Books

You know that moment of social interaction while waiting for the kettle to boil, because you know it is going to boil by the time you get back to your chair and actually re-enter your password to unlock the pc. Yesterday morning I felt particularly opinionated after being squashed into an overfull tube and to top it of having been hit over the head by a kindle. Off topic - if Boris thinks his tubes are fine I really would like to invite him on the Victoria Line between 8 and 9 in the morning. So you can guess my mood when I unleashed my prepared speech onto the first unsuspecting colleague who came in looking for a cuppa.

As a predator ready for the kill, I saw him look at the kettle filled to the maximum not making any sounds of reaching boiling point yet and then the most wonderful invitation to a chat sounded 'So how are you?'. Muhaha how am I, how am I, I will tell you how I am - is what sounded in my head as I started to tell him my opinion on kindles.

Yes, kindles, e book readers and other electronic devices posing as a replacement for a book. How can you possibly say one of them toys can replace a book? I gave him all my arguments. How was I to know that I encountered my nemesis a true e book lover...

So I started saying that it just isn't the same, you don't know how far along you are in a book. He proved me wrong, you have little icons showing you how far along you are in a book in some readers.

Startled but not beaten I stated that you miss a big part of joy when you line up a trilogy on a book shelf. He countered that in his tiny Londen flat books were mostly kept under the bed, in boxes at his parents and no where near a book shelf.

After a few more waved away points I thought I had him, and revealed my secret weapon the smell of a new book! Now admit it, there is nothing like that lovely smell of opening a fresh book. Breaking the binding and sniffing the pages is like smelling a waft a perfume that takes you back to a lovely holiday or a steamy hot date with a handsome man. It recounts all those wonderful adventures you shared with Drizzt, Scarlet, Fitz, Frodo and so many more. He looked defeated, there was no winning this one. That was until a few hours later I get this link sent to me in my mailbox, http://smellofbooks.com/ ...

Yes, some person had this kettle argument before and ended up thinking, I will get that e book reader hater! And bottled the scent of that sacred pleasure that every book lover cherishes, the plucking of a books cherry. To add to the audacity of bottle new book smell they also have old book smell and bacon smell! You read it right bacon smell described in the following poetic words:
'Crunchy Bacon is a low calorie, low cholesterol alternative for your breakfast reading enjoyment. '
I don't know about you but I dont really end up eating the pages I read on my morning commute.

But there went my last bit of defence I had to hold on to the old fashioned medium called books. However the day went on and I decided to be the old fashioned book user while the world would convert to e readers. I imagined myself printing an e book and having it bound at the printers. This morning I passed mr e reader on the stairs and just as the warm sun hit my back he spoke these words: 'You forgot to mention that you can never run out of battery with a normal book' while shaking his kindle at me. The smile that appeared on my face that blissful moment has not left my lips all day. How could I not see the flaw, me whose phone is always dead and never knows her own number when someone asks for it, me whose laptop dies in the middle of the most exciting episode of V ever, me who has turned back from running multiple times when her iPod didn't have the energy I was so willing to waste away on a run.

Books always work, they don't need charging or plugging in or expensive batteries! They love you without needing anything in return, nothing but a shred of imagination and a hint of curiousity.