E-Book Gee-Book! Gimmie a Real-Book!

E-Book Gee Book! Gimmie a Real-Book!

By Glenn Peppers                                9-24-13

E-Book-Gee-Book! Hey guys, I don't know about you, but I still like the look and feel of a Real Book in my Hands! I still dig turning the pages. I like the smell of ink in a freshly published work, as well as the feel, and aroma of great Bonding or Antique paper, and Leather Bound Covers. I still like highlighting the various lines and passages and verses in Real Books. 

I like highlighting all the many points of interest in a book with all my various color highlighter! I'm one of those strange people who still like using goofy Book Markers! The 3D book markers are still admittedly cool to me! Books make great decorations, and cabinet ornaments when they aren't being used on rainy evenings when nothings on TV; or when Facebook becomes passe', and Netfix continues to show all those really bad movies, playing them off as classic "B" movies!

There's nothing like finding one of your old, middle school english study books from grade school, and seeing all the makings you and other folks made in it, year ago! Sure the pictures fade, and the pages crumble after many years in books. Well, one day, when and if the Power Grid ever goes down again. All our beautiful high-tech colorful little E-Books will cease to work. It will be then that "To Kill a Mocking Bird" would sound inviting to re-read... or become aquatinted with if you've never read it!

Seems we're doing away with most everything that meant fine reading, and true enjoyment in the way of physical/realtime literary recreation! We've forfeited our newspapers. We've scaled down those wonderful Album Covers to all those great records, down to fold out leaflets in CD cases. Remember laying on the floor, reading the Sunday Funnies, and sharing the many sections of the newspaper with family members? 

There are barely any bookstores in some malls anymore! High-Tech has phased out so many things, in a matter of a few short years. Things like, Video Stores, to Video Arcades, to being locked in ones home, and plugging ones self into On-Demand, ordering a pizza on-line, and vegging on the couch in our own private little Matrix... All Plugged in! High-Tech is fine, but where will it end? How much will we sacrifice for the sake of convenience? 

A few short decades ago, we had to get our big butts up of the couch and turn the TV channel, and adjust the antennae for a clear crisp picture. Now days we have command control center style remote controls right at our fingertips. The world is waiting right there for us, resting on our grubby little infrared index fingers! Clicking and surfing, and texting, and poking; and all the while, a good book is resting on the shelf, screaming to be read, and even bookmarked "For Real!" And enjoyed!

Yes, give me a book! I can tangibly feel its sleeves, its jacket, its crisp pages, and its heaviness! I am in effect feeling what the author and publisher wants me to feel! Its a production package deal. Its not just the writing! Its called, compartmental presentation! The colors, the fonts and yet the simplicity of it all! 

Books denote an era, and a time of expression, much like art! Books immortalizes an author! Over time they become collectors items, and appreciate in value, depending upon the book, and the author. An electronic download is worthless, and may even become corrupted, or accidentally get erased!

Sure nothing is indestructible! Books burn, and are destroyed by water damage, and misuse, etc! That's a chance we have to take. 

Yet just like any precious thing. Books are something to cherish, past down, salvage, and again, enjoy! 

There are great old vintage and secondhand bookstores all around. Get out and visit them! Make a day of it! There's a whole world of imagination and learning between the covers of a good book! 

Admit it... There's nothing like a real book! Embrace it! Fold it, Bend its pages! Draw little smily faces at the top of the page, and highlight to your hearts content!... Its physically, and actually your book. Not some phantom download that only shows itself when your E-Reader or computer is turned on! Remember, when the E-reader is shut off, your newly purchased book disappears, and goes away into electronic La La land! And you know that we as readers all deserve much better than that!

Glenn Peppers