I never expected to own a Kindle, a Kobo, or any other eReader. I am too fond of books to ever consider replacing them. I love everything about them…the feel and the smell of paper, the heft of a fat book in my hands, the pleasing symmetry of volumes lined up on shelves, ready to be perused at my leisure. A book goes with me everywhere, be it to the dentist or the grocery store…one never knows when the chance for a cup of tea and a read will present itself!
Above: A corner of my home library.
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I, therefore, had mixed feelings when my husband bought me a Kobo for Christmas. Holding something the size of a calculator to read was so foreign to how I’d absorbed knowledge and pleasure since childhood on that I felt only awkwardness. It must also be said that I am a techno-peasant…computers often seem out to get me, I still write poems longhand, and will generally choose the sound of silence over the constant input of television and radio.
I, therefore, had mixed feelings when my husband bought me a Kobo for Christmas. Holding something the size of a calculator to read was so foreign to how I’d absorbed knowledge and pleasure since childhood on that I felt only awkwardness. It must also be said that I am a techno-peasant…computers often seem out to get me, I still write poems longhand, and will generally choose the sound of silence over the constant input of television and radio.
To my surprise, I have come to very much enjoy my new toy. The eReader came loaded with one hundred classic books. I can add another thousand to it, and insert memory cards for more. I find myself re-reading my favourite authors, like Charlotte Bronte and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Last night I started ‘Anna Karenina’, and earlier in the week, eagerly opened ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. EReaders are perfect for reading several books concurrently, as I’m wont to do.
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Left: My craft room, also filled with books!
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It is a definite boon that the Kobo fits neatly into my purse. On our last trip out of the country, I carried with me a bulky tome written by Ken Follett. I certainly could not leave it at home for two weeks when I was in the middle of the story; nor could I abandon in a café it to be picked up serendipitously by another traveler, as I have done in the past with lesser-loved reads. This book had a space reserved for it on the shelf at home.
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It is a definite boon that the Kobo fits neatly into my purse. On our last trip out of the country, I carried with me a bulky tome written by Ken Follett. I certainly could not leave it at home for two weeks when I was in the middle of the story; nor could I abandon in a café it to be picked up serendipitously by another traveler, as I have done in the past with lesser-loved reads. This book had a space reserved for it on the shelf at home.
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I am pleased to discover that it does not have to be an either/or situation…I can enjoy my electronic reader, and still revel at the three thousand or so books filling the rooms that make up my home library.
Possibilities abound! The whole world is spread before me in books, and with the turn of a page – or the click of a button - I can explore every inch of it.
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Possibilities abound! The whole world is spread before me in books, and with the turn of a page – or the click of a button - I can explore every inch of it.
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8 comments:
I so love your library and craft rooms, ablaze with creativity and interesting things to see. I, too, love books. I acknowledge the convenience of the electronic reads but, tell me, can you still see the print on the screen? You must have better eyes than mine. I struggle to see the numbers on interacts these days, hee hee! And when I answer the phone, peering hopelessly at the call display, just cracks my family up!
I'm with you on the fine print, Sherry, it grows ever more challenging to decipher! Fortunately, the Kobo fonts can be enlarged at the quick click of a button. If I make it big enough, I don't even have to wear my much-hated spectacles!!
You are an example to Luddites everywhere that technology should be embraced!
I'm so glad you discovered how useful an eBook reader is for travel. I took my Sony across the country on the train with me last year, and it was perfect. I have it loaded with all Jane Austen's books, and many other classics I love to re-read, plus a few new books that caught my eye on the Sony site. It definitely doesn't replace my home library, either, but it is SO handy when I travel.
Luv, K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Hello Lynette,
What a very handy idea, for travel convenience and to save building any more bookcases at home!
You have sold the idea to me, as you have successfully trailled it!
Love the look of your craft and creation corner....
Have a lovely weekend,
Eileen
I too love books - our greatest ritual when I was growing up, several times a year, was to go as a family and spend a couple of hours in a book shop, spending book tokens/pocket money. I still take myself, but as you say, humphing books away on holiday is a bit more tricky. I've been idly eying up a Kindle, I may yet succumb...
I felt the same way about finding books on cd! A whole new world opened up that I never would have never known about since I listen at work :) What a wonderful gift!
I love books, too, Lynette! They opened my world when I was a child. Although nothing can replace the look and feel of a book, I can see the usefulness of lightweight ereaders and will no doubt have one of my own soon. Less need of paper also makes sense. But a plastic pad will never be as compelling or bring warmth to a room the way books do when cozily lined on a shelf. :)
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