The Idea Blog

Ours is undergoing a bit of a change since I added a Kindle to my electronic line-up. This week I’ve finished Clyde Edgerton’s new novel, The Bible Salesman, and begun Thomas Friedman’s new book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, but instead of both needing to find a place on the shelf, both are files on my digital reader.

Betty asked yesterday if she could read the Edgerton when I finished. Sure, I said, but does that mean I have to read my next book … as a book?

Coincidences

Today I came across this lifestyle/decorating article in The Wall Street Journal. (And here’s the podcast.) Seems home libraries are making a bit of a comeback: “In the latest annual National Association of Home Builders consumer survey, 63% of home buyers said they wanted a library or considered one essential, a percentage that has been edging up for the past few years. Many mass-market home builders are including libraries in their house plans, sometimes with retro touches like rolling ladders and circular stairs.”

Believe me, there are enough books in our house – including many volumes from the Library of America series – that we could read and re-read to the end of our days and never again buy a hard or soft cover. Yes, books make an inviting decorating scheme. They’re comforting, not to mention enchanting when you just pull one down, open it and start in on the magic. The Kindle doesn’t give off the same aura. It’s different. I like them both.

Previous posts about my Kindle are here and here.