30 Days of Touching

Day 26: A Kindle or a Hard Copy?

The other day I was in a meeting when someone asked the question, “If you had your choice between a Kindle or a hard copy of a book, which would you choose.” Of the dozen or so people around the table, only one said the Kindle. Which would you choose?

Well, I don’t own a Kindle, so I don’t know what it is like to hold one in my hands. But I do know what it’s like to hold a book in my hands—to touch the spine, the cover, the pages as I turn them. I am a book person and getting my hands on a book is part of the experience of reading it.

For me, I am a book user. I don’t merely read a book, I dog-ear the pages where I stop and start. I underline, highlight and write notes in the margins. I work the pages of a book and make it my own. That’s why I love to hold a book.

Every day, I spend some time—from 15 minutes to several hours—reading books. I can’t imagine ever going electronic when it comes to what I read. I love to feel the touch of a book in my hand.

In many ways, reading a book is a spiritual experience and discipline, whether it’s my Bible or a novel. Sometimes I even call my books my friends. The authors are some of the people who have influenced my life the most.

The next time you read a book, take time to feel it between your fingers, the cover of it in your hands. Enjoy it as an experience of “touching” the thoughts of God communicated through the words of man.