Post 2- What is a Book?

A book is a surprise.  When you open that book, you don’t know what is going to happen.  It’s truly a surprise. You may love it, you may hate it.  But isn’t that the case with any surprise?  A book is like a present—you don’t know what you are going to get until you open it.  That’s why books are so important.  We need that little element of surprise in our lives. 

                As far as the big debate about regular books and e-books goes, I don’t care how you read the book, whether it’s on paper or on a tablet.  I don’t care!  I think today’s technology is cool and interesting, but I can’t say if it’s exactly my preference, because I’ve really never tried one out.  I think there is some aspect to plain old books that we still need in our society, but like most everything else, a new, more technological version will be made.  50 years ago there weren’t 60-inch TVs, and you couldn’t record TV shows with the touch of a button, but advancements have been made.  The technology of almost everything has been improved, and whether or not people like it, books are changing too.

                I think author Joe Meno best explains how I feel about books.  He said that a book is a book, no matter what form it’s in.  I absolutely agree.  Like I said before, it doesn’t matter how you read the book, it matters that you read it.  I have to disagree with Victor LaValle’s opinion.  I think books are way more important than toasters!  But of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. (No matter how crazy it is).

                I think there is something magical about reading a book.  Nowadays, we are sooooooo connected to our technology that we need some time to unwind and “get away”, and that’s what reading an actual book does.  I also think that if you are reading a book on a Kindle or iPad, you can get the same value from the actual text as you would from reading a paper book.  But, you don’t get the same experience, which is why paper books are so much more special and valuable. 

                Just like Victor Piazza did, I’m going to try and interview myself.

Q: Why are regular, paper books important to you.

CW:  Paper books provide us with an experience.  Reading off of a Kindle is no different than playing on your smart phone, or even playing games on your Kindle, because they do make those now.  Reading a paper book takes you away, and that’s important and kind of special.  People are so dependent on technology, but I think we need a break.  Curling up with a good, paper book is the break we need.

                If you want to go out and buy a Kindle, that’s fine!  Everyone has their own opinions and preferences, and that’s okay.  To me, it’s important to still be able to read paper books, but I don’t know how much longer they will be around.  We need to respect and appreciate the paper books we have today, because it sure seems like the Kindle and the iPad are taking over!