would take care of them like crazy. I wasn't the kid that would scribble all over my books. I have to say, some of my happiest memories involve The Mom's reading various books to me. I used to love that. And then when I eventually learned to read on my own, I was the kid that would rather sit in his room and read a book rather than go out and play with the other neighborhood kids. To this day, I still get a rush from going to the bookstore, browsing the shelves and picking out a book to come home with me. I know it's cheaper to order them online, but there's something about seeing them in their natural environment. I love the smell of a new book, I love it when the spine cracks the first few times you open in it. And I love that you can gauge how far along you are by where your bookmark is.
Them digital books are cool as all hell though. I love that you're saving trees by buying a digitial copy of a book. But I'm afraid that I would miss the feeling of an actual book. Books are meant to be read and shared and then even sometimes lost when you don't get them back. But when you're done reading one, it goes on a shelf with all the other books you've read. You can look at that shelf and say, "I've read all those." What good will they do me on my computer?
