Recently, my American Lit students and I were discussing the news that Barnes & Noble are set to close some of their brick and mortar stores this year. I expected them to be non-plussed by the news, but instead, it warmed my heart to learn that they had genuine concern for the fate of the good, old-fashioned book and for the book-shopping experience. Even the students with tablets were adamant that there is nothing like holding the real deal in your hands or like flipping the pages one after the other, in eager anticipation for what comes next.
I am a bit of a technology addict, so I have nothing against the iPad or the Kindle or the Nook or any devices of that ilk, but when I am laying on the couch late at night or sitting under an umbrella on the beach on a lazy summer day, there is nothing better than an actual book. I love walking through a book store with Jude, sipping a cup of hot tea, disappearing into a maze of shelves. I’ve made some great discoveries there in those stacks, picking up a book on impulse and devouring it over the next couple of days–or even hours. It’s sad to me that such a comfortable little pleasure is fading into the ether, that Jude’s book shopping will be relegated to online stores.
And there’s that deep, secret part of me that feels sad to know that if I ever do finish my novel and sell it, I won’t get to visit a store and see it sitting there amongst the other titles.
Yesterday, I devoted a post to Jude’s affection for the iPad, but I am super proud to confirm that as much as he loves his share of kid-themed apps, he adores real books. He is forever pulling them from his bin and bringing them over to me:
“Mommy?” he’ll say before cozying up in my lap and waiting for me to begin. Sometimes, he’ll flip the pages, and others, he’ll point out the illustrations he notices along the way, but most often, he’ll sit patiently and listen as I attempt my best and most cheerful narrative voice.
As an English professor and as a writer, I want Jude to feel the way I do about books. I want him to love that feeling of getting lost in a story, to find himself so utterly delighted by the words on the page that hours pass like moments, and he’s fighting to keep his eyes open just until he can get to the end of the chapter.
I know that I have no control over what he will and will not enjoy, but I hope that I can inspire him in some way to appreciate writing and reading. I think we’re off to a good, good start, but the longer bookstores can stay in business, the more opportunities he’ll have to enter the labyrinth and to discover the pleasure of wall-to-wall-to-wall-to-wall books.
Are you a fan of e-books, or do you prefer the good, old-fashioned paperback/hardcover variety?
It makes me so sad that bookstores as we knew them are fading away, brick by brick. Bookstores are one of my comfort zones. I definitely prefer a good old fashioned paper book to an e-book, although when it comes to the massive classics (Les Miserables, Count of Monte Cristo, and such) I reach for the iPad.
Are you on Goodreads? I love that site.
Oh and your writing style is so nice – I will buy your novel when you finish it!
Thanks so much for the lovely compliment! I am not on Goodreads, but I will have to check it out! I have to admit that I’ve been going the way of the audio book in the last two years. Sometimes, it’s the only way I can feed my habit!
Real books, and real, lovely bookstores! Unfortunately consumerism and the desire to hoard money mean that other avenues are most used these days.. I have a kindle and love it for travelling and reading with one hand (breastfeeding etc!) but real books will always be in my home- I really want Phoebe to enjoy reading, actual books as much as I did as a child, and still do.
I couldn’t agree more. There’s nothing wrong with the Kindle or iPad, but long, long, long live the book (and bookstore)!!
I look at my children and wonder if their generation will appreciate our old-fashioned books. I loved books so much I worked for Barnes & Noble. I loved stocking shelves and interacting with customers, both which led to finding new titles in various subjects to add to my never-ending reading list. Summer and back-to-school reading lists recommendations, book signings by many authors, special midnight releases celebrated with readers of every age. With nibbled corners and dog-eared pages, many of my children’s books are “well-loved”….just how good books should be.
I agree! I “love” the heck out of my books, too! I hope brick and mortar bookstores don’t die out as fast as I fear they might (or ever at all). The fact that my young students and my even younger son love the tactile experience of reading an actual book gives me hope!
I am definitely a good old fashioned actual-book-in-my-hands kind of girl. I actually don’t have an sort of device to read an ebook anyway (other than my laptop and the few times I’ve done it, end up hurting my head because the light is so bright). Anyway, we used to have a bookstore right by our house, but it closed down a few years ago and nothing has reopened in its place. Makes me sad that bookstores are fading. But at least we still have libraries. That’s where I spent a huge chunk of my time as a kid. And even now I try to stop by the library as often as I can.
Yes, the library is a good alternative, and unlike the bookstore, I always leave the library with my hands full of books!
I’m a bit of techie, but strangely enough I have not made my way over to the e-reader world. For convenience and mobility I completely get it, and sometimes wish I had a few centimeter thick ‘tablet’ rather than an inch-and-a-half thick 800 hard cover to lug around.
Almost everyone who commented above me made a comment about the brick and mortar places being a getaway, a sanctuary, or place to escape to to unwind. I think that will essentially be missed more than the actual feel of paper and pages. However, don’t get me wrong, I love my actual book collection.
Eventually I’ll go that route of electronic reading, but it definitely won’t replace sitting out on the balcony on a warm summer day with a cold beer and the ability to physically flip pages.
You’re so right! It seems to be the comfort of the bookstore rather than the purchasing of books. Hm. I wonder if that feeling could be created without the books? I guess we’ll find out! E-books are OK, but I still like flipping real pages a lot more.
I love both. I love them differently. When travelling or when I dont want to carry a huge bag around, I read off my Kindle and love it just as much. But nothing will replace the smell of a new book or the adventure of leafing through a used book and finding odd pages marked down or little messages or other things left inside.