Down the Rabbit Hole

Books

30-Day Blogging Challenge
PROMPT January 22nd
What is your preferred book reading medium? Kindle, computer screen, audiobook, or good old fashioned paper? How come?


I have deftly avoided the e-book craze. I have never owned a kindle, have never used my mobile device to peruse an e-book either. I have such little free time to read than when I do manage to snag those precious moments, I want to spend them with a real, honest-to-god, made-of-paper and bindings book. I want the tactile experience of cracking open a book, thumbing through its crisp pages and smelling that "book smell". I totally get that e-readers are convenient. I get that they are easier to travel with than a bag full of hardcovers. I am just not willing to sacrifice the things I love about books for convenience. One of my favorite places to wander about is this place called the book barn. It is an old barn and various other outbuildings that are brimming with books...to the roof line. There lots of buildings on the property settled throughout acres of meandering gardens that house specific genres and rooms that are stocked, floor to ceiling with thousands upon thousands of books. Actual books. It is a place you can get lost in for hours, just browsing covers and book jackets for your next treasure. There is something richly satisfying about books that doesn't translate to an electronic device. You loose too much of a book's character I think when you can hold it your hands.

I do enjoy listening to audiobooks though. It is a good compromise for me to still enjoy my favorite authors and discover new ones during my commute or as company on a long walk. I've discovered the narrator can make or break a story for me though, and on at least one occasion, I have gone and gotten the book from the library when I've been unable to finish the audiobook. I think its only fair to give the story another chance in its true medium before I deem it, "no good".

There is one thing that can be said for e-books and I feel it only fair that I mention it. E-books have opened the door for publishers and writers alike. I have discovered it can sometimes be easier to get your pieces picked up by a e-book publisher, especially if you write shorter fiction that normally would have a more limited market. I think e-books have paved the way for more unrepresented writers to gain some publishing credits which is an all around great thing. So, at least in that respect, I have to give the e-book industry a bit of credit.

For me though, its still actual books. Always and forever.