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  • Darius Melton

Long Live the Paperbacks


I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old man, but it’s a shame that kids these days don’t know the magic of walking into a video store like Blockbuster and browsing its film collection. And though it’s said to be making a comeback, kids also won’t be enjoying the wonders of wandering aimlessly through the aisles of a local Toys “R” Us for the time being.

Times change, and convenience is the name of the game. Blockbuster was beat out by the Redbox at your nearby gas station and direct-to-TV streaming services, like Netflix. Toys “R” Us was beat out by online shopping options like Amazon. The world’s premier online shopping site offers lots of easy choices. There are definite reasons as to why one might prefer Amazon to other options—easy browsing, cheaper prices, and home delivery are all very appealing benefits.

Companies like Barnes & Noble offer similar benefits, as their site does accommodate online shopping. However, shoppers are probably less likely to look at Barnes &Noble’s online offerings when the company is mostly known for their physical stores.

It’s hard to feel bad for a big business like Barnes & Noble, and it’s also hard to get mad at Amazon when their service really does work well, but it is sad to think that there’s a chance that the physical medium of books could be in jeopardy—especially when you look at what one of Amazon’s biggest ventures is.

The Amazon Kindle, be it in the form of a tablet or just the phone or computer app, has been a popular way to read books for years, and for good reason. One can lie in bed, purchase, and download a Stephen King novel in seconds; then, we can grip our pillow tight while reading. Scrolling will get readers seeking scary books through this Halloween season.

 

It is sad to think that there’s a chance that the physical medium of books could be in jeopardy.

 

Online shopping and online reading are incredibly efficient and convenient; but to me, it lacks the intimacy that comes with burying one’s face in a physical book.

My two favorite books of all time are Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews and The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga. The former sits to my right in its paperback form as I type this, and I’ve read it all the way through thrice in the past five years. I’ve also loaned it out to anyone at the drop of a hat. The latter sits to my left, downloaded on my Barnes and Noble Nook. I’ve read through maybe half of it once since I bought it in 2011, and no one else has read a word of it.

It’s not wrong to prefer e-books to reading paperbacks or hardcovers—I actually like to use my Kindle app for books I read for school since the backlit screen makes it easier to speed-read at night—but when I’m trying to fall in love with a book, I need to cuddle with it like I would anything else I love (including foods). I’d much rather spin around with a soft, paper-filled bundle of joy with that heavenly new book smell than a cold piece of metal with the same contents inside.

Both of these books enchanted me thoroughly when I checked them out of the library the first time, but there’s just a huge difference between flipping through paper pages and sliding my hands across a screen.

 

I’d much rather spin around with a soft, paper-filled bundle of joy with that heavenly new book smell than a cold piece of metal with the same contents inside.

 

The rise of e-books seems to be slowing down for now, as it was reported last year that both physical books and independent bookstores made an unexpected comeback. Instead, the talk of the town has become the audiobook, as that format is rising while e-book sales decline. Like with e-books, listening to an audiobook is still respectable and efficient, but I still feel like it lacks the intimacy that a hardcover can offer.

I just think it’s important to support physical books now more than ever. They seem like they’ll be around forever, seeing as they’ve been around basically since the dawn of written history, but you never know. Perhaps looking back and buying a copy of your favorite library book from the past is enough to keep a Books-A-Million’s lights on.

Cover Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Kindle Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

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