I bought my 8th generation white Kindle in May 2019, after months of researching and hours devouring “Kindle vs physical books” subreddits. I had always been the kind of person who despised e-readers and considered them all that is wrong with the world. To me, Kindle was just for middle-aged women named Karen who wanted to be able to read their romantic novels in font size 20. But my minimalist side can sometimes be very insisting, and that, along with that part of my brain that was already whispering to me “You know what goes well with downsizing your physical books collection? A one-way ticket to another country” sealed the deal.
It was love at first sight. I was a convert. I downloaded all my books into the device and only kept the physical copies of those that had images or were not suited to be read digitally. It was a dream come true when I moved to Scotland, to know that (almost) all my books were with me, in my bag, inside that lil device that now had a cute cover of The Great Wave off Kanagawa. If I wanted a new book I just had to search for it online and I would be reading it in less than five minutes.
But as the Spice Girls sang once, too much of something is bad enough, and soon I found myself overwhelmed by the immense choice of books I had on my Kindle, starting one book and jumping to another if it didn’t hook me in the first page. If my attention span was already ruined because of (ahem) social media, the possibility of having any book at any time was the last nail in the coffin.
Long story short, I haven’t read shit in months.
Last week I had a craving for the physical book version of a title I already have on my Kindle (and haven’t finished yet): “Everyone you hate is going to die”, by Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss, one of my favorites. I knew that I literally had the book on my device but I really wanted to hold it in my hands and dedicate all my attention to it. I wanted to enjoy the fonts, and the design of the book, I wanted to carry it with me, and sit in a cafe and read just that book until I finished it. And when I would finish that one, I would treat myself to a visit to a bookshop to carefully pick the next one from my wishlist, and concentrate just on that book.
So I went to a few bookshops today in search of the book (it was sold out everywhere but I found it on the last one!) and that added to my list of why I am going back to physical books. Man, I just love bookshops. It’s like entering a calm, beautiful universe. A refuge from the noisy stupid world outside. The vibe, the inspiration, the people…I believe it’s all part of the experience of reading books and I truly missed it. The “I want to read this book so I am going to four bookshops after work and I will be so happy when I finally have it in my hands” instead of the instant gratification of downloading it into your e-reader in two minutes and forgetting about it as soon as you close the cover of your Kindle.
Maybe this is about living a life with more meaning, and maybe this is part of my internal revolution. I just want to dedicate time to the good things that make me happy.
There is also a sociological component to my decision. I no longer feel that soon I will want to pack my dearest possessions in two suitcases and leave the rest of my life behind. They say to never say never but you know what I mean - I am no longer in nomad mode because I feel I’ve found my home. And so, I might start building my library again. (As a side note, I read not long ago that is good for kids -it’s like if I could hear you right now freaking out: she did NOT just say kids!!!- to grow up in a house with books, to see their parents reading actual books, not only see them holding a screen/device on the sofa.) Also, this 9 to 5 gal is sick of screens after a day at the office. And people will say that Kindle’s screens are E-ink displays so it doesn’t feel like a scre…oh, shut up. It does a bit?
It might be the Art School grad in me, but I think every book has its own personality, from the cover to the layout to the fonts, which completely disappears when you read on a Kindle. I would like to be a published author one day; designing, seeing, and touching my book is part of the thrill of being one.
These are my reasons why, at the moment, I am putting aside my e-reader and going back to paper. It is a matter of meaning, focusing on one book at a time, and the whole experience of reading books for me.
I am actually excited to be reading again! So that is all for today my little lambs. (What???)