Hitting the books

have an eBook reader. And though that gives me considerable amount of power in terms of carrying a shocking amount of books in a tiny device, there's something to be said about the feeling one gets upon opening the first few leaves from a freshly-bought book. Nothing beats the draw of a book store, with the sign "New Arrivals" beckoning like a freshly-baked apple pie cooling on a windowsill; that inescapable pull of the glass window display of books every time one passes the book store.

I have an eBook reader- for the books I can live without having on my shelf. But for the books and authors I so dearly love, I don't believe I can resist the urge to grab the actual, physical book from the shelf, and pore through its pages like a hungry scholar. I will miss too much the feeling of the pages as I run my hands through the words of a particularly striking scene in the story, or as I turn the pages in anticipation. I will miss too much the smell of the pages- the smell of a new discovery, of a new adventure to be had in the comforts of my imagination.

I had thought buying an eBook Reader would put an end to the piles and piles of books that are awaiting their places on our overly full bookshelves. But I realize that I will be one of those people who would trade the feeling of a real book in my hands for anything electronic. This goes for notebooks, drawing pads and writing/drawing programs as well. I appreciate technology and this modern time I live in. But the traditionalist in me will never be satiated. In fact, one of the first things I will do when I build my own home is to build a library big enough to store all my literary forays. That remains to be one of my greatest goals in life. And in time I fear there will be few of us left.