The Fate of Books
We got into a really interesting conversation the other day about the fate of books. With the advent of e-books, a lot of people are abandoning the old-school, physical book. Sort of like what happened to records, tapes, and now CDs through the years. Thank you very much, iTunes.
Me? I still like a book. I'll confess that I'm not a voracious reader and I certainly understand the merits of e-books, especially when it comes to storage and reading while traveling. But I just like the physical nature of holding a book and flipping through the pages. It's comforting. Not so much maybe for fiction, but for decorating, cooking, fashion, and photography -- at least for me.
But many of the people that I was with the other night felt quite the opposite. They are ready to abandon books. Get rid of them out of their lives and carry it all on an e-book. They see books as heavy baggage and I get it, totally. For those who love them, e-books have changed their lives, allowing them to read as many books as they want where ever they want to. Even on the beach with no glare :).
So what's your take? What do you think is the fate of books? What's your experience? Jim.
Me? I still like a book. I'll confess that I'm not a voracious reader and I certainly understand the merits of e-books, especially when it comes to storage and reading while traveling. But I just like the physical nature of holding a book and flipping through the pages. It's comforting. Not so much maybe for fiction, but for decorating, cooking, fashion, and photography -- at least for me.
But many of the people that I was with the other night felt quite the opposite. They are ready to abandon books. Get rid of them out of their lives and carry it all on an e-book. They see books as heavy baggage and I get it, totally. For those who love them, e-books have changed their lives, allowing them to read as many books as they want where ever they want to. Even on the beach with no glare :).
So what's your take? What do you think is the fate of books? What's your experience? Jim.