You're the one for me, fatty

Thoughts on getting a Kindle

A bibliophile is what I am.

I grew up in a sea of books. When my father died, he left behind more than 2000 books that had to be sorted and divided between my sister and me. We donated 15 boxes to three libraries (after a while we stopped counting books and started counting the boxes instead -overwhelming doesn’t even begin to cover it). One of the libraries was affiliated with a prestigious Art school and the professor who handled the donation initiated a restoration project for the older and more messed up books we gave them. I still get updates on the status of some battered tome whenever I bump into him. If the students are half as excited as he is, I’ve earned my place in Book Heaven.

I digress. What I’m trying to say is that I have a passion for books (gee, wonder where I got that from) and I can’t stop acquiring them. I can restrain myself, sure (after all it’s a passion, not a compulsion) but damn, this is what makes me happy. Let me loose in a second-hand bookshop and I’m like a kid in Disneyland. I love to have a variety of books to choose from when I want to read something, or have a break from something else I’m reading at the time. I love discovering new titles, new genres even. I love getting lost in a story, worrying about the heroes, hating the villains, getting emotional, getting attached, learning new stuff, questioning things I believe… nothing in the world can convince me that reading is a waste of time.

This is why I find the trend of hating e-readers utterly ridiculous. I don’t own one yet, but I am planning to buy a Kindle in the near future (the simple version. don’t like keyboard, don’t like touch. less is more, baby!) Does this mean that I will mostly read electronic copies? Nope. But then why do I want one? I am tempted to provide a straight answer but fuck it, it’s rant time. So let me explain using some of the arguments that my (die-hard e-reader hating) friends frequently make about physical copies VS e-books.

• The smell.

Sorry, I’m not batting for that team. To me, books that smell have mould issues.

• The feel and texture.

I think it’s a matter of habit. Personally I haven’t used an e-reader before, only my laptop screen (while I was writing my thesis, I was up to my neck in pdf files) and I think this has scarred me for life. Since the Kindle screen doesn’t wreak havoc in the eyes the way a computer screen does, I can’t see why you can’t treat the device as a book. OK, you can’t use that custom bookmark you bought on Etsy, you can’t take notes and it would be wise to read a paperback instead when you’re waiting for the bus in that dodgy neighbourhood.

• Typography details / older or special editions / notes from the previous owners / wanting to have a complete series on your shelf.

These are the points I agree with, and I think this is what defines where I stand in the spectrum of loving/hating e-readers. You see, the content isn’t the only thing that makes some books special. The cover, the way a book has been printed or the story -if we’re talking second-hand- that you can trace from within the pages cannot be found on an electronic copy. Many of my father’s books I ended up keeping fall into that category and I’m one of those weird people that get over-excited when the pages of a book are uncut. I’m also a total sucker for those little pulp sci-fi/fantasy collections, with the obligatory Boris Vallejo cover. It doesn’t matter whether there’s a newer, better edition out there. I still collect them and I’m happy as a fawn for doing so.

As far as series and sets go, I want consistency. I can’t imagine having, for example, the first two instalments on my shelf and the other two in electronic format -I even find annoying having a series with one book hardcover and the next trade paperback! (my Kinsey Millhone mysteries are that way and I hate it, but when I was buying them even two quid made a difference to my budget, so I had to ditch consistency and go with the cheapest option).

• Now with e-readers, people will stop buying books altogether.

Nope. See my comment on the previous points. I can’t see myself going all digital and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Actually, a scenario I find more probable is that people who didn’t read before will be motivated to do so now. Come to think of it, I don’t see why having both a physical and an electronic copy is impossible. I sure intend to take advantage of every offer available (offers! another reason to love e-readers!) and do exactly that, so that I can enjoy my favourite books every time I like, whenever I may be. And no, I wouldn’t mind owning certain books only in electronic format because I just want to read the damn thing, not put it on a pedestal in the middle of my living room. 

• If e-books will be a minority in your wishlist, why on earth buy a Kindle in the first place?

Aside from the obvious reason that I want to be able to access titles that are only available as e-books, I read a lot, which means I’m usually willing to give a book a try even when I’m not 100% sure I’ll like it. Unfortunately, I’m not a millionaire and I don’t live in a mansion with a two-floor library. And since I mainly read English fiction in a non-English speaking country, libraries don’t help much, if at all. For example, my guilty pleasure is romance novels. I cannot afford neither the money nor the space to have each and every one as a physical copy. So when I get a Kindle, I’m so going to fill it up to the brim with all the romance/hit-or-miss titles I want and I’ll use the money I will definitely save to buy something I could not have afforded otherwise.

tl;dr: A Kindle isn’t going to obliterate my library or change the love I have for books. It is going to be an amazing convenience and enhance my reading experience.

/climbs down off the soapbox and goes back to her book

TERRY MOORE IS CONTINUING STRANGERS IN PARADISE AS A NOVEL?!! WE’RE GETTING MORE OF FRANCINE AND KATCHOO!?!

WHAAAAAAAAAAAT????!!!!!!!???!!!!!!!???

ohmygodohmygodohmygod

/tears of joy

astakaren:

(Source: afterellen.com)