Saturday, October 16, 2010

The "Digital Age"????? Phooey!

I am a lover of books, libraries and bookstores.  I love how a book feels in my hands and how the pages smell.  I love the smell of old books in the library and brand new books in the bookstore.  Once in a while you can find me hanging out in Barnes and Noble with a stack of books next to one of those comfy chairs.  I stay for hours!  hmmm....I haven't done that in a very long time.  I must go soon!

So, anyways, my husband bought a Kindle.  I get that they're cool.  I get the whole idea of saving the trees and stuff.  But, come on!  It's NOT a book!  We joke about this all the time.  He says I'm living in the dark ages.  He says I'm an old fart.  Well, I found this quote over on Kim's blog, Life through a Cracked Lens, and will be sure to show it to my husband who thinks he so "hip"!

"Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. Without books, the development of civilization would have been impossible. They are engines of change, windows on the world and lighthouses erected in the sea of time. They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind." 

"Books are humanity in print. " 
 Barbara W. Tuchman
So, what do you think?  Which side do you weigh in on?  (I promise not to yell at you if you pick the wrong side!)

4 comments:

  1. Don't tell my wife, because we have the same discussion too (I have a Kindle and it is very cool), but books still rule - they're better than mere electrons. New GP

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  2. Debbie!! Oh wow - I feel I have found in you a kindred spirit! = ) I love it when that happens.

    I completely and totally agree with you. I have a softspot technology at times (ipods? awesome...) but nothing replaces a book ~ and for all of the spot on reasons you listed above; texture, smell, the intimacy of holding one in your hand and flipping the pages as you are absorbed into the story.
    Funny thing - my huz likes ibooks.... but we were in the bookstore the other day and my son picked up a book and said "I love these kinds of pages" as he rubbed the edges with his thumb. I think it's just like that for some of us. And I would be sad to see libraries become digital warehouses.... where's the fun in that ?

    :)

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  3. Wow Kim. Before I read your reply here I was thinking the same thing! A kindred spirit. I love it when that happens too. It's a rare thing.

    Oh, I hear you on the technology. I love my iPod, my laptop and my cell phone.

    I love it that your son feels the same way. How old is he?

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  4. Anon,

    Maybe it's more of a guy thing. Men do like their toys!

    I may have to start a revolution ; )

    I'm new to blogging, so forgive me if this is a stupid question. What do you mean by "New GP"

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