When I go to someone's place of residence for the first time - or really any time - I am drawn to their bookshelves. Whether they hold books or DVDs or - in rare cases - CDs, I love to scan them. I love seeing what people read, watch, and/or listen to. I love commenting on shared favourite authors or TV shows. It's a conversation-starter, a peephole into their mind, and even better - an opportunity to borrow some good books and movies.
You won't be surprised to know that I take a lot of pride in my own bookshelves. I have been know to organize DVDs alphabetically, group authors together, and sort books according to subject matter. After reading Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, I read a review on the back that said the book could easily fit between 1984 and A Brave New World on your bookshelf... so that's exactly where I put it. I love when people inspect my bookshelves; whether they're passing judgment or looking for shared interests, I bare it all for them.
It's because of this that when I think about the printed word or the tangible media source (DVD, CD, etc.) becoming obsolete, it's scary to me. It's not that I'm a dinosaur and don't get it, or want to slow things down; it's that I think about the joy I get from seeing and touching someone's books and movies and I hate the thought of not having that. I feel like I know people better when I see their shelves. I feel like it brings colour and culture into a room, never mind being aethestically pleasing a lot of the time.
Then there's also that feeling of a book in your hand. Will they one day call a story with so much excitement you can't wait for the next part a... page-swiper?! I love the smell of books, seeing what I might've underlined the last time I read a favourite, and the drama in closing a book when you've finished it and just clutching it for a few moments. It's meaningful.
All I'll get a chance to see is the evolution of books and DVDs, etc. in my own lifetime. I wonder what I'll see.....
No comments:
Post a Comment