Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I am happy with my big fat hard bound books, thank you

This post has been long pending. I have been having discussions about about kindles with various people ever since it was launched.. and a colleague got her kindle to work. And we all got a chance to examine it.

Yes it looks like a book. Yes you can read it when on the go.

But it is so NOT for me.

In fact just last week, I was examining someone's kindle. Very many many books had been downloaded but none read!!! And I feel people who like, sorry , love books would be like me!!! Aren't you?

I need the real book!!! The entire reading experience is enhanced by the smell of paper and the feel of the book. I love reading in bed .. in fact that's where I read everyday. And I cannot, just CANNOT imagine taking a kindle to bed.

I love looking at my books too. It is very soothing, I find.. and it gives me this great pleasure when I look at my book rack... knowing and seeing there are so many books for me to read!!!

And for some reason, I never got the concept of reading books online! I can read articles.. really long articles but never books. I know someone who read deathly hallows online!!! Can you imagine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe it reminds me of work.. I really don't know what it is about reading books online that is such a put off!!

The touch and feel of books is the most important to me. I don't think I can ever leave it aside and download books and read on a kindle.

Give me a real book anyday!

Will hard bound books disappear? Not if there are many many more people like me.

I will never ever give up my books and read on a kindle. But then never say never is what some people say... I used to hate mobile phones too.. But look at me now.. I cannot live without my phone.

On second thoughts.......

Actually, no... I will never buy / read on a kindle... Downloading books... pah!!!!!

9 comments:

Kalyan Karmakar said...

and I miss handwritten letters and photo prints too

Scarlett said...

It's ironic that kindles were developed by Amazon, a website that survives on sales of books to a great extent!

No, I can never read books on a kindle. I don't like reading e-books either. Like you, I need my hard bound books/paperbacks too.

I love going to bookshops to buy books, I love browsing and selecting books I want to buy, I love having a book rack at home that I can look at and go, "Wow, I read all these books!", and I love lying in bed/on a sofa with a book in hand. I don't want to give up on any of these.

Ru. said...

thats the course of technology and life! Letters replaced by emails, cards by e-cards, books by e-books and even rakhis by e-rakhis and so on!!! With your post, I realized, my love for books is more love for reading than the book itself! I dont mind reading a soft copy, I can read (and have read) whole huge books on my lappy. Saves me the trouble of getting a rare book, frequent relocation and so on....
In fact I take notes in class on my laptop, I write poems directly in a soft copy and I make my to-do lists too in soft copies!
THe bookshop, bookrack experience is nice and I enjoy it too...but if thee is a book I could read I would read it in any form..be it a soft copy or written on palm leaves :D

Shruti said...

I completely agree with you. I need my books in hard copy too.. I have read some in soft copy, but I find I cant sustain that nor enjoy it as much!

Reading books in bed is one of my favourite tings to do, specially on a rainy day :)

Moonshine said...

@Knife Handwritten letters!!!! I miss them so much... you know i still have my birthday cards that were posted to me right from my childhood days. In fact, even now I at times send, rather give handwritten letters to my husband.. on some occasions! :) And we used to post christmas / new year cards every year.. that used to be so special. Maybe I will do that this year :)

And I love photo prints. And I miss them terribly.. soft copies are so impersonal! I still plan to give my pic copies to the photo shops to develop them into actual prints!!

@Scarlett I love going to bookshops.. remember Blossoms.. the smell of old books!!! I just cant deal with soft copies of books!

@melee Hey then you will like the kindle.. it is extremely convenient to use!!

@Shruti I just cant seem to enjoy e-books!!!! You think books will become obsolete in the next generation?

Shruti said...

Oh I hope not, moonshine! Just imagine how much they would be missing out on! :(

Moonshine said...

@Shruti As long as we are there to buy!!!! So why dont you support the cause.. and buy a book rightaway :))

soulsearchingdays said...

Hi, First of all let me confess, I am a total uninformed person, I only came to know about the 'Kindle' here and now. I also tried reading a few books online a couple of years back as I had no work on my desk and ws practically doing nothing the whole day and I had to use it to read what else. But as you rightly put it ' give me my big fat hard bound books , any day' and I would be happy, the smell of paper and the look of the book just kind of brings on so much enthu, the fatter the better for me. Nice to meet so many people out here who thinks like this. And yes I also have all my birthday cards and 'pen friends' letters which I used write in my childhood (can you believe it ) :)

Moonshine said...

@soulspeaks I totally can understand!!!! I love the personal touch.