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.