De-Shelved

I love to read. If I could do anything for the rest of my life, I would surround myself amongst a pile of books, settle down with a never ending bottle of red wine and settle myself on the biggest and comfiest armchair imaginable and read till it was my time to go.

Mind you, I haven't always been so passionate about reading. There have been books which I've grown up with, but as is the case with youth and childhood, we are often forced to do things against our will, rather than encouraged to seek something new to occupy our time. This was the case with reading.

I actually used to have a lot of trouble with reading and writing. When I started high school, my level was actually quite below average, and the consensus amongst most teachers was that I needed "a lot of work." That included a barrage of reading lists and report writing both in and outside of school. Eventually I did get better, I found my expression, and although my spelling is still quite embarrassing, my passion for reading has far exceeded anyone's expectations.

Currently, I buy more books than I am able to read. If you are ever invited to my house, the evidence of this is clear from the study. Bookshelves adorn every wall, and there are books spilling out of them, gathering dust. Time escapes us all, and I'm finding it hard to keep up with my ever growing "must read" list.

My dear friend Estelle can read 5-6 books at a time. At this moment, beside my bed, along with the general clutter that I live amongst, I have 3-4 piles of books which I thumb through before I go to bed. A book for every whim and fancy, because they're always bound to change. And whilst I've created some what of an obstacle course within my room, I enjoy being encased around it. It's all what I call, organised chaos. Everything is there for a purpose, and it's all needed, even though it's not in any discernible category.

Over the past few years, we, as a civilisation, have been undergoing what has been termed "a digital revolution." A plethora of innovations and gadgets have bombarded our lives all in the bid to make day to day existence more enjoyable and convenient. Amongst them has been the e-book.

The e-book comes in the form of an e-reader, a concept generated by Amazon which has developed the Kindle. This year, Kindle has claimed the coveted title of the most gifted product this past Christmas, and the most revolutionary product to have entered the market. At 7.5" x 5.3" x 0.7", the Kindle has wireless connectivity which enables you to connect to the Kindle store and download any book you desire in less than two minutes. You can read the book in its entirety from the device without difficulty as its high res screen reads like paper, so you don't feel like you're actually reading off a screen. Not only that, but the Kindle is also available as an app for the i-Phone and i-Pod touch, and is able to download your favourite newspapers, blogs, magazines and e-mags, and can store up to 200 books.

The traditionalist in me says, "Begone heathen device! Leave me and my clutter alone!" but there is a another tiny voice I can hear which I must acknowledge...."I want one."

And in saying that...I feel like I've betrayed a part of myself.

Certainly there are some advantages to having the Kindle in your life. The money that you would save in downloading the book in its digital form is first and foremost. In terms of convenience, I would have much preferred carrying around a Kindle through uni, instead of carting around heavy and expensive text books which I would only use once in my life, and place on the shelf to gather dust because they were no use to anyone the next year as it's already the old edition. Reading a book on the train would be less of a hassle, saving room in your purse or satchel, and also the embarrassment of people judging you by the book cover. :-/

But am I willing for the Kindle to replace my bookshelf? Surely there's some value to owning a book other than having it take up space. Is it really something which we don't need? Is it honestly that much on an inconvenience? A person's bookshelf is like a mysterious profile to their personality. It's like a tiny museum of sorts. Looking through their collection, you can gauge the type of person they are, what they're interested in, what fascinates them, what they're passions are. Observing the frayed and ruined spines you find out which books they have read over and over again, and which books haven't even been touched and are there either for show, or to serve as a reminder of what to take with them on their next outing to the beach.

The ownership of books is a very personable thing, and the act of reading the story they hold is a very personal experience. Holding onto that book, and placing it back on your shelf, or in your pile of clutter, when you have finished it is something like a photograph of that memory. Can we experience the same thing with the Kindle? Or am I just being too sentimental?

Thoughts?