What is a book?

A book is an adventure. A book is something that will take you to a place you have never been and never would be if it hadn't been given to you. Unlike movies or plays books give you a world that is made up but allow you to make it your own. The world isn't imagined for you like in a movie it comes from your own imagination. The author may have had specific images in mind when writing a book but a book still allows you the freedoms to design your own world and characters.

A kindle or an iPad is not a book. A book is something that you can physically hold and contains paper and ink. You can't adjust the brightness of the book or charge it. You can't leave the app open and come back to it later, you fold the page where you left off. To me a book needs to be felt. It needs to be able to be seen and put on a shelf when you are finished with it as a way of triumphantly saying "look what I have done." Books should be seen in an accumulation of stacks and not scrolls. You shouldn't have to scroll down a bookshelf, you have to browse it. To be able to look at all the work and creativity that these authors have put into their work.

The great thing about books are that you can use them any time and anywhere. The book is not going to die on you when you're in the middle of the climax and it isn't going to constrict you to a 3 foot leash attached to a wall. You are free to roam and go where you please. You can even bring it in the bath tub and not risk completely ruining it. (They are also cheaper to replace than any iPad or Kindle.)

The best thing about books is the experience you get while reading. The sound of the turning page, the smell of a new book, the crunch when folding a corner, the notes written in the margins. These are what make a book what it is. (Also, if there is ever some sort of post apocalyptic waste land books will still be around. The iPads and Kindles of the world will most likely not work. Books will be the only entertainment and can also be used to kindle a fire.)

To end this post here is a picture of Ben Affleck

Why I Read

Why do I read? I read for many reasons. The main reason is to relax. While reading I prefer to be away from everybody else, to be secluded in my room and bask in the quite. Reading allows me to be away from everything else and be alone by myself. Something I really enjoy about reading is that people really tend not to bother you when you are reading a book. When you're watching a movie you can always pause and come back to it. But with reading there are time where you really can't put the book down and people will notice that causing them to leave you to do your thing. I also read for the imaginative perspective. Reading a book allows for you see and develop a world in your head and see things that you wouldn't normally wouldn’t on your own. It allows you to develop ideas and characters that you never knew existed. Finally, I enjoy reading for the personal connections you can make with a story. I enjoy being able to see something a character does and then be able to relate to it or apply to a situation I may have been in. 

To end this post here is a picture of Matt Damon: