What happened to the days when you would feel crisp pages of a book underneath your fingers and hear the rustling of the page turning as you dove deeper into the story? A new chapter in the history of books has emerged…the e-reader.
E-readers are taking over and it is not okay. This new age of Kindles and Nooks is spreading fast and who knows if in 10 years there will even be any paper books.
The other day I traveled into a Barnes and Noble to come face to face with horror. The whole middle of the store was transformed into a Nook store. At least a third of the bookstore was devoted to this creation. All I wanted was to go enjoy a nice visit to the bookstore and maybe pick up some new PAPER books, but no.
I understand, everyone is always looking to find that new technology that can fit in your pocket, but sometimes it is better to just stay old school. Books are not books without hundreds of pages of paper filling the binding. It is part of the experience of reading. It builds suspense and fascination having to to flip the tangible pages of a book rather than just hit the next button on a screen.
Seeing the ink on the page, flipping back to re-read your favorite part, doggy-ear a particular section; none of that is very easy to do on a little computer screen.
There is something magical and captivating about reading an actual book in your hand rather than straining your eyes on a screen. It is one of the lures of books. Changing into this modern age of e-readers will change everything. In 5 years will there be libraries in schools or bookstores? Where will I go to escape into a good book while enjoying a nice cup of coffee if bookstores, the perfect place to do that, have disappeared?
This e-reader invasion is taking over and we must stop it before we lose the wonderful, physical aspect of books that is so important.
Anne Cushman is a staff writer for The Mycenaean and resides in North Carolina. Her hobbies include petting horses, hang-gliding, and soccer. Some of her numerous aspirations are to climb Mount Everest, kayak the Colorado River, and write well. Also, she loves One Direction.