24 - Books
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Ahh, books. Of all the things I love, books are one of the ones I love especially so.
How can I successfully express my love of novels without writing one here? I’ll try to be concise.
What is there to love about books? Roughly everything. I’m old school in that I need a physical copy to hold in my hands. For every other aspect of my life, I prefer to do things electronically; but books require a more intimate connection. In my opinion, they lose some of their cache when read over a cold screen, and more so when listening to an audio version of them. They’re just not books when formatted that way. I need to fill my shelves with my cultured, albeit occasionally snobbish taste or else how else can I show off to friends, family, and romantic partners? Not to mention how aesthetically pleasing it is to have a book or two laying out on a coffee table. Yes, books serve an aesthetic purpose in addition to providing mental stimulation.
But it’s in that mental stimulation where books obviously shine.
For one, as visual as I am (I’m a photographer who values cinema more than anything, I’m all about visuals), books provide a nice escape into my own imagination. Things are described by the author, but it’s ultimately my brain that creates what that world actually looks like. It’s not like a film where what you see is what you get; your own mind is able to envision worlds that rival, and often surpass what you get from CGI and special effects.
I also appreciate the slowed down pace of reading. Films and shows require focus in the moment. If you miss something, you have to rewind them. If you have to use the bathroom, you have to pause the action, often taking you out of the moment. But re-reading a line, or coming to the end of a chapter and closing the book don’t feel as disjointed. Reading something leisurely is a change of pace from rushing through a show you’re trying to binge, where you may miss key moments as you try to consume as many episodes per day as humanly possible.
Another area where books outshine their visual counterparts are with storytelling - at least when compared to films. Quality standalone films have to deliver a three-act story with sufficient character development, and do so in two and a half hours, tops.
Books can take their time to flesh out characters, provide nuance, and more throughly explain everything that’s going on, because they’re not beholden to time constraints. If a book is 500 pages, so be it. You’re not asked to read it all in one sitting. You can take small bites out of it here and there, when and where you can. You’re able to digest more, and at a pace you find comfortable.
With the world being what it is right now, and with the cold weather at our doorstep for this side of the world (although reading on the beach is also great, Southern Hemisphere), it’s the perfect time to put the phone down, mute all the noise, and retreat into a good book.