Flip Flip to Tak Tak.... Changing Pages!!

Ok…. I enjoy reading, though not a voracious reader, but what I love most are the visits to a bookstore or a library.

Meandering my way from one row of shelf to another, browsing through some witty-interesting titles, admiring the covers, turning the back of some best-sellers for the reviews and sit with one of them in a blissfully co-existing  Café.  One leg on top of another, ears listening to music, tongue relishing the beverage, nose smelling the fresh book,  arms holding the book, eyes reading the black on white and fingers on the pages going flip-flip.

Flip, Flip as I flip through some old book, sometimes I see a written-note gifted to me, bringing a nostalgic smile. Sometimes I see a folded-corner reminding me of my half reads. Sometimes remember my growing up days, when I would keep a flower/leaf in between the pages. Wait for it to dry-up in a day or two. So I could paste it in a greeting card or use it like a book-mark or just feel its texture or just crush it to hear the crisp.

 

Crisp crisp my currency comes out almost impulsively and invariably to buy at least one book whenever I visit a store and add to my piling-on collection. My Book-Shelf now is carpented to reach almost the ceiling. BTW it also houses this heavy, thick, fat book written in tiny fonts, “Steve Jobs" Biography by Walter Issacson, picturing his i-ttitude face on the cover. 

His eyes always looks straight into mine as if asking me “When Are You Reading Me Darling” . With a gulp I reply “Soon Baby Soon!”, and look around to see the other collections only to realize that more than half of them are yet to be read and just kept away!!”

Away.. Away in the bookshelf are also kept all sizes of dictionaries. For whenever I get into reading something, especially something “literary”, I encounter words I would not understand their meanings of. If am in my enthusiastic best, I would underline these unfathomable-tougher words to check their meanings later in the dictionary. But this “later” in most likelihood never comes.

Come a Holiday/Vacation plan, luggaging a book has always been customary. Whether I end up reading it or not is a different story. I would browse through my collection, when I suddenly hear “Why Aren’t You Taking Me?” there Mr. Steve Jobs, interrogating me from his book-cover “You Are Yet To Read Me!?”

Irritated with this sudden reminder, my subconscious mind back answers “Coz You Are Big, Fat and Heavy For My Suit-Case. Moreover you are too boring for a holiday”. Just then a little guilt crosses me and I console “Once I Return Mr. Jobs, I Shall Definitely Give You a Read.”

 

“Read… Read, so you must, to gain knowledge, to attain wisdom…” Timeless Prophecies . So I have been…reading… sometimes in full enthusiasm, sometimes in lesser. Phases when I didn’t read at all, when I believed I didn’t have time at all. Most-times, excitedly choosing the fiction reads and sometimes determinedly choosing the must professional or literary-reads. But at any time,  Archies has always been a Fun-read… unless I get caught picking it up from the book-shelf.  “What?! Reading About A College Kid??? Look at your age!!”- As usual! Mr. Steve Jobs at me again . “Any Ambitious Person Today, Reads Me ”  …

 “Whats Your Problem” I Snap back “I… I… I Was Just Taking a Break ” Scornfully, I keep back the comic condoling “RIP Archie, will miss you” and keep it away.

 

Well!!.... Such has been my reading and wish-list reading habit.

But…

 

For all the book-store trips,

And for all the page flips,

For all the look and feel

And for all the old-habit zeal…

I Love Books.. Just Hard Books

Any Book but Only.. Print Book

 

I run this slogan in my mind while observing any debate, any joke, any article on Books V/S E-Books. I mean.. imagine, gifting a book will mean gifting a code for download. How impersonal!.  Bookmarks and page pressed flowers will extinct. How Sad! Bookstore will be merely some kiosk to download or listen to a book. Just not happening!. Of course, I support Books, only print books, quite strongly.

 

Strongly, actually very strongly I supported it when I met this Gadget-Geek Cousin who recently purchased a Kindle. And kindling in his joy, he shows off the piece to me, goes on bragging about its advantages “imagine! more than 1000 e-books can be carried anywhere…. blah blah blah” and all the while I kept resenting it with all my traditionalistic sentiments. Forcefully he drops off the machine in my palms “C’mon have a look. How light it is!” Indeed it was light and I started thinking even in a Tab which I carry anyways everywhere, a book can be so conveniently carried in E-Format. 1 item instead of 2 in a travel-suitcase. “But Hey! What am I thinking. It’s a sin. I only support print-books no matter what” sudden realization dawns on me and start chanting the slogan to wash off my sin. Hand over the kindle to him, who was looking at me with childlike excitement. “Isse aankhen kharab hojandi hain teri” (You will spoil your eyes with this) curtly reply to kill his excitement and walk out.

