Books, Not Kindling
Aleece Reynaga | Oct 02, 2012 | Comments 8
As I stood in line to order my first Starbucks drink of the school year, I noticed that behind me stood a young man reading on his Kindle. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw someone using an e-reader before then. I do remember a lot of speculation being made about how the e-reader was going to be the death of books though.
It is difficult to find a credible source of information about how many Kindles have or have not been sold since hitting the market in November 2007. Could this be because they haven’t been doing well? At $119, a basic Kindle Paperwhite isn’t too steep in price, so why are they not as popular as anticipated — supposedly so popular that it could potentially put printing out of business?
Being an avid book lover, I am always interested in finding other people with the same appreciation for books like I have. More often than not, I come across people who go as far as saying they hate to read, leaving me to feel like I’m one of the last people left in the world with this passion. I think that the Kindle didn’t take over the world because there is a general lack of interest in reading, which is funny because I imagined businessmen behind Amazon thinking that this new technology would bring it back.
On my current college budget, I would not spend my own money on a Kindle or any other e-reader, but I wouldn’t mind being given one as a gift. I already know what I would use it for — to store all my guilty pleasure books, ones that I want to read but don’t want people to see I own, like the “Pretty Little Liars” series by Sara Shepard. For others, these books might be the “Twilight” series or “50 Shades of Grey.”
I’ve realized it could also come in handy when you need a book for an assignment and the bookstore has ran out and you don’t have time to wait for it to be mailed to you from Amazon. From my experience, professors do prefer hard copies in class, but in a jam, it’s an option.
Kindles can also be seen as a convenient space saver, but any home of mine wouldn’t be a home without a full bookshelf or five. I feel like everything about owning your own hard copies of books is better. I feel much more satisfied and accomplished when reading a hard copy of a book and being able to look at how many pages I’ve finished. I love taking the upper right corner of a page and feeling the texture between my fingers; it often adds extra anticipation of what is going to happen next in the story. Reading a story on an e-reader just isn’t the same — it doesn’t even come close to the great sensations having an actual book in your hand gives you.
Books also have a particular scent that I’m fond of, and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, just walk into any bookstore. It’s like walking into a coffee house and smelling coffee, but better because it’s books. Another great thing about having an actual hard copy of a book that is hard to argue with, is that unlike the Kindle, a book does not have a battery life.
Even though new technology is getting more distracting and exciting, I don’t see books going anywhere any time soon. Books are here to stay.
Aleece Reynaga is a 5th-year English major. She can be reached at areynaga@uci.edu
Filed Under: Opinion
I am not concerned that literature is going the way of the Kindle or iPad. Paper is a medium. It has existed for nearly 2,000 years, but its days are numbered. However, I am concerned that we are slowly becoming a post literate society. I may be mistaken, but I see very few young people with Kindles and I very much doubt that they’re reading War and Peace or even the latest J.K. Rowling novel on their iPads.
When was the last time that you read a novel that was not required for class? My guess is that most students would indicate, “not recently.”
As a technologist, writer and avid reader, I can say nothing beats a good hard copy of a book – not even a kindle.
Shut the fuck up.
Books are unbeatable. I suppose you think all art should now be drawn on tablets and saved as a TIFF files, as opposed to drawn by hand on paper and canvas.
There’s a difference between being a Luddite and holding on to something good.
To address your comments, I bought a cd this summer but I prefer vinyl records. I’m definitely not afraid of kindling -that wasn’t what I was saying here. It was my opinion that I prefer books.
No, your opinion was that “books are here to stay”. Which I contradict, – NO, “they are here” to be gone! As a vinyl records! Does not matter how much you, personally, love them! You can be simply the old-fashioned person. And trust me, there is nothing wrong with that. But it is a “personal preferences”, not a trend. You are trying to replace A TREND with your personal preferences! That’s where I am disagree with you! As I said, I may be personally prefer books too. Not all kinds, of course. There are a lot of beautifully published books, which will be cherished for time to come as we cherish an ART nowadays. But majority of the books, which is simply re–processed pulp literature, definitely should and will be gone.
Kindles are not even close to being a trend.
I disagree with Mr. Poltave. You are right. There is nothing like the feel of a book between your hands. Small children want to be able to turn the pages and look at the pictures. Libraries are still very much a part of society. I am a children and young adult author. View my website to see my books at: http://tracykauffman.yolasite.com.
Of course, books are “going away”, like it or not! Like scrolls before them, like clay tablets before scrolls! It can be not up to your “scent’s preferences”, but industry does not care about such things! And when you finish your college and start traveling, you will be surprised, that not only in your local Starbucks, but in London or Moscow, Tokyo or Rome, everywhere youth are reading Kindles or other types of e–readers. So, for how much longer printed books will be “with us”? I give it 5 more years! Not more. It will follow music recording industry. Let me ask you simple question. I suppose, you are listening to the music, right? So, when last time you actually BOUGHT cd? Right… You’re DOWNLOADING your favorite music… You see, the same thing will happen to the publishing!
And as downloading does NOT makes you love music less, so will never happen to the literature! Because it is not the books we love, in terms of bunch of papers made from killed trees, but what’s inside! What’s the message it carries out, or, in other word, what’s the “info”! And for that purpose e–readers are MUCH more convenient, appropriate and even safer for the environment!
I love books too, though. And I loved them for my whole life! So, what I am doing is simply putting aside first editions, or old, or rear books, which is like a “pice of art” for me. And I know I will keep them by my side as my beloved collection!
But, definitely NOT all books are worthy of that!
Walk–in at your local “Barnes and Noble”!!! Look at that tons of paper, which will be NEVERE read or sold! Do we really need ALL THAT???
Instead of being afraid of “kindling”, better be aware of “killing”, or damaging our environment!