Browsing through my Facebook timeline I came across this comment which made me stop in my tracks and think
Went to buy a book at Waterstones a few days ago and the lovely guy who works there confirmed that Waterstones is shutting down for good this month! I know there are worse things but I’m so incensed, not only at the loss of jobs, but also that all bookshops are disappearing, places where you could sit down in a peaceful and beautiful atmosphere, browsing and taking your time amongst bookcases full of amazing and colourful books and magazines. Mark my words: there will come the day when we’ll miss TOUCHING a book rather then switching on an appliance!
What do you think?
I love the fact that technology is progressing and we are making life easier for ourselves in so many different areas but I also love the feel of a book in my hand and the turning of pages.
I hanker after a Kindle but can’t really say I’d use one right now, it’s perfect for commuters and an excellent way of keeping your luggage light when going on holiday but does this progress mean our children will never know the pleasure of a book shop? The pleasure of buying a book and putting it on the shelf once read?
Did you ever lend a really good book out and never get it back? Boy did that make me mad, I was very territorial over my books inscribing ‘This book belongs to…’ on the front cover just to be sure it never roamed from home.
Are you going to miss bookshops on the high street or should we simply embrace the evolution of product?
About Marianne Whooley
BLOGS AT: Mari's World; TWITTER: @maris_world. Mother of four and gran to two Marianne Whooley has spent half her life in the UK and the other half in Italy. Blogging since Jan 2010, she finds it hard to drag herself away from her laptop. She likes to dabble in the kitchen, mess around with a camera, play at gardening, and she’s an expert in packing suitcases. She’d quite like to be an author translated into 25 languages but what she’s really good at is being a mum, a woman and a good friend.
Was discussing this with MrB last night. It’s not just the loss of bookshops, it’s the loss of a way of communicating with people. I love looking at what other people are reading on the train, for example. I wonder how many friendships are struck up by seeing that someone is reading a particular book? Now it’s just ranks of people sliding a finger across a screen on a Kindle or a phone. And you can’t share them so easily. It encourages people to sit inside a bubble.
You’re right, tablets, phones and Kindles do not promote conversation and that’s a worry too as society needs interaction.
I have to be honest, I haven’t been into an actual bookstore for yonks. I do, however, order all of my OU books online at Waterstones.
As much as I love the ease of downloading a book onto my iPad, I prefer actually having a book in my hand. Just as I love using a real paper diary.
There’s something right about flicking pages isn’t there? ..and people seeing what you’re reading too as Breakfast Lady above mentions
I have had a Kindle for a while now and love it. I find it lighter to hold than a book and obviously there’s no actual turning the page, or holding a page open that can be awkward with some thick paperbacks.
However, if I go into a shop I get drawn to books by their colourful covers. I find it harder to choose a book via the Kindle.
As far as children are concerned, the loss of “real” books would be a disaster. I adore watching my children turning the pages of a book, even though my daughter is only 18 months old, seeing her turning pages, interested in whats on the next page, is precious. I don’t think that could ever be the same on a Kindle, iPad or computer.
Speaking from an author’s point of view on this, yes, it is a real shame that bookstores around the UK are closing at an alarming rate. It is very sad to think the next generation may not know the pleasure of walking into a book shop and browsing shelves of paperbacks. I prefer an actual book. However, I do have a Kindle and put my work on there (as well in paperback) because the time has come where we either have to keep up or lose out. Books will always be around; I can’t see eBooks taking over completely, but as time progresses, so does technology. Unfortunately for me, who is the ultimate technophobe!
In a way, it’s like the VHS and Betamax – eventually, DVD’s will be a thing of the past and we’ll probably have tiny SD cards to slot into a machine – or even a robot to do it for us.
CJ x
I can’t see anything about Waterstones closing. I wonder if it was just that branch? Waterstones are pushing the boat out, selling Kindles and eBooks in store (I’m not hugely impressed with the decision to go with the Kindle, what with it being Amazon’s product, but there you go), and also pushing the integration of coffee shops and the like, so I would be surprised if they were all closing down.
I would miss books, yes, though I really do not believe they are disappearing. They still outsell eBooks (from mainstream publishers). Free eBooks might be ‘selling’ in huge numbers, but most of them aren’t actually being read and discussed and so on. And publishers are also pushing forward high-quality print versions for the extra tactile and design experience that you don’t get from an eBook.
And, even if print books stopped being sold, people like me would still have our thousands of books lining our walls.
I’d like to see people boycotting (or just avoiding) Amazon and making much more use of their local independent book stores (and even the High St book chains like Waterstones and WH Smith).
That is absolutely devastating news. I was so crushed when Books Etc shut down, one of my favourite haunts with the boys. There is absolutely nothing like the feel of paper in your hands, especially when you’re reading with the little ones.
It’s not that I’m against technology – I own an iPad and a Kindle (although I must confess haven’t really gotten used to the latter yet), and I love the magic of touch screen interactivity.
But you can’t beat the tactile pleasure of an actual book – the kind that when you finish you literally hug it to your chest, it made you that happy to read it. Or maybe that’s just me!