 

Out of boredom one day, I was browsing through Tab and in attempt to scroll down, accidentally pressed on word “precipitation” and Voila! A prompt appears showing this word’s meaning “Rain, Sleet or Snow”. What a simple meaning it has, I wonder. Though I have come across this word here and there but never attempted to find its meaning. And just a press on the word in a Tab instantly shows me the meaning in the right context. Am sure it would be the same while reading an E-Book, I wonder deeply now. And how simple it would be to E-read that tough-worded Classic “Wuthering Heights” which I left quarter way through...............
“You May E-Read Me As Well”

 

Well There!.. Mr Steve at his irritating job again.
“Mind Your Own Business” I snap at him and turn its cover the other way but subconsciously give a thought to his comment. If Steve Jobs is an E-Book, I wouldn’t have to look at his i-conic face so frequently. Besides, his Big-Fat book would’nt seem very huge and daunting in a sleek machine.
"But hey again, where am I getting these Anti-PrintBooks ideas from. Chant the slogan. Fast. Before my mind gets dirty."

 

What is she reading?
Asterix, 7 Habits or 50 Shades of Grey!?!



Dirty! Talk about dust that gathers in the bookshelf and I have to clean up every few days. Though it also fun to keep bumping into some old books in this process. One such time recently I hit on my favorite Archie when… “LEAVE the KID ALONE” Oh No Mr. Jobs never leaves me alone.

“SHUT  UP” I back answer and drift away in my thoughts. While E-reading, I may read anything….. I mean anything, without anyone getting to see what I am reading (My Dirty Thought ;) ). Further if all these books in the shelf gets squeezed into one E-Device, I would never have to clean anything. (My Clean Thought).
"Hey. Whatever thought it maybe, none of them is a Pro-book thought. Ought not allow my mind to drift. I Support only Hard Books."

 

“Book-Worm” neighborhood library from where I got a book few days back, to my surprise had some pages missing and some pages torn. Feeling cheated,  I walk back to return it when I start wondering if there can ever be torn or missing  pages in a E-Book? No. Never. Technically Impossible! Then why am I still stuck to Just Books?!
"Oh! No no no…this case is just an exception…Forgive me Lord.. Chant.. Only Print Books everytime, everyday"

 

Day, a fine one, while browsing through a website, I see a small banner of a E-Book Brand. With a minute’s thought full of curiosity, I finally click on it. Browse through the page, check the collection, read some reviews, all the while protecting myself to be caught by my Print-Books patriotic side. Recollect all my recent observations about E-read benefits. I can feel my mind now unable to ignore the conveniences of E-Books.
"Lord I’m in a fix. Hard-book reckons me with all its Old-World-Charm and  E-book beckons me with all its new-age-advantage. What do I do?"

 

“Do you even care how much dust has gathered on my white cover? Again Mr. Job Stalking me and this time in my life-changing thoughts. I choose not to react. And turn back to my tab and continue browsing. After ten minutes I pick up Mr. Jobs book ‘Steve Jobs Biography’,  “Hey what are u doing? Perplexed Steve asks.

“Dumping you in a Carton filled with stuff for 2^nd sale!” I reply.

“But Why?”

I don’t reply and shut the carton

“Hey! I’ll miss you” he shouts from inside

“I’ll miss you too” I reciprocate. “See you in a new Avataar”

I get back to my Tab and open up my first E-Book “Steve Jobs Biography” downloaded just five minutes back. Tak Tak, I start turning the pages to….E-Read

 

Well! This is my story with little reality and little fiction. Story, full of  mixed-feeling transition from anti E-books to accepting E-books concept. And currently, I use both form of reads to keep my love and logic happy and going. All the average sized and simple reads in print-books and all the heavy and loaded reads in E-books format.

 

A similar dilemma would be in existence with so many us these days. And with varying degrees of resistance, gradually are giving consideration to E-reads.

As they say ‘Old Habits Die Hard’…..  but ‘Change is Mightier Constant’.

Though a long long way to go . Despite the growing popularity of E-books, US is yet to see it outselling Printed-Books. And in India, it will take a generation.

But come to think of it, we are poised at the best scenario today, having best of both the reading worlds. We can go to a book-store, enjoy the look and feel experience, select a book by flip-flipping many pages, and while sitting in the Store-Café, purchase it in a E-Format.

Tak Tak… J

Or Vice Versa….

Flip Flip J J