e-books and all that

I received an e-book reader for Christmas.

Yes, it had to happen. Technology, and all that. And the floors in my office are sagging under the weight of hundreds of books, big hefty ones, tall skinny ones, hardback, soft back, new, old, and older.

However, can I say "the writing is on the wall" while keeping a straight face?

I love the idea of hundreds of books in a "library" sized 5 x 7 x 1/2 inch and weighing a couple of ounces. I can buy books without leaving my house, my office, my chair. I know I will have much use of this e-reader.

And yet... I love books that are more than mere phantoms existing in a place called cyberspace. I love the feel of a book in my hands, I love turning pages made of paper, I love looking at pictures, I love the smell of paper and print and binding. How can I abandon something that's been a big part of my life since I was a child, that exists in reality, a 3-D tangible object and replace it with something that is zapped through the air from a virtual plane?

Yes, yes the future is now. Save the trees. Save space, save money.

To that, I say bah, humbug.


The Joy of Books



--Cat