Books. The printed kind.

This is seriously one of my most anticipated plans for the summer break...


Read.Read.Read.Read.Read.Read.Read.Read.

I wrote up a list of all the books I plan on reading once I'm on break. Uni makes me feel so guilty for reading things that have nothing to do with any of my subjects. I suppose I could probably use my Creative Writing subject as an excuse, but I would know, so still major GUILT.

I just took a look at the aforementioned list and there are 21 novels, 1 suite of poems and 2 collections of short stories listed. Four months seems sufficient. Which of course includes some John Green (including a SIGNED COPY of his upcoming novel that will be here in Jan) and yes Anthony, the Robert Cormier novel you leant me ages ago is on there also!

On the subject of books, I'm beginning to wonder if the way I read books is in some way "weird." Because a lot of people - including Anthony who instructs me not to open the pages too wide in case it creates the tiniest crease on the spine of his books! - like to keep their books in the most pristine condition. Why?! Are you planning to keep them as an investment?

Okay, fair enough if you are, but seriously, most books aren't going to become an investment. They end up placed on your bookshelf to be re-encountered, in months or even years. When you go back to pick them up in the future, don't you want there to be notes on the side with your thoughts at the time and folded corners for the pages that intrigued you back then?

Books, for me, hold memories. When I go back to them, whether to read them again or just to flick through, I can find the pieces that I loved, quotes that made an impact on me, thoughts that I expressed in margins, and sometimes these things can remind me of where I was when I had been reading it, what was occurring in my life and the way I was feeling. Maybe that's just me.

Which is also why Koodles or Noodles or whatever they're called (I just looked it up and they're called Kindles... Koodles? Really, Amanda?) confuse me. But I really shouldn't even get into that. Just, PDF files for books?! No, I'm... I'm just going to stop myself there.


PS. To those who keep their books in pristine condition and to those who read in PDF form, I in no way intended to offend you. Although I don't totally understand it, I still respect it. And at least there is still reading going on, however you choose to do it :)

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