Post 2: What is a book?

A book is a journey. Many people fight over whether books should be electronic or paper, and, to be honest, paper is the way I think we should go. But when it comes down to it, there's a number that represents exactly how much it matters: 0. People prefer one method over the other; just as I like the paperbacks, the person sitting next to me may rather swipe their finger to scroll through the pages. In my opinion, the feeling of turning the page and the weight of the book in your hands makes paperbacks, or hardbacks, the better option. It may be my preference for the old-school, but e-books just feel like... they hold less power. It's all the same journey, but you're less attached to, less pulled into a back-lit book. The same trip to Middle-Earth. The same dive into the life of Holden Caulfield. The same tale of murderous rabbits. How you read it technically makes no difference. I find the difference in the experience. Turn the page or swipe your finger, it matters little to most people. Victor LaValle says the idea of the book is what makes them special. I agree with that, but I do not agree with his discarding of the book itself. I like the way Nancy Jo Sales said it, that "There's something about the physicality of a book". Technology is a great thing, but it doesn't need to permeate every part of our lives. Let some part of you remain in the tradition, remain in the real world. It wouldn't kill you.

Why I read

I read because life is boring. We are grounded in reality, and there is no way to escape. Well, there’s a few ways. And one of the big one escapes is reading books. Books can bring you into their worlds, into their fantasies, and give you an escape from the boringness of life. Books provide amazing adventures and universes that you can spend some time in, become invested in, and love to be in. Sometimes, we need a way out. A passage to Narnia, to an alternate reality, to another planet. These ways out can be found in multiple ways, such as movies, television, video games, and the like. But nothing provides you the same experience a book can. Watching movies can make you wonder what’s going to happen next as you watch the actors on screen, but only books can make you tear through the pages as you frantically try to find out if your favorite character’s going to make it. A favorite character that looks how you want them to. Another major advantage books have is that you have to create the worlds. The author will describe it for you, but then you have to make it real. Movies show you a director’s fantasy; books let you experience your own.