Kinlde Thoughts

[source: amazon.com]

As a person who spends most of my day reading books, many people have asked me if I'd want a kindle. My first reaction is no, never. There is something about seeing something on a screen that is transient, that doesn't seem eternal or long lasting. It's sooo easy to cut, paste, delete, so fleeting. Besides, I like books. I like turning the pages. I like the beauty of old books. I like wheedling my way though the page count and get an unnatural amount of satisfaction seeing my bookmark slowly conquering the pages. I like the sensation of looking at a book, with it pages and all, and thinking, yeah I read that.

As medievalist, a lot of publications for the books I need are either 1. v. expensive, 2. out of print, 3. in a library I may or may not have access to, or 4. online. Obviously, the library is the nicer option, but the problem with old books is you can't check them out and bring them home. You have to look at them in the library. Fair enough. But it slightly constricts the day or at times, research. Online presents itself as the most convenient option. But man, do I hate looking at a screen. I get irritated by how much I'm required to have a presence in front of a screen. It seems to suck the life out of me. Reading tomes on the internet isn't exactly ideal either.

Then, there is the fact the not just old Manuscripts, but book subscriptions, and articles I need to read, appear only online. On the screen. It's like they've paved paradise and put a virtual parking lot. Lastly, I travel lots. To and from Durham. To the States and back. To conferences. It's always a struggle to know which books to bring. They take up so.much.room. and weigh a ton.

So what I'm trying to say is that I've bought a kindle. I know: I feel like a traitor. Does it help if I say I've bought it in hopes it will save my soul, rather than destroy it? It's the screen really. It's a matt, which means I can read it outside and won't glare. The absence of that emanating glare, will, I hope, enable me to read a screen without being sucked dry like vampire fodder.

But I keep thinking, what if I lose my love for real books? What if I only use my kindle? What if, the horror, I buy books there because it's cheaper? This scares me. I don't want that to happen. I want my house piled high with books I've read and loved, the sort of library you feel could have been owned by some old magician, or Merlin. So, all that to say I'm quite apprehensive. Keep me in your well wishes that I won't end up turning to the dark side of the force. I can already see myself breathing through a black mask from not being able to inhale the dust mites of old books, and, Ahhhh I can already hear the "Anakin, I am your father" speech coming. NOoooooooo!!!!!!