Here’s what makes me see red; with the advent of modern technology, books have had their day. There is no longer any use flicking through dusty old volumes. Some think, why bother? When you can get almost any book online, download it to your e-reader, your iphone or whatever modern day device you are eagerly queuing up for?
The written word is a marvellous thing, truly enhanced when you come across a well-loved volume of your favourite work in a dusty old bookshop, of which there are less and less of.
How long can the all-singing, all-dancing frothy coffee bookshops of today survive? I used to love going to Borders – they vanished into receivership as quickly as they appeared in my local shopping mall.
I have picked up dozens of books on my travels; the beautiful handwriting of bygone days written on the inside page in dedication fuels my imagination alone. As I wonder about the occasion or reason for the gift, it’s sparks a long-held tradition within my own family;
“You don’t give a book without a written dedication inside,”
Lest I be misunderstood, I love technology (although I may not, as yet, have mastered it!) and adore what it has done for me as a budding, if not late-blooming writer, but at the same time I will always be thankful for, and raise a hearty salute to books...
When I was a child I used books as my own form of escapism, until something happened which was to affect me for the longest time. I lost all my books, along with my trust, but slowly and gradually over the years I built up a collection that I will never part with. Some are ‘classics’, others are most definitely not! They are all old friends which never let me down, sometimes they even disappoint.
Favourite books are like old flames; they stoke the fire within you and keep it burning bright, filling you up with warmth and love, and - unlike an old lover - they can often bring a fresh perspective and maturity that you may,
Seeing Read
Like soldiers of knowledge
Standing side by side,
Each one containing
A special mission of surprise!
Some are older and wiser
And some are young and naive,
But there they wait upon the shelf
For you to come and retrieve
For you to dip in and wallow
Find happiness or sorrow,
To take you away
Once more unto the fray.
These soldiers short, these soldiers long
Stop awhile, and hear their song....
Their uniform is a jacket
Their spines so straight and true!
Their knowledge is a-waiting...
To inform both me and you.