On tour with Prism Book Tours.
Book Nirvana: Reading With All Your Senses
It's impossible for me to think about books without thinking about my childhood. As a little girl, I devoured books, thought the library was a wonderland and loved listening to stories before I could even read. Does that sound familiar? I'm not talking about whether you were an early reader or not, I'm talking about the love of a story. I'm talking about when you held your first picture book in your little hands and lost yourself in it using ALL your senses—including taste—as you gnawed and slobbered at the corner while teething. Now stop and think about your reading experiences from those first bookí days to right before the first time you read an ebook.
You don't simply recall the act of reading. Right? You're also remembering the musty scent of that old book you discovered on the bottom shelf in the school library or the crisp scent of the new release your mom bought you. Or maybe you recall the aroma of your favorite cookies in the oven, while you were engrossed in the third book of your favorite series on a Saturday morning. You're remembering the sight of hundreds of books with covers in every color imaginable surrounding you in a maze of bookshelves. You're remembering what those books felt like as you ran your fingertips along the bindings, from the smooth paperbacks to the textured hardcovers. You're remembering the array of papers used for printing, from rough, antiqued pages of a fantasy or history book to the glossy, thick pages of a photographic journey. Oh, and the way a page curled up like a wave as you turned it to uncover the next or the rippling sound as you flipped the pages in rapid fire against your thumb the way you would with a deck of cards.
Now, apart from that first book you teethed on, I'm hoping you didn't go around tasting books lol, but that doesn't mean your sense of taste doesn't factor in. For one thing, everyone knows taste and smell are connected, but beyond that, don't tell me you never curled up with a cup of tea, coffee or cocoa while immersed in a book. Or maybe the taste of freshly baked pie will forever bring up The Hobbit and images of Bilbo's pantry.
And what about that sixth sense some believe in? Perhaps that's what draws you into the bookstore you're passing in a rush while running errands. Or maybe it's what makes your fingertips land on a book you've never heard of but feel compelled to check out.
Books. All those secrets uncovered with all our senses.
I'm not coming down on ebooks. They have their benefits and I even own one. But buying, browsing or reading ebooks simply doesn't provide the same sensory experience as print books. To me, it's like the difference between decaf coffee and the real thing. Or the difference between watching someone skydiving or hiking through woods on TV or in a movie versus experiencing it yourself. All those sensory book experiences I described? None of that will happen to the same degree through a computer or ereader screen. And could you imagine people tossing an ereader on a coffee table and telling guests all their coffee table books are loaded on it? Think of all the fingerprints. Or what about dead batteries or power outages? That actually happened to me when I was at the dark moment (no pun intended) of a fantastic romance novel!! I couldn't even read the ending by candlelight!
For that reason, when I read an ebook I love, I buy the print version for keeps. But if I have the option of spending time in a real brick-n-mortar bookstore and buying a tangible book that I can anticipate experiencing with all my senses, I go straight to print books. And if I see someone running their hand across a book they've been looking for forever then closing their eyes and breathing it in like they've found a treasure, I'd understand. I'd even understand if they gave it a big old kiss. But if I see someone doing all that to an ereader, I'd probably just think they're weird. Then I'd hand them a polishing cloth.
Rula
January 4th: I Am A Reader - Amy Vastine
January 5th: Mel's Shelves - Anna J. Stewart
January 6th: deal sharing aunt - Cari Lynn Webb
January 7th: Reading Is My SuperPower - Carol Ross
January 8th: Katie's Clean Book Collection - Catherine Lanigan
January 10th: Babs Book Bistro - Leigh Riker
January 11th: Love, Laughter, Friendship - Melinda Curtis
January 12th: Heidi Reads... - Pamela Tracy
January 13th: Christian Chick's Thoughts - Rula Sinara
January 14th: Bookworm Lisa - Tara Taylor Quinn
January 15th: Grand Finale
Tour Giveaway
15 - $10 Walmart Gift Cards
- Rules: To enter, take a selfie at a local Walmart with a Heartwarming book and post publicly on social media (can be your hands, your face, etc. with a Heartwarming book). Can enter once each day with a different picture each time. Those who post the same picture multiple times will be disqualified. Those who only post privately (so that it can't be viewed publicly) will also be disqualified.
- US Only
- Ends January 20th
Thanks for having me here today, Becky! :)
ReplyDeleteRight there with you, Rula. LOVE print books and still buy them. Can't remember a time I didn't have one in my hand (childhood photographic evidence as proof), LOL. Great post and pics! Yay, Heartwarming!
ReplyDeleteAnna, I have pics my parents took of me sleeping with a book on my face because I never went to bed without one. I'm pretty sure the light of an ereader directly in one's face isn't good for circadian rhythm or sleep cycles. My kids don't use them yet. They read the old fashioned way :).
DeleteWelcome to my blog, Rula! And thanks for stopping by, Anna! I distinctly remember sneaking a flashlight to bed as a child and reading under the covers. Back then, it was usually one of the old Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mysteries--my parents brought quite a collection into their marriage! I love the convenience (and often cheaper cost) of ebooks, but nothing beats holding a paper copy :-)
DeleteOh, I was addicted to Nancy Drew...and Little House on the Prairie!
DeleteI miss my local Borders, so any store that carries more print is going to see me more often!
DeleteMel, I agree! The closest bookstore to me is a BAM and it's still a drive and really small. Nowhere near me can I get that big bookstore, browsing, cup-of-coffee experience. So I get my print book shopping done anywhere I can, from Walmart to Target to grocery stores.
ReplyDeleteI'll add that I love that I can buy print online, too, and am thrilled that Harlequin Heartwarming is now available in print on Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble online! But you don't get to do the same kind of 'sensual' browsing as you can in a brick-and-mortar store.
DeleteI don't have any bookstores close to me anymore either! I miss that. But I do love being able to order them and put my favorites on the shelf! Great post, Rula!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol :). I love having bookshelves in my home. It's a sort of comfort I guess :).
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