I Promise I Promise... I wish I could really promise you that I would write more often. Truth be told, I rarely sit down to my computer to write much of anything these days. I miss it. I'm reading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova while I'm in Seattle and as I read all I can think about it how when I was little I wanted to be a writer. Her words are so eloquently written, so descriptive that you can't help but feel yourself be transported to the many countries that our heroine visits. Granted, it's nearly impossible to make a living at it these days now that technology has improved our lives.
I was thinking about books and technology the other day as I held my book in my hand. This thought requires a little back story...
In Seattle there is this wonderful bookstore on Broadway called Baily Coy. Or is it Baily & Coy? No, I can see the bookmark in my mind's eye - its Baily Coy. So this bookstore is this tiny little shop across from QFC (formerly Broadway Market... you can keep calling it Broadway Market if you want but it is a mere shadow of what it used to be). When you walk into Baily Coy, you know you are in a bookstore. Not a bookstore like Barnes & Noble or Chapters or even the lesser known Black Bond Books. You are in a bookstore that hand selects what they bring in, and more importantly, why. As you enter, there are four to five little counters that are filled with the new favorites. Each of the staff members takes the time to write up intelligent, thoughtful, and sometimes whimsical "recommendations" for the reader. Never have I been advised on a book in that store and been disappointed (I have been disappointed by a book from the store, but I think that is more of a personal preference). This is the type of bookstore that you can spend an hour in, just looking at the new soft cover (not paperback) releases. And, as I have said, if you don't have the time - there is advice to be given in more than one manner. It is a lovely little shop that some of my favorite moments in Seattle have come from.
I digress. Although I love the store, this isn't a commercial.
When I get a new book, there is this perfect moment of anticipation. Sure, you read the first couple pages while trying to make your selection, but the first crack is filled with excitement and wonder. I love the feel of the covers, the texture of the pages, and the crisp feel of the spine. The font, the title page... is there a table of contents? A preface? A dedication? Each of these little features was selected just for this book. Some books even bring the entire feel of the novel into its design (Shadow of the Wind - Zafon, comes to mind - or, although likely not planned, my copy of Gone With The Wind that was my Great Grandfathers and was provided in hardcover with a ribbon bookmark).
I love turning pages. I love seeing the progess of my reading labor. I love reading the print, that varies with the light I shed on it, not that comes out from a screen. And while I can read the written word over the Internet, or listen to it in an audiobook (readily downloadable and dropped onto your pearly white iPod), there is nothing like a book.
The batteries, my friends, never die. And you can take it anywhere and you don't need to worry about connectivity, electricity, or software and hardware. Sure it costs you a few dollars more, but I assure you that if your computer crashes it will still be in your bookshelf (or at a friends house if you loved it enough to share the joy with a friend).
I hope that with our rush to technology we don't forget the feeling of a good book.
In addition, I hope all is well in your world....
