Technology like cell phones, tablets, and laptops have made it really easy to buy electronic books and read them straight from the screen. While that can be beneficial, especially when it comes to reading textbooks for classes, I will always prefer holding the actual book between my hands.
I don't know what it is, but there is something about going to an actual bookstore, walking around the aisles, and sitting on the floor looking at books until I find the ones I want that is so calming to me. Having the actual book in my hands, being able to feel the pages, smell the "new book" smell, and see the wear-and-tear of the spine from opening the book too much is better than only being able to see the words on a phone screen.
We live in a society where the new generations love technology. No one goes out into the real world anymore to find dates; there are apps like "Tinder" for that now. Everyone hides behind a screen to give their own opinions instead of having meaningful conversations over a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop. No one reads books anymore, especially one that isn't on a screen. Many students even choose to get their textbooks as eBooks.
When it comes to me, I would much rather buy the textbook because then I could highlight it, make notes in it, and fill it with sticky notes on pages I thought would be important. But hey, let's be real here, most students don't even read their textbooks, am I right?
When I read from an actual book, I don't get a headache because I am not staring at a screen for too long. When I read from an actual book, I actually get to be able to get lost in the text and imagine what the story is telling. This might sound weird, and most of you might not get it, but reading from an actual book feels more intimate and personal rather than just reading a book from a screen.
I am that girl that has an entire book collection to the point where I never have any room to fit any of my books. I am that girl that when she has nothing to do, she will sit down and read a book. I am that girl who will read a book 500 times and still laugh and cry (yes, I have these emotions while reading) like I have never read the book before.
While I do have books on my phone, for emergencies when I forget my copy at home, I do not enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy reading from a worn-out copy. I am so emotional with books that I hate when books have pages that are folded as bookmarks and I hate when people bend their books in order to read them.
I realize that not many people even read books anymore because they have "outgrown them" or "don't have time to read books" but people seem to forget that reading a book can be an escape. Instead of scrolling through social media or watching tv as an escape, I read and I enjoy reading. I am definitely a type of person who is going extinct but reading will always be something I enjoy and it will always be more enjoyable when the actual book is in my hands.
