Can't see the wood for the trees...

...can't see the book for the technological advancements.

(image from stillmanbooks.com)

I love books.

I am quite anal about them.

Happy to lend them to you,

to share the love, joy and excitement 

and to get some dog-eared pages happening.

It just shows that they are well loved.

But you absolutely HAVE to return them.

And nothing pees me off more than to have my lovingly collected series change cover mid-series.

Why, printing people, why?

I am not a book snob.

In fact, quite the opposite.

Years of studying books in high school put me off books that are hard work.

Plus I was so in awe of what was hidden within "Wuthering Heights" that I was scared

to read a book and risk missing so much amazing meaning. 

I read trashy novels, crime novels, some non-fiction,

rarely anything of too much substance.

But, now with 3 children under foot,

and a daily yearning to sew,

reading for hours on end

at home, on the weekend or on holiday is a distant memory.

But I do love books.

But what about the electronic variety?

When a friend living overseas recently bought a Kindle for her daughter for those long distance flights

when visiting home,

I understood...but still secretly cringed.

Cheaper to buy books that way;

more convenient for such occasion.

And I appreciate the tree-sparing aspect of electronic books.

And now I have a 7 year old who would read all day, every day,

if things like sleep, school and the need to eat didn't get in the way.

It is a joy to see him love books the way that both his father and I did.

Trying to sneak the light back on

to read "just" another couple of pages

(He hasn't yet gotten a torch under the covers like both his mum and dad did)

(image from blueridgedreams.typepad.com)

We visit the school and council libraries. Lots.But we also travel long distances and interstate due to family commitments.

We could honestly pack dozens of books for him for a 7 day visit interstate.

One luggage allowance alone for books.

So, finances allowing, what do we do?

The idea of having access to the weight and space efficiency of an electronic book system is attractive.

The idea that we can get him cheaply as many books as he wants whenever he wants is fantastic.

But I just can't get past the concept that books shouldn't need a power supply.

Books shouldn't be hard and cold.

Books shouldn't be a machine.

(image from glenbatten.com)

But I want our children to grow up holding books,

thumbing through the pages,

being able to smell those pages,

carrying a book around as an essential take-everywhere item, like keys and a wallet,

to find joy in rummaging through stalls of old books at markets,

to get excited when discovering a new author,

and to take some of those books that we are reading to them now,
that they love,

and to keep them

and sit on their kids' bed when the time comes

and read them to their own children

and teach them the joy that is a real life book.

(image from whatjamiefound.com)