Should We Still Be Reading Books?

“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”
… Groucho Marx


Is that really a question? That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. Of course I shouldn’t, and neither should you. I mean, books are never meant for reading in the first place, at least not the ones outside the syllabus. I mean, even besides the day to day uses like a paperweight, or a doorstop, or throwing it to the cat (That’s why I love hard bound volumes), you should never waste your time with a book reading it. Never. Relish it.
When you sit down with a new book, smell the pages, caress the lines, feel the leather on the cover, you feel its your own, not because you paid for it at the counter, but because you two are alone. Like Christopher Morley once said, “There is no mistaking a real book when one meets it. It is like falling in love.” The same book, when its being written, and when its being read, might be completely different. (apart from the printing mistakes of course) When the book is written, a thought evokes the words. And when its read the words evoke a thought. For the same reason, the same book being read by you might have a different impact when being read to you. The oration, intonation, voice…. everything changes a book, your book. In a way, experiencing a book is like a sex act. It is done very privately and most often in bed. (and sometimes you both go to sleep with the covers open)
That’s why, every book belongs to its reader. Its journey, its experience, its shots, its nausea are a reader’s own as long as he craves it. They can be told but not shared, can be heard but not experienced, can be liked but not loved. A book is perhaps the closest, most loyal, most sensitive and most patient friend one can have. It never complains if you are more famous, if you make more money than it, if you have other friends or if you got angry and threw it away last week. All it cares about is that you pay him a visit once in a while, sit with him for a few minutes and you can talk about whatever you want to….. it will always have an answer, perhaps not the one you like, but always the one you need.
Anyway, it all sounds too philosophical, just like the last cheap trick to get you to read books. Unfortunately, like I said, nobody can tell you how you’ll feel when you drown yourself within the leather covers or dream of nearly describing the ecstasy you can achieve. You must find it out for yourself. So the doctor’s verdict would be …… grab a book, go to bed, and call me in the morning. Happy Journey!!!