Thursday, September 15, 2011

How to Enjoy A Book

(For those of you considering abolishing "real" books from your life in favour of a (no!) e-reader, I present you with a few essentials to live by...)
How to Enjoy Books

(this is one of our book shelves, with my current book  that I'm enjoying: "Wildwood" written b y Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis)

Step 1: Entering a small, locally owned bookstore/library/Secondhand bookstore pause briefly and take a deep breath. You are now surrounded by books. Enjoy this moment thoroughly.

Step 2: Start perusing each section, gazing upon the rows and rows of colourful spines. Perhaps grazing your fingers across a few, tilting your head sideways so you can read the titles or even removing a few to take a peak at the cover. Don't rush, walk slowly or stand quietly for a few moments. It's socially acceptable to do this in a book purchasing/borrowing space, take advantage.

Step 3: Find a book that interests you. It may be the topic, the title or even the cover art. Pick out the book and hold it in your hands.

Step 4: Pass your hand across the front of the book. Feel the finishing of the book, the weight of it in your hands. Is it a light book, or is it extremely heavy (meaning the possibility for a very lengthy and amazing read). Does the cover have bumps or art that feels different?

Step 5: Read the description at the back and check for an author's photo. You never know, it may sway your decision.... seriously.

the beautiful illustrations in the book caught my imagination

Step 6: If you've made it this far it means you've got a serious contender. Open the book and take a rifle through. Feel how the pages move. Do they have rough edges? (I LOVE those books!) Do the pages feel dry and stiff or do they flop through, heavy?

And... the ultimately most important part of the Book Adventure:
Step 7: Open the book and bring your nose in close. No, no, I mean REALLY close- right up in the pages. Inhale...

You might call me a huge weirdo, but different types of books have different scents. Some pages smell like chemicals, some like older paper. Library books have their own special smell (umm, I am not a fan honestly lol).

Books are so much more than the story inside. Having a real paper book has Seven essential steps before we even get to the Story World waiting inside. E-readers.... they can't even compare.

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

12 comments:

  1. true dat :) i have had a lifelong affair with powell's bookstore here in portland and only buy used, not just for the eco but for the historical - i've bought old books and halfway through reading, find an old slip of paper, receipt, comment on the margin, etc that give it something that a shiny barnes & noble book never could...

    btw i was inspired by your lulu post in my recent 'twenty years' blogpost, just wanted to give cred where cred's due :)

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  2. I would have totally agreed before getting a kindle. Actually, I still totally agree. That being said, while traveling, and I think only while traveling, I prefer the kindle. I have read so many classics I would never otherwise have read, and it is so, so much lighter than carrying around books, especially 600-page books. So, while I still ultimately prefer real paper books, I like having the kindle option for certain times.

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  3. @EcoGrrl: ya know- i don't like the smell of historical, second hand books. It's what gets me in this entire environmental thing. I like the smell of NEW books.... they are my eco- achilles heel. seriously.
    yay! I will head over to read, i have to wait until i get home to read your posts since you have automatic music... lol :)

    @Rebecca: oh yes... Andrew has pointed this out to me. Except I LOVE bringing heavy books w my while traveling. It's like bringing friends... a piece of home. But everyone has a different relationship w books :)

    @FiveSeed: Yay!!!

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  4. LOVE THIS! While I definitely support my few pals that have gone the e-reader route (and I think it's great that the libraries are even on board!), I don't know that I ever want to make the transition. I love too much holding a book in my hands, being able to fold down a corner or make a note or underline should I desire. There's so much about a tech format that takes away the book reading experience for me. Glad to see that another feels the same ;)

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  5. Unrepentant book-sniffer here! My sister is even worse (better?) about it. Nothing like it. You would love the Book Thing here--it's a free bookstore that's open on weekends. Leave books, take books, whatever you want! It's like a treasure hunt.

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  6. As a person who has over 600 books on my shelves, and who reads upwards of 50 novels/novellas/novelettes/short stories a year, and *would* have agreed with you...until I bought a Nook two years ago. Now you would have to pry my e-reader from my cold dead fingers.

    Being able to take 10 books with me on a trip on a devise that is smaller than most paperbacks is fantastic. I don't have to worry about bindings getting cracked, covers crumpled or pages smooshed. Trying to keep a 1000 page tome propped up as I read in bed while fingers and wrists cramp from trying to keep it open isn't a problem anymore.

    Being able to carry around my (growing) electronic library and have the ability to ready *anything* I want is really amazing. If I don't like what I'm reading, I can close it out and pick out something else. Nearly all the Classics are free, I've found some yogic texts are free. And, well, yeah, I have to pay for the rest.

    But I do agree, the smell of a book just can't be beat. :)

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  7. @Simply Authentic: Yes- same! I think e-readers are definitely easier on the paper consumption for sure. Halifax is building a new library that will have e-reader type stations. But us real book peeps will have to stick together :)

    @VB: WHAT?? A free book exchange place??? OMGoddess I would LOVE that. I am le jealous. Seriously, you should blog about that place so I can see pictures and live vicariously haha.

    @Kristin: oh no! Really? haha, so glad for you, especially that you've found an alternative that works for you.
    That said, I gotta say, if you take a peak at the pictures of Wildwood, I have no idea how a person could experience this book at the same level on an e-reader. The feel, the visuals, the smell of the paper. For me, those things are an essential part of reading.
    I also generally don't read in bed, it makes it more difficult to fall asleep, so I stopped that years ago. I also usually only bring one (maybe two) books when I travel. And... well the one book I've been trucking around w me since Christmas is a bit tattered, but I love it more because of it.

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  8. one of my most favourite things in the world is the smell of a bookstore or library. in my world books will never be replaced by any electronic device!

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  9. Hehehe. I am completely with you on this! Never have I seen a more accurate, play-by-play account of how I browse bookstores, touch and smell books. Get outta my head! ;) New books and old books alike, though. Love that smell. I am vehemently anti e-reader and as a traveler I completely understand their use! I just can't do it! The romance of touching those pages. Sigh.

    Thanks for a lovely read to start my Monday morning :)

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  10. Hey gorgeous lady!
    I am LOVING this post! Love books, bookstores and everything you wrote about.
    When I was in Toronto this summer, I hit up so many used book stores...ohhhh, the smells, the feeling of turning pages, the spine bending back! There's something so comforting about the whole experience.
    Love your bookshelf pic!
    Yeah - definitely glad I stopped by today :)
    Happy Tuesday!

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  11. I agree 100% :) I love real books. Especially the ones made of recycled paper!!

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