First of all I was not a "reader" until I reached adult life. I will be honest, I was a painfully slow reader who did not find any fiction interesting. I could not jump into their world, and if there were strange names of places, planets, or beings I just got lost on if it was a who or a what (flashback 1978 I tried to read Star Wars after seeing the film.) I was probably the only kid in elementary school who checked out Laura Ingles Wilder books and never opened them. It was just what everyone else was checking out, so I followed along. Yes, book reports were torture!
As an adult I read more now than I ever did as a kid. In my mind, I do not read any faster now. But now my reading is purpose filled and often much deeper on non fiction topics that are highly interesting to me. They foster my brain turning concepts over and synthesizing ideas while doing the mundane tasks like folding laundry for a family of 4.
Today I was visiting with a coworker and I referenced a great book I have on the topic we were discussing. That is when it hit me. The digital age of books has made our relationship with them less. As I was expounding on the subject at hand and giving examples of techniques the author wrote about, I realized I did not know who the author was or for certain the title of said book. This is where I noticed the relationship dissolving.
Back in the day I would get a book and take it with me everywhere I went. It went to lunch with me, it sat in car pool line at school, waiting for practices to be over with and so on. I saw the cover art, it spent time with me in the front seat of my car. I frequently would have crumbs or the receipt from lunch tucked in the flap or being used to hold my place until I could come back. The back cover or book jacket would show me a photo of the author. I really knew what I was reading.
Some times a book had purpose and I can remember where I was physically when I read it, or which layer I was on in my life journey when that was the book I spent my time reading. Now, my books are often digital. I subscribe to a weekly email that prompts me of books that may interest me for the great low price of $1.99 or less. So much of what is on my devices are just stock piled for leisure reads. Regardless of the device a kindle, an i pad, or the computer screen, the screen and the progression are the same. The sketch drawing at the beginning of a chapter often is not there. Flipping back to look at the table of contents is a series of clicks and no longer placing your palm on the paper pages to leaf back to the beginning to check on that which you just connected to an earlier happening event of the story. What about consulting the map at the beginning of the book!
Our 3rd grader has devoured the Harry Potter series. Roughly November or early December she started reading and as of today began book 6. That is a hunger I only had for a few series that fortunately, by the time I found them the author had a dozen or more for me to enjoy with rapid fire pace. One of those examples had 21 or so books and I read it in all formats available. Hard bound, paper back, digital, and audio. Each filling a certain purpose if I was driving 10 hours I sought out a audio version to accompany me. If it was just released I read it hard bound. Find a friend who had 4-8 in her living room, take them as you need the next one, paperback is great!
So here I sit in the digital age, wishing I could remember if I kept that book that I referred to this morning. I last read it in college. Early 1990s. Wow, there are a handful of books that I move with me every where I go. This could have been one of those. I did use it as the basis of my end of the year paper for TIA-270, it left that much of an impression on me. Alas, it is not on the book shelve in our bedroom. That is where my most treasured reside. Could it be in a box in the garage? I will obsess over it for awhile. After four clicks I discover Amazon can deliver it in any of 4 formats by Saturday, but digital download is not one of them. (hardcover, paperback, CD, or audible).
Next time the antiquarian show sets up I may be inclined to go rekindle the relationship with the tangible, touchable book, they certainly do hold a place in the world.
