There is a Difference
Vancouver Public Library
I am convinced that we read more now than ever before. But it’s different.
Paper is no longer the medium of choice. News comes to my iPhone, my books are delivered via the ubiquitous cables to my Kindle and Kobo. Even my beloved public library lends books over Internet channels. I listen to audiobooks on my iPod. Social media venues keep me in touch with friends around the globe. My word count for reading continues to escalate.
And yet….
I found myself identifying with a friend, who confided that her “reading time” was precious, that she chose books that resonated within her personal experience.
There is a difference between reading and skimming. In our busyness of life, we simply must find time to read with thoughtful purpose. Books are living, joyous companions. There is a communication that occurs between two people – the writer and reader – who will, in all likelihood never meet. With books, we are not limited to time, space or location. We converse with the past, just as easily as having coffee with a next door neighbour.
Saul Bellows once wrote, “People can lose their lives in libraries. They ought to be warned.”
