Why Paper Books?

“A paper book aids my concentration by offering to do nothing else but lie open in front of me, mute, until I rest my eyes upon it,”

— Verlyn Klinkenborg on "Why he likes 'old fashioned books'"

    I LOVE MY BOOKS!

Even now as I'm packing my bags for yet another trip. Even though I know how bulky and heavy they are, I will pack paper books!  Why?

 

Top 10 Reasons for Paper Books:

1. They don't talk back, move, dim, brighten, flicker or change font size mid-sentence

2. No batteries or charging required

3. Never have to be switched off during take-off or landing

4. Withstand bubble bath dunking

5. Readable in all lighting conditions

6. Ease of flipping back and forth between pages/chapters/passages.

7. Make excellent side tables, decorative touches,  and coasters

8. Shatterproof regardless how many times I drop them

9.  Biodegradable & handy fire starters

10. Excellent toilet tissue alternative (Emergencies Only)

As if these aren't reasons enough, consider this question posed by Klinkenborg in his New York Times essay "Some Thoughts About E-Reading," 

“The question Isn’t what will books become in the world of electronic reading. The question is what will become of the readers we’ve been—quiet, thoughtful, patient, abstracted—in a world where interactive can be too temping to ignore.”