BOOKS AROUND ME

I remember a line from the movie Norma Rae.  The movie was about organizing workers in a textile mill and I remember the union organizer saying one of his greatest fears was waking up without something to read.  I would feel lost without something to read, or the possibility of something new on the horizon.

The first book club I remember joining was the Literary Guild in the  late 1970's.  It was a thrill getting that introductory shipment and it has been a thrill every time I've joined a book club since then.  In those days I remember getting a short story collection by Irwin Shaw.  I read Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song around that same time.

Nowadays we have electronic book readers like Kindle and Nook and they have some noted advantages, particularly in their portability and the fact they don't take up much space.  But I will always prefer traditional books.  I like the way the book feels in my hands and the way the ink smells and the texture of the paper.  I like to see it on my shelf always ready to keep me company as many times as I choose.  So I see electronic readers as enhancements, not replacements.