Book Format Preference

What is your book format preference?

The world, she is a changing. And some of us, are very slow followers. I am one who resists change rather than embracing it. I still prefer a real book. I want to feel it in my hands; I want to smell the scent of the printed page. If I am taking my book to my bed, I want to feel it beside me and hear it whisper in the night.

On the other hand, I understand why we need to include the e-reader…a normal progression of the ever forward moving machine called technology. Yes, I even own a kindle. But I much prefer to read from a hard back book.

I remember as a kid we used to leave the farm early on a Saturday morning and the five of us kids would be dropped off at the public library. Or was it just me? I don’t really remember; I seemed to lose all focus but for the books in front of me. It was wonderful to be inside that big OLD Library with all its wood shelving and those thousands of books sheltered within its walls. And who can forget the smell of all those books? If there is a place next to heaven, it has to be the public library!! And every Saturday I found my niche there at the Indianola Public Library.

Paperbacks are not for me. For the most part, I am uncomfortable with the itty bitty print contained in a paperback. It didn’t used to be that way. When I was young, paperback books were affordable and my eyes cooperative enough to tolerate the itty bitty print. I had the entire collection of Emile Loring writings less two. My grandmother introduced me to Emile Loring novels and I sought out the entire collection in paperback through Bantam. I still have them stored in a plastic tub, but I haven’t read one in years—the print has shrunk to a dangerously small status!

Hardback books weather time better than a paperback and usually sport a more comfortable font size than its cousin, the paperback. The hardback book speaks of tradition, historical archives and is the treasure of kings. Great collections of books have always been marveled at and admired. On the other hand, a real book, be it paperback or hardback has weight to it. They can not be moved in a hurried fashion, for example in a fire or flood which would be most unhealthy for the life of a real book. And continuing to consume trees may endanger the ecology of the planet.

E-readers are a new technology and are marching down a road replacing the printed page. Using the e-reader supports the conservation of trees. It contains your entire library and can be easily transported. It saves physical space. The cost of an e-book is generally less than that of a physical book. On the other hand, care must be taken not to lose or misplace your e-reader; you could lose a lot. And should catastrophe strike and we are sent back to a time before technology, the e-reader will have no value at all.

As I see it, it is simply a matter of choice and where your values lie. I’m selfish…I admit it, I still prefer a hard backed book with a nice dust jacket or a printed picture on the cover of the book. I’d love to have my own personal reading room….is there a closet I can sacrifice? Hello?

Keep Reading in any format and keep those brain cells alive and well exercised!