Books are NOT becoming obsolete

If one more person says books are becoming obsolete, or even hint at it, I swear I'm going to scream. Seriously, folks, cut it out. It just ain't true.

Now this may sound like a severe case of denial on my part. Time will tell on that one. But it seems like everyone I know who reads reads actual physical books. Maybe I'm just associating with a different sort of person, but I doubt it. I don't know a single person who owns an e-reader (except maybe some of my online acquaintances). Most readers I know can't wait until the new books hit the grocery store or the Borders or the Walmart. I don't know if they savor the experience like I do, but there's obviously something they prefer about reading a physical copy of a book rather than an e-book.

I know the feeling. Books are an entire sensory experience for me. I can't get the feel of the paper when I read on the computer, I can't smell the paper, I can't snuggle up with an e-book, no pretty bookmarks, no crackle of a new spine or crisp fluttering as the pages turn. Not to mention how much easier a book is on my eyes than a brightly lit computer screen. (Yes, I am a Mogwai and can be heard shrieking 'bright light bright light' when my daughter accidentally flips the wrong switch.) Hell, I have a tough enough time reading an entire short story online let alone a book. Unless, of course, it's mine and I'm editing it. I even print my books out on paper to edit sometimes for petesakes. Call me old-fashioned. Call me behind the times. Screw Kindle. Screw Sony. Give me my paper and print.

I'll tell you one thing, I'll stop reading when they pry the book out of my cold dead hands.

Time to chime in. Old-fashioned like me, or e-reader all the way? Or are you a bit of both? What do you think about the future of the published book?

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