Thinks to thought about

I like Elizabeth Berg's article about her New Year's resolution. It reminded me of my own resolution to spend less time on the computer at night and more time reading actual books, only she said it a heck of a lot better. When I read something like this--her description of the way a book feels and smells--it reminds me of the reasons I don't think paper books will go away any time soon.

I just surveyed my 10-year-old, who claims lately not even to be that excited about reading, yet has a Nintendo DS Lite (Crimson!!) as an extra appendage, whether it seemed more exciting to read a book on a small handheld computer screen where she could flip pages with buttons or to hold a read book, and with no hesitation she said a real book. She couldn't exactly tell me why, except to say she just liked having it right there with her, and anyway, the screen would probably give her a headache. I asked if she liked the way a real book felt and smelled and she looked a little embarrassed when she said, "Yes."

I gave her the thumbs up.

I liked the reminder that purchasing a book costs less than going to the ballet or a hockey game, for instance, or for me, sometimes less than a movie ticket, and certainly less than most concert tickets, but we hesitate to spend this money for some reason. Like she said, reading a book takes more time, too, and can be passed around to others freely. What a deal!

For the record, I'm typing this on my new computer! I think I've finally made the transition from the Velveteen Hoss to S!N!T! (Shiny New Thang).

I'm making very little progress on my own resolutions so far, but very little is better than none at all, right?