There's Nothin' Like a Book!

Have you ever experienced an aroma that elicits such a powerful memory, that you actually have to pull yourself out of your musings to reorient yourself to time and place?

That’s what the smell of books does for me.

Not just any book, mind you. I mean, the musty smell of an ancient prose is nice, but it can elicit a rather nasty choking fit. I’m not talking about dusty books. I’m referring to the smell of a bookstore, the smell of new books, that crisp, clean smell of fresh ink and paper.

There’s nothing like going into a bookstore. I remember when I first entered one, and how fabulous it felt to just stand in the entrance and just take a deep whiff. People must have thought me mad, but I didn’t really care. I just dug the smell, mostly because I was anticipating a purchase. I also have a real appreciation for the written word. I guess that’s why I became a writer.

Recently, a group of friends had been discussing the use of a Kindle or a Nook in order to view stories. They were touting its usefulness, how wonderful it was to be able to store 10,000 titles in a single electronic device, how great it could be to view magazines as well as new fictional releases. My daughter was “given” an iPad at LIU during her freshman year; I say “given”, for I noticed a $350 charge on our bill. You don’t get anything for free, apparently. But I digress…

I must have been the only oddball out of my group of friends, for I was the one who championed the actual physical book. I had casually mentioned that I was saddened by the closing of many bookstores in our area, for I truly missed the experience of the shop itself. Peaceful, with the slight aroma of coffee from the shop within, with thousands of titles to choose from, bookstores were to me not unlike a Zen moment. I could shop for hours, for self or for others, and it was pretty much guaranteed that I was going to exit with at least two books purchased. The bigger the bookstore, the better, for there was that lovely book smell, present in every section. Not to mention the fact that I could sit with a cup of java and peruse my purchases afterwards. And the chairs! I loved that stores like Borders offered you chairs to sit in, so that you could scan the book before you went ahead and bought it. And books could be dog-eared, highlighted, or you could leave little notes in the margins, if you wanted to refer back to that particular spot in the book at a later time.

My friends, who were on the side of technology, countered that Kindles, Nooks, and iPads had the capability to highlight and bookmark, as well. They stated that their homes were a whole lot more organized, now that they had removed books from all over the house. And they said that there were so many cool “add-ons” to help you to be able to view the screen in the sun.

Now, I can see technology’s value, and I agree that it has pushed many Long Islanders into the future with its presence. However, when a power failure occurs, how is one able to read? What happens if the screen accidentally gets wet? Or what happens if you accidentally delete a book to make room for another? A physical book can dry out, and in a power failure, you can still read by candle light. Well, this is a stretch for my aging eyes, but you get the picture. A book is a tried and true friend. It’s not going to die out when the battery gives out.

My friends could see that I could not be deterred, so we switched the topic to something different. When I came home for the night, however, I realized that I was pretty much “old school”, and I was good with that. Yes, I have a “smart phone”, and I don’t know how I ever lived without it. But I also have a ton of books that grace the shelves of my den, and I’m a happy camper. Especially when I get a new one…oh, that beloved new book smell!