My childhood recollections are full of memories of reading. Of the smell, feel and character of real books. Well-thumbed editions of Matilda and Alice in Wonderland. A shelf of Judy Blumes with wrinkled spines, and a particularly fantastic special edition Goosebumps that wailed on opening. Huddled in the corner of my school library, I'd often lose myself in my favourite stories.
Reading habits have undeniably evolved over time, exponentially it seems during recent years. Modern life is fast-paced and technology is always advancing. It's normal to want to keep up with the latest 'next best thing', especially when new products are all around us, shiny and inviting. When it comes to the realm of literature, though, I still think a lot can be said for the pleasure found in a good, solid book.
Regardless of their printed contents, books tell their own alternative stories, whether this be from smudges on the pages, or edges crinkled from a spilt drink; corners curled or margins dotted with sneaky annotations. Before self-service check-out systems, you could always tell how popular a library book was by how many pages were glued to the inside page, stamped with a list of past loan due dates.
It's a myth that ebooks make reading a more sociable experience, too. For all the casual chatting back and forth over plots and characters you can do on Twitter, there is nothing like the intimate interaction of a good book swap. Social media might mean you can talk to somebody in China or America about your favourite fiction, but it often limits connections with those around you as you busily type away into a phone or laptop. It's no substitution for transferring, by hand, your favourite book to a friend. Books can be gifted and borrowed. Who ever heard of penning "To Jane, Happy 15th birthday, with love", onto a leather kindle case?
Some titles are not even sold as e-books. Classics such as The Catcher in the Rye are currently unavailable from the Amazon and Barnes and Noble digital marketplaces. Buying electronically can also be expensive when you take into account the fact that you will not own anything but words on a screen. Words that are instant and can vanish into a hole of nothingness if you have a computer glitch or mislay your account details. And while e-readers do extend the ease and possibility of storage and omit the problem of having to lug around heavy hardbacks, there is a certain satisfaction to be found in the process of collection and display. Nothing beats a well-stocked book case!
Bookshops, for the same reason, are fascinating places. Wandering around Waterstones with eager eyes and busy brains can be a cathartic process; scanning the best-sellers, choosing from their two for one or half price deals, touring tables stacked with an array of choice. But the real gems are your local bookstores, where the owner knows you by name and a little bell rings when you enter the door. The process of careful browsing and selection is so much more personal when compared to pressing a button and "adding to basket".
For kids books especially, covers are vital. Pictures and other stylised details will attract readers, but they also reveal something more fundamental about us to the world. They say "take this book as a symbol of identity and pride".
Some people might say that my view is old fashioned and outdated. But although our digital lansdcape has changed, our basic needs are ultimately the same. This incessant need to be updated, to receive information on the go that is contained and compact is somewhat unsettling. Reading should always be relaxing. Sometimes it should be indulging and all-absorbing. Dropping a novel in the bath might be a nuisance but it won't cause complete power failure which leaves you with a black, empty screen.
What do YOU think? Email us with your thoughts and we'll add them below.
Your responses
Jeanne
Ebooks are good to read in bed when real books are too heavy, and they are great to tuck into a bag to prepare for a wait in the doctor's surgery and they cost less usually than hard covers. BUT:
1. You can't easily leaf back to see who THAT PERSON is or was.
2. Any photos or maps are either missing or unclear.
3. It's sometimes essential to flip back to find a great paragraph or poem, and it's nearly impossible in an ebook to find a specific place (even with the bookmark function).
4. They aren't pretty – they don't look so good on the shelf – and decorators can't stack them nicely on a cocktail table.
5. A gift of a real book is the most generous gift of all. And it can be shared.
