Hot Take of the Day: E-Readers Can Get Bent

Why, you might ask, am I starting out so combative toward an inanimate object — especially one that combines usefulness, sustainability and value to any forward-thinking bookworm looking to avoid clutter?

Why am I firing my hot take gun at probably such a narrow demographic? Both are great questions that I will try to answer below.

For those of you who don’t know — and are therefore probably already on my side — an e-reader is a tablet made specifically to store and view books. Amazon’s popular Kindle Paperwhite has 2GB of storage or roughly 1,100 books. That’s amazing if you think about it. A marvel of modern science. All of those volumes at your fingertip or swipe anytime you want to read them for a nominal fee.

So why the animosity toward automation? For me, it’s all about the feel.

I love books, especially old ones. I love finding old books. To peruse a used book store and happen upon some mature manuscript is my meditation. To land on one that becomes a new favorite is nirvana.

I love the care you have to take with an old book. And I’m not talking about some prized first edition. Give me a brittle 1960s paperback, one I know I have to be careful with lest I break her spine. The feel of her weathered leaves. The unique patina in olfactory form.

When I start an old book and we both make it to the finish line, I display that seasoned scroll on my bookshelf like a trophy from an endurance race.

Whether new or old, I love how a book ages with me while I travel through it. I love knowing that if the old books I had were originally owned by me, they would not have survived two readings.

That’s the superficial, visceral connection that, to me, only comes from feeling and flexing and wearing on a book as it (hopefully) returns the favor.

In all seriousness, for those of you who stuck it out past the first paragraph (thank you),  just read — in whatever format allows you to have an intimate connection with the material.

Read fiction. Read history. Read about things you like. Read those who you disagree with. It’s a type of fulfillment and introspection that I have not found anywhere else, and when life has gotten in the way of my reading, I always miss it.

Whether it’s on your phone, or your iPad or with an audio book. Or, like me, you prefer the old-fashioned way of mining a used book store for the next gem. It doesn’t really matter how you consume the material, just do it. You’ll be glad you did.