Musings on Life

Is it 'the end' of books?

9/23/2011

It's the end of books as we know them ... and I don't feel fine.

With the closure of both local bookstores (like Nashville's beloved Davis-Kidd) and big chain book retailers (like Borders), it's getting harder and harder to get your hands on a good (printed) book. As of May this year, Amazon.com's sales of e-books surpassed those of hardcover or paperback versions.

But a world without books? I don't want to imagine it. It's almost as dreadful as the Twilight Zone episode of the bookworm who gets his wish to be alone with his books and then finds that his glasses are broken. How tragic! And how tragic a world where books do not exist. But it seems that we're headed ever closer in that direction. I know, I know: We have e-books. And, yes, they're still books — just in a different format. But, somehow, it's not the same.

I've been contemplating the purchase of an e-reader. It's something I'm ambivalent about. While I would welcome the ease and convenience of reading Web articles, blog posts and other digital media on a screen that is neither too bulky (laptop) nor too small (iPod Touch), I just can't seem to make the jump. I look at the row of books on my bedside table and feel like a traitor to a treasured thing that I have come to revere. From early childhood, books have been like my friends. How can I betray them by replacing them with bits and bytes?

Recently I found myself once again struggling with the unsettling notion of a bookless world when I viewed an ad for a trendy new product: a decorative iPod/iPhone dock made from a "recycled" book. It's the latest cool accessory for your nightstand. Something about "recycling" a book by gutting it just seems sacrilegious to me. Maybe I sound old school. But I don't care. I am not a Luddite. I have Klout. I blog. I tweet. I Facebook. I surf. And ... I am also an unabashed lover and reader of real books. I prefer the feel of a cold, hard spine in my hands, along with the familiar smell of paper and ink. Aaahhh ... there's just nothing like it.

Perhaps I have no room to complain about the current state of the printed word. In recent years, more and more of my book purchases — albeit printed versions — have been through Amazon.com, not from a brick-and-mortar store. It just seemed easier. And now my own lazy behavior is helping to hasten the demise of printed books and bookstores.

But there is good news for Nashville book lovers: Author Ann Patchett is opening an independent bookstore in the Green Hills area of our fair city. Set to open in early November, Parnassus Books is named for Mount Parnassus, known in Greek mythology as the seat of literature, learning and music. A worthy title, I think.

And now it's up to me — us, book lovers all — to get out and support our local bookstores. I'm not suggesting that e-books are evil and will bring on the downfall of civilization. And I won't promise to never buy an e-reader or purchase an e-book. But if I do make that leap, it will not be the primary way that I consume the written word. At least, not as long as I have a choice. For now, I guess, the choice is up to me.

Support your local bookseller!
Parnassus Books
3900 Hillsboro Pike
Nashville, TN 37215
www.parnassusbooks.net
Parnassus Books on Facebook

BookMan Bookwoman
1713 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37212
(615) 383-6555

Elder's Bookstore
2115 Elliston Place
Nashville, TN 37203
615-327-1867
www.eldersbookstore.com

What do you think about the loss of local bookstores and our society's increasing reliance on digital books? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas. While you are required to give a name in order to leave a comment, you may leave your first name only or a moniker of your choosing . To leave a response, click Comment(s) and enter information in the Leave A Reply form.

UPDATE: I finally purchased a Kindle in April of 2012, but I haven't used it that much. I still prefer a "real" book; reading on a screen just isn't the same. I'm sure I will use the Kindle occasionally, but I can't see it ever replacing books in my life. At least I hope it doesn't. And I hope I will continue to have the choice between paper and plastic for a long time to come.

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18 Comments

Rick

9/24/2011 07:23:58 am

I Salute your worthwhile sentiment. I suppose for reference materials the e-book is a space/time saver; Nevertheless, I too prefer the old fashioned tactile of real literature.

PS I love that you placed my all time favorite author almost center of the pictured bookshelf.

Diane Hughes link

9/24/2011 07:32:52 am

@ Rick: Ha...I had forgotten that one of Saint-Exupéry's works was pictured there. Not my placement, by the way. That is a free stock photo! The image so well summed up my thoughts that it was pretty much a slam-dunk choice.

Crystal Stinson

9/26/2011 03:55:35 am

Diane i totally agree with you. I too love my ipod and iphone but when i want to curl up with a good book. I want to hold an actual book. (not a mini computer). I want to feel it, hold it in my hands and turn the actual pages. I am one of those people that keeps all my books and when i lend them out i want them back. A really good book is special to me. I fall in love with the covers. I like how they get a little worn from carrying them around. (some a little warped from reading poolside or by the beach) But each is special. I want to be able to loan it out, read it again, and see it on the bookshelf in my home. While i'm all about my iphone and mac computer. There is nothing like holding that new book in your hand from your new favorite author. And i stare at screens everyday whether it be small on my iphone or ipod or my big computer screen for work. So when i wanna escape with a good book the last thing i wanna do is stare at a screen. : )

9/26/2011 05:34:18 am

Crystal,

I love this statement!

