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In praise of books

February 16th, 2007 | Books, Humor, Just thinking, Knitting 

In Praise of Books

A book is a garden you can hold in your hand,
An orchard you can take on your lap.

A book is a companion who sleeps
Only when you are asleep,
And speaks only when you wish him to.

A book is a tree that lives long
And bears delicious and abundant fruit
That is easy to pick and perfectly ripe
At all times of the year.

A book obeys you by night and by day,
Abroad and at home;
It has no need of sleep
And does not grow weary from sitting up.

–Al-Jahiz (Abu Uthman Amr ibn Bahral-Jahiz, known to his friends as al-Jahiz, was born in Basra in 776 and was the leading literary and intellectual figure of his age.)

I like that when reading a book, we can commune with the author no matter what time frame they lived in. People we’d have no chance to sit down or talk with, are as close as our thoughts when reading the words they have written.

Another thing I like about books, outside of the fact that I like to read and have broad interests, is that they can be put down and later picked back up again — that’s an important thing in a busy life. Invariably if I try to watch TV, I am interrupted by someone or the phone. I might as well not try to watch TV unless it is recorded so that I can treat it like a book.

Plus reading a book is one of the few things that gets a little bit more done each time, like knitting or embroidery, unlike the chores of life that are never ending. You can actually see progress in reading a book as you get further into it, similar to seeing an embroidery begin to take shape.

I have, however, in recent years given myself permission not to finish a book if it doesn’t strike me in one way or another. Because I read fast, I could skim to finish — but when time is at a premium, I’d rather move on to another book or another project. It’s the rare book that I read every word at a pace that is savoring it.

I like the tactile nature of books, holding them in my hands. I’m not really into using wooden stands to help me hold a book, though it might be nice if a book is particularly heavy. And I like the way most books smell — a combination of paper and ink.

I store and read parts of books on my PDA (quotes and such) and at one time had the Bible downloaded into my Palm. I have yet to read an entire ebook, except I have read a friend’s manuscript on the computer. I did not print it out.

I have listened to a couple of audio books which were very well done. The Harry Potter audio books are excellent. The reader voices every character differently. Another I read (and heard) took place in England. The reader had an English accent, so it had a different feel than reading it to myself with my own voice which is not English, but American. I get impatient listening to a book because I can read it so much faster, but it is a good pastime in the car on long or repetitive rides.

I thought this video was quite funny. Introducing the book (with subtitles.) This is a skit showing how a monk might have learned to read a book when he was used only to a scroll. Not too far off from introducing a computer or an ebook. We gotta learn how to do it!

What are you reading?

Karin

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Categories:

Books, Humor, Just thinking, Knitting



2 comments ↓
#1 helg on 02.16.07 at 8:53 am

Oh, the simile of book and tree is wonderful. Ripe all seasons, ready for the plucking.
Books are friends.
I loved the clip too! Funny that he should be a monk though. Weren’t they the pioneers in book making?
I am very much afraid that one day books *will* need instructions for the children to open them and read them….
Audio books are not quite my thing. I prefer the act of reading. But a pleasure to hear the actors and a god send in long rides in cars I guess.
I am reading “Time of the chrysanthemons” by a greek author. It’s fiction about a greek actress of the 19th century travelling on tour around islands and witnessing the local drama.

#2 Karin on 02.16.07 at 3:53 pm

I haven’t picked up a new book yet, but I just finished the Karl Malden one. I also have one to read that was given to me but I haven’t started that either. I’ve been too busy beading.

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