I am THAT relative/friend who gives books. I'm sure we all have/had one in our lives, and I was very fortunate as a child to have a number of relatives, including my mother, who could be counted on to produce the much desired, neat rectangular parcels on any gift giving occasion. My children always give me one of THOSE looks when they spot similar parcels in a gift pile - Twenty-eight is living the 'busy' Sydney lifestyle and says he doesn't have time to read, and Twenty-two reads on his iPad, but I give them actual books anyway... Eighteen (that birthday happened...) hasn't been the recipient of many books as gifts in his lifetime and reading for pleasure is something that's only come relatively recently, so for him it's still a novelty that he rather enjoys. DB is starting to look forward to what might be within the wrapping I think, now that I've managed to get him casting further afield than vampire stories!
One thing I have noticed though, is that as I've got older and I've lost those relatives of my childhood, I've received fewer books, and there's something that's just not right about a birthday or other gift season when there's no book in the stash at the end of the unwrapping...
So for those still with the odd Chanukah present to get (two nights left...) or about to get really stuck into Christmas shopping, don't forget the books!! And - bit of a plug for a friend of mine - if anyone you know is into Steampunk, there's a new book out by Jack Tyler. It's available on Amazon, but I'm not sure of the process to get your hands on it. If you follow the link to his website, you can contact him that way and check it out. Great story, and a fun read.
MIL always gives books to Little Boy and Curious Miss; I love that she does. I also will give books if I see one that really catches my eye, or if I hear a review and think that someone I know will really enjoy it. I must say I have a few ebooks now but recently I bought a business-related book that wasn't available on Kindle and I'm really enjoying the physical nature of it. Novels are definitely always for paper though; never ebooks.
ReplyDeleteHello - welcome to my blog!
DeleteThere are no e-readers in my house - apart from when the pa-in-law visits. He bought one and last time he was here spent a whole pile of time trying to figure out how it worked... To my knowledge, it's still not being used!
Someone posted a meme on FB recently about the aesthetic value of books in a house too - another thing the Kindle or e-reader can't provide!! Let alone the tactile experience of holding a book, and/or the rest from screens they offer.