"A really good book is special to me. I fall in love with the covers. I like how they get a little worn from carrying them around.(Some a little warped from reading poolside or by the beach) But each is special."

Love the imagery. Very nicely put!

Julia Munroe Martin link

9/26/2011 09:40:47 pm

I know just how you feel! Our local Borders closed earlier this month, and now our closest large bookstore is an hour away, and it's the only large bookstore in the state! We only have two very small indies near us, unfortunately -- I'm part of the problem, buying most of my books on amazon.com. And a few months ago I got a Kindle (which I'm not crazy about and have never read an entire book on for that reason). And p.s. I'm with you -- using books as an antiquity makes me sad, too, as well as just plain old! :)

9/27/2011 06:58:59 am

Julia,

Thanks for stopping by and for commenting. While this may appear at first to be a totally generational thing, I have spoken to many younger people who feel the same way about favoring the tactile experience of a paper and ink book. I'm still struggling to strike the proper balance between paper and plastic!

Faye Stokley

9/29/2011 04:07:53 am

"I prefer the feel of a cold, hard spine in my hands, along with the familiar smell of paper and ink. Aaahhh ... there's just nothing like it." Agreed! I own a KIndle, but I love the feel of books in my hands, too. I will never give them up!

Leslie

9/29/2011 05:13:44 am

From Red_head30
It really hit me the lather day when a segment came on TV about a new kid of bookshelf in light of our technological age and use of Kindles and other digital toys. I do own a Kindle and I am typing from an iPad right now. When I heard that about the bookshelf, though, It was like I was caught red-handed. ""What are you doing? You may be reading all these books and enjoying them but it doesn't show." I love libraries, I love the look of them, the feel of a hard-bound book makes me giddy. Yet, being able to retrieve a book at any hour of the day and be able to start reading it within 60 seconds makes me giddy, too. I thought I wouldn't like the coldness of reading a digital book. I got over that -- fast. Now, it is hard for me to admit, I have a hard time going back to regular books. I love them, don't get me wrong. But in bed, it's easier to have an e-book w/ a built in light and built-in post-its and a highlighter. Then, I go back to the bookshelf. In the last few years, I have read many, many books and a lot of them would not show up on my bookshelf at home. These books fill my digital library -- but it's not the same. So, as you can see, I am quite conflicted. I want the best of both worlds. I wish it could be. I love all kinds of books: e-books, hardcover books, coffee table books, guidebooks, etc. I don't want my real bookshelf to have items other than books. That would border on sin. It would be a sin. Not right. So, that's where I am. --Leslie/red_head30

9/29/2011 05:19:02 am

To clarify, the new kind of bookshelf would accommodate bigger objects, not just books because we, as consumers, are moving away from books altogether (wait a minute, buddy!) and we need apparently a piece of furniture to accommodate our Lifestyle w/o real books.

9/29/2011 05:44:33 am

Faye: Glad to know I'm not alone in preferring the tactile experience of a real book! Thanks for taking time to comment.

Leslie: I, too, feel so conflicted. While I don't have the answer and can't predict the outcome of this unsettling reality, I am glad to be a part of the conversation. Thanks to you for contributing your voice!

Laura Zera

9/30/2011 04:59:12 am

Diane, I am SO with you. A book on an eReader is like food in pill form. I'm not ready to go that Jetsons! And, what if I buy an eReader AND I REALLY LIKE IT? Anyway, I think my paper book/e-book stance is going to be moderate, like my politics. Paper books at home, e-books when I travel. Both kinds are useful, given the right balance.

9/30/2011 07:47:35 am

Laura,

Thanks so much for joining the conversation on this topic. I love your comment on "food in pill form." What an accurate analogy!

Like you, I'm thinking an e-reader would be nice for travel, but I'm still plagued by guilt. I guess we book lovers will have to strive for a balance between the two. And I plan to visit our new bookstore here to show my support!

UniqueInkWriter link

10/3/2011 03:40:12 am

For me personally I grew up with huge bookshelves full of books. Even now I have two large shelves full of paper books. I love the smell and feel of a paper novel - I always have and I always will. I even have plans to build a large library in my future house (you know, when I win the lottery).

