I remember the first time I ever held my book in my hands.
My friend works at a radio station, and I was scheduled to appear on their morning show. They got their copy before I got my box full. My friend called to tell me and I don't even remember putting my shoes on. I think I blacked out and drove to the station in a trance. The next thing I knew, people were clapping and I was holding the neon pink chunk of words that represented my childhood hopes and dreams.
I remember the smell. I remember pulling back the clean, crisp cover. It was the closest thing to nirvana. (The Christian version, of course.)
The other night I made a trip to Barnes & Noble. The first B&N I ever went to was in Nashville, when I was a college student. They didn't have big box bookstores 'round here until close to 2000. When it opened, it quickly became the favorite hangout of my friends and I. The idea of being able to browse through books at your leisure without being obligated to buy them was a new concept, and so was the idea of being allowed to eat and drink over them before purchasing them. On a Saturday night, the place was hopping - good luck finding a table.
The crowd has thinned out, let me tell you. It was a quiet Saturday night at B&N this past weekend(not that I'm complaining about being able to find a seat) and the first thing that jumped out at me when I walked in was a huge display of Nooks.
Nooks. Fancy eeeeelectronic book readin' machines.
For sale.
In a bookstore.
I love technology. Hubby says my cell phone is surgically attached to my hand. My laptop is my prized possession and I would never reach my destination without a GPS. I watch Netflix and Hulu Plus on my husband's Playstation 3. I am in no way, shape, or form opposed to technology.
Except in this case.
What if books went out of print? Doesn't anyone else out there worry about stuff like that?
Hello?
I imagine my book arriving... in the form of a file. And how much that would stink. And how it would be totally not exciting at all. Now, I know people who have written e-books and I'm sure they will disagree with me, but as someone who has physically held my own book in my hands, it just doesn't hold the same punch. Good-bye book signings. "Would you please sign my Nook?" How would that even work?
What about that new book smell? What about cute, kitschy bookmarks? What about relaxing in a bookstore with a cappuccino while browsing the latest releases? What about reading a favorite book over and over until it's tattered and battered and has a special place on your shelf and in your heart?
I don't think the Nook or the Kindle or the random phone e-book reader can replace that for me.
I can't get into it. And I hate the idea of bookstores going out of business (i.e., Borders) just as much as I hate the idea of magazines going out of print. I don't care how old (young) you are or how in-the-know you are about gadgets. Nothing beats curling up with a magazine, or browsing a good book over coffee.
It's just one piece of technology I can't get into. Maybe I'll buy an e-book reader eventually, but it won't be tomorrow. Most likely, it will be out of necessity and not choice.
And I'll keep complaining about it on this blog, on the internet, out in the digital, paper-less world. How ironic. Pin It
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