23 February 2011

to read or not to read

While I am not necessarily the most dedicated reader out there, I enjoy it, and have a real love for books. There is something so intriguing about the act of finding a book and making that decision to take it home. I don’t have a huge library, but what I do have, I feel, is a perfect representation of who I am. I believe most people’s collection of books are, and always enjoy observing others’ shelves when I am in their home. I have hauled my modest group around with me for years and can’t imagine my rooms without them. Being a designer I am drawn to the book covers. Unless I already know it is something I want to read, I absolutely judge a book by its cover. I lean this way with wine labels too. If I see one that stands out to me, I tend to pick it up. I also love to peruse the rows of books to look at all of the illustrations and fonts being used. It is a great source of inspiration. And then there is the smell. I love the smell of a new book—all crisp and freshly printed. I also love the smell of an old book, especially from a library or an antique store.

With all of this being said, I bought myself a Kindle recently. And to be honest, I could not love it more!

This is such a surprise to me because it is the opposite of all of the above, but a few months ago I downloaded the Kindle app for my phone and found myself reading a lot. A LOT. I am the kind of reader who usually has a few books going at once, but the problem is I tend to not finish any of them. Having the majority of those books in one place that is as portable as it is, seems to be the key factor that is making the difference for me right now. So I decided that I would jump on this change and not question it too much, because at the end of the day I am reading more. I am still not sure how I will manage to grow my collection, but I expect that I will. I see this as an opportunity to walk into more used books stores to find those that are keepers, and make more room on my Kindle!


4 comments:

Unknown said...

I could not agree with you more, Emily...except I have shelves and shelves (and boxes and boxes) of books. I always look at other people's shelves to see what they are reading
Dave gave me a Kindle for Christmas. When I opened it, he said, "You don't know it yet, but you NEED this." It is the gift I didn't know I needed or wanted. I was suspect of it because I LOVE the way a book feels in my hands. I love to smell it and touch it and read and reread passages.
That being said, the Kindle goes everywhere with me...in its red leather case with light. It fits in the pocket of my coat or my purse. I've always read a LOT. Now I'm reading even more. I am a convert.

Kim Trimm said...

i love this post emily! so much of this sounded familiar. smells of books, several books started but left unread, browsing book aisles for inspiration, judging book by cover. i judge a lot of packaging by cover. i find myself wishing i was an avid reader. but i'm just not. i've had "The Help" since i think last august. my goal was to finish the book before the movie comes out. i will feel so accomplished if that actually happens. ha! anyways, i've been thinking a lot lately, wondering if i would actually read more if i had a kindle or nook. so it was inspiring to hear that you have been reading more with your kindle. can you get magazine subscriptions on there too? really enjoyed this post!

Myra said...

Ooooh-la-la. Welcome to the Kindle family! I love mine too! :)

emily said...

Thanks Myra—you were the first to introduce me to the idea!

Kat — I love that Dave gave you that and you weren't even thinking you wanted one! And I am glad that you are still enjoying it so much. I have the orange leather case with the light and think it is so cool!

Kim — I would consider it for sure, we sound very similar in our reading habits. There don't seem to be too many options of magazines for the Kindle, but you may want to check and see if the Nook does. I feel like that might change in the next year or so, but for now you can go online and see which magazines are available for both.

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