However, I will never regret purchasing my Kindle. I love the convenience of having multiple books at the touch of a button. I love that I have the opportunity to try out many more books that I previously would have thanks to free e-books of the week, .99 cent books and self-published e-books. I also love that because it's digital it's a tad more Eco-friendly.

More than a few e-books are the same price as (or only a dollar or two cheaper than) their paper counter-parts. I still occasionally purchase paper novels from local bookstores and at first I did feel guilty - like I was cheating on the authors or my books or something... but for me personally I'm glad that e-books are readily available.

Jodie Brownlee link

10/3/2011 03:44:35 am

Hello,

On the bright side... I care about the environment, and know that paper books equals deforestation and inks equals polluted waterways. I am not sure on the impact an e-reader has on the environment yet, but if you compare reading 1000 books on an e-reader versus buying and reading 1000 paper books it's clear the environmental impact of paper books will far outweight one e-reader. For more on that debate you can visit http://www.ecolibris.net/ebooks.asp

The other topic was the demise of the book store. Amazon is a book store. They have adapted to the digital revolution. They are surviving. In a changing world, adapataion is necessary for survival. The writing has been on the wall ofr a long time. Barnes and Noble is evolving. As their physical bookstores close, their online presence grows.

I love books and I love book stores but I don't see the digital revolution as being an end to both, it's an evolution, from physical book stores to online book stores, from pre-printed books (many of which end up being pulped) to ebooks and print-on-demand. The books still exist. But there is less waste.

When I travel, half my luggge used to be taken up with books. Now I pack my kindle. I am effectively travelling with my whole library (which is a comforting feeling for a book lover) but without the weight.

I hope you can come to embrace the good that comes with the changing world of books. Like Lao Tse once said, "What the caterpillar calls the end the rest of the world calls a butterfly." It is not the end of books and book stores, it is a metamorphosis. :)

Breeana Puttroff link

10/3/2011 03:52:45 am

I've loved books since I was an infant. Love the touch, the feel, the smell. As a classroom teacher, the number of books in my classroom library was well into the thousands.
As a bibliophile, there will never be anything for me quite like real books.

As a reader ... I've had a Kindle for going on two years now, and, well ... my favorite books are with me wherever I want to be. They're not buried in one of the endless number of tubs that had to be carted from house to house, or classroom to house, or house to classroom, or whatever. There is no searching through each of the bookshelves, or spending hours organizing the books so I can find the right one (still do this with the children's books, though).

If I'm waiting in line somewhere, and I'm reminded of a scene I really want to re-read in one of my old favorites -- it's there. I can relish that scene and then go back to whatever I'm currently reading.

If I've accidentally left the story I'm enjoying right now in my car, and I don't realize it until I'm already in my pajamas, well, the Kindle application on my smartphone will sync right to where I left off.

I'm able to find more new authors, read more new books, browse, sample, highlight, and share more than I ever have before.

I guess, in summary, books are amazing, awesome, and fantastic. What's inside of them is even better.

10/3/2011 06:25:20 am

UniqueInkWriter: Thanks for helping to assuage my guilt. I do expect to buy an e-reader eventually, but I still want my "real" books, too. As others have noted, it's about finding balance.

Jodie: Love the butterfly/caterpillar analogy; that's a great way of looking at it. I'll have to read more about the environmental impact ... just to satisfy my curiosity.

Breeana: Agreed. I'm coming to the conclusion that each has its place, and I hope that the two are able to happily (and successfully!) co-exist. And I appreciate you pointing out that the greatest thing a book has to offer is what's "inside" it -- regardless of the form!

Auset

10/8/2011 11:15:11 am

Have you read the Inkheart trilogy? It is a Harry Potter like story but the love of books is the central focus. It is really popular and was made into a film with major stars. I loved the books and the movie as well. I think it will help future generations appreciate books.

6/6/2012 02:42:09 pm

I'm here to admit that I finally bought a Kindle. I can't say that I've used it that much; I still prefer a "real" book. Reading on a screen is just not the same. I'm sure I will use the Kindle occasionally, but I can't see it ever replacing books in my life. At least I hope it doesn't. I hope I will continue to have the choice between screen and paper for a long time to come.

MUSINGS ON LIFE
I think; therefore, I muse

DIANE HUGHES • NASHVILLE, TN
WRITER, EDITOR, CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL

Is it 'the end' of books?

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MUSINGS ON LIFEI think; therefore, I muse DIANE HUGHES • NASHVILLE, TNWRITER, EDITOR, CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL

Is it 'the end' of books?

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MUSINGS ON LIFE
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DIANE HUGHES • NASHVILLE, TN
WRITER, EDITOR, CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL