National Book Lovers Day

 

Today is "National Book Lovers Day" and so clearly that topic must be addressed. I've loved books almost as long, and almost as deeply, as I've loved ice cream and mountains.
The first attached photo shows me commemorating the day in our previous home a few years ago.
The second attached photo shows me perched on the horns of a dilemma. I love the feel of a traditional book in my hands; I love its weight, its smell. I love turning pages, sometimes making pencil notes, flipping backwards to confirm a detail or clarify a point, and I love having a visible stack of books currently being read or to be read.
But now there's this thing called e-books. They don't feel or smell the same as the old paper version, but dang, they are convenient, and I am coming to appreciate that more. You can quickly search the text; you can access it on multiple devices; you can keep notes; you can even listen to audio narration of the text while driving or hiking. You can have dozens, even hundreds, of books with you at any given moment, and in short order can access almost any significant text ever published - truly one of the miracles of our time. The convenience and accessibility are a powerful advantage.
Will I ever give up my books? Nope, not a chance. Will I learn to better appreciate the blessing of electronic reading? Yes, I am working on it.
I #GiveThanks for the blessing of books and reading, in whatever form they come to me!

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