Lynn H. Blackburn

Bibliophile – a person who collects or has a great love of books.

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, then you know that I love to read. What you may not know is how much I love books. I love the weight of a book in my hand, the crisp feel of a new hardback and the musty smell of a hundred year old classic.

I have friends who love to read, but have no attachment to their books. They read them, then sell or donate them.

I don’t get that.

I don’t hold it against them, but secretly (until now), I think it’s weird.

Because I can’t bear to part with my books. I moved recently and now have twenty-one boxes of books waiting for the bookshelf that will become their home. A bookshelf I intend to be large enough to hold many more books as the years go by.

All of this should explain why I’ve been reluctant to jump on the Kindle/Nook bandwagon.

Until recently, my general take on e-readers was that they were fabulous for some people but please, just hand me a book.

I haven’t entirely given up on that notion.

But never one to pass up a good deal, I downloaded the free Kindle/Nook apps to my iTouch and started downloading all the free books that looked interesting.

To my surprise, I’ve grown rather fond of the convenience of reading on my tiny little iTouch. It slides into my purse or diaper bag with ease. It even fits in my pocket.

Of course, I’ve been reading free books. So it’s felt more like a digital trip to the library.

And then Saturday, I crossed over.

I paid $9.99 for a book.

I’m still not exactly sure how it happened. I have plenty of free books to read. But they weren’t what I wanted to read. And it was late. The library was closed. I could have gone to the bookstore, but that would have meant a thirty minute round trip, plus several dollars in gas.

I thought about it off and on for a good hour. What was I thinking? Spending $9.99 on digital media with no book to sit on my shelf?

But…I pay $10 to get into a two-hour movie. Not often, but I’m obviously willing to spend that much for a brief amount of entertainment. It will take me at least twenty hours to read this book.

That’s only fifty cents an hour!

Before I knew it, I had downloaded the book and in the process, I think I figured out how the e-reader fits in my book-loving hand.

My love of books has not diminished. My first choice will always be a book. My second choice will be to download the freebies.

But every now and then, I’ll pay $9.99 for twenty hours of entertainment.

And if the book is good enough, I’ll pay even more later on for it to sit on my shelf.