On CBS this past Sunday, Charles Sheaffer asked four authors/panelists whether they preferred a book to a Nook. All four chose the book over the nook, waxing poetic at times about the physicality of its heft and the feel of its pages. Perhaps this is a generational thing? Or maybe a habit? I personally find it hard to curl up with a Nook or a schnook.
But a book…now that’s a different story which brings me to the cozy Village Bookstore in Pleasantville. Unlike a mega bookstore, the owners, staff and customers at the Village Bookstore have actually read many of the books on the shelves and have posted small handwritten personal reviews below the book. I am free to wander among the rows of shelves, flip through a book, even read a few pages, before I commit. I am endlessly charmed when I ask about a book, they know it. I try to make jaunts with my grand kids to the bookstore. The treat at the end of the day is a book not a video game. To me a book is a friend. It helps you sleep at night. It makes you sound intellectual. It’s a way of bonding with other readers. If you are single, or not, try sitting at a bar with a book. My knowledge along these lines, though not vast, is adequate. You won’t be alone for long.
