Books the Real Thing

We had a neighbor here for dinner the other day. He was talking about his love for the Kindle. I told him that I love to find an old book that I have been wanting..... used  from Amazon for a penny plus postage. We talked at a great length about his Kindle. He thought that I was really missing out. Here's what I think about the Kindle. I can afford one...no sour grapes here. I would have trouble reading from it...with my eyesight. I know...I tried one. I'm not really a gadget person. I seldom travel. I am a homebody who has a passion for living in my surroundings. Nothing is better than curling up on the couch with a good lamp nearby...a cup of something hot to drink, my afghan covering me, and a wonderful book in my hands. I love old books, with their yellowed pages, and covers with worn out corners. I love new books, with their crisp pages and new jackets with sometimes beautiful artwork. A favorite day is when  I enjoy meeting the UPS or USPS man at the door, and he hands me a package with a book in it.  I love to open an brand new book. We learned how to do this in 2nd grade....when Miss Leach taught us the correct way....taking time to open from the middle a few pages at a time. I enjoy opening an old book....always to the front of the book to see if there is an inscription in it. An old library book with a list of dates and names of people who checked the book out. I might be lucky enough to find a book mark, grocery list, newspaper clipping or something else that was forgotten in the book. I love the fresh smell of new books and the musty fragrance of an old. I love floor to ceiling book shelves with books all in order.....garden books on shelf one...shelf two would be religious books...shelf three would be books about English life....cookbooks would have a shelf....and so on....oh, I can't forget the poetry shelf.  Stacks of books by an old rocker or books on a bedside table. Baskets of Christmas books and one on the kitchen table for meals eaten alone. Oh gosh....I could go on all day about books. Do you understand why I don't want a Kindle? I have to change my sidebar about books I'm reading. I seldom change this...so you probably think, "Is she still reading these books?" No, I just forget about changing that list. My favorite Christmas or birthday gift is a book.....I received two books this Christmas 36 Acres by Tobin Frayley and the new Ina book...Foolproof..I'll tell more about them later on. Joe and I sat reading yesterday with the Christmas tree lit. It was a cozy time...
Balisha