On the Virtue of Books
20100611, 213336 - 2 commentsSince March I have been writing very short reviews, each of less than thirty words, for every book I have finished reading.
In January I started two year long projects, one was photography related, the other was to read 52 books in one year. By now I should have finished around 24 of these books when in fact I have only finished 15 so far, although I do have quite a few in progress stacked up next to my bed.
I enjoy reading real books, although I don’t have as much time to devote to this as I would like. There is something special about the written word committed to paper, especially compared to the fleeting pixeler nature of computer screens (and despite being youngish I still find it a lot easier to absorb information printed in front of me than on a computer screen). I also like the fact that with real books the book itself has an history and tells its own story, and that once they have been read they can be passed on to others, archived on bookshelves for further reference, or even registered with bookcrossing and released into the wild. Real books like churches also force you to disconnect from the always connected world of the 21st century, allowing time to relax and to think.
I prefer books over computers as well. And I have a PhD in computers, I should prefer computers I’m told. I read as much as I can, and I wish I had more time to read most of the time.
I love to snuggle up under the duvet with a good book, beats trying to read one on a computer screen anyday.