Re: The sensuality of reading. Was: Happy hunting!

February 24, 2011

I think iPads are "bigger" than Kindles in Sweden, at least judging from what you here people talk about, and see people use in public places. I have neither, but can read e-books on the iPhone (and on the computer, of course). I use e-books mainly for academic purposes, though. And for that they are excellent. Especially the searchability and the fact that e-books can be distributed easier than "real" ones, and hence is more readily available some times, are factors that come into play there.But for pleasure I don't think I'd be using an e-book any time soon. And I don't really consider them "real" books. I actually had an opportunity to reflect on that recently, about what an actual book is to me. And I came to the conclusion that for me, neither e-book nor an audio book is an "real book". It needs to be an actual physical object to be a book, in my mind. Both e-books and audio books have there place, the first for academic purposes as already mentioned, and the latter for many purposes. For instance, to make commuting a lot more endurable. I just don't see them as actual books, is all. Reading for pleasure should be a sensual experience, in my opinion. The way the paper look, and the way the book feels in my hand, that's all part of the reading of a book to me. And the feel of the book should correspond with the "feel" of the content. I once read a book about a small fishing community on a Danish island, and it was bound in the kind of cloth used for sailor's bags and stuff like that (know the word in Swedish, but not in English, unfortunately). That was a perfect example of what I am trying to describe here.And then there is the look of the actual letters and the actual text on paper. The fonts used etc. That is ideas and stories taking on a physical existence, in yet another way.Don't know if it makes me a romantic or just eccentric, but it's how I see the pleasure of reading ;-)love/Reb>> Wow, Reb, that is SO cool! Such an awesome tradition, that must be so much> fun! The whole country! Wow!

> Here in the US it seems people are turning away from the traditional bound> book and using electronic reading devices more and more...me, I still prefer> the good ol' book. Of course the fact I can't *afford* a kindle might also> factor... > > > > > ï»¿ ï»¿ > ~*~Hugs~*~

> ~*~Akiba~*~

> Pragmatic Visionary

> http://www.affiliates-natural-salt-lamps.com/pages/156.php

> -- Happy hunting!

> > > Every year, starting on the last wednesday of february, Sweden has a book> sale. > > > And, to quote from a Swedish-American blog I found (at> http://welcometosweden.blogspot.com/2010/03/books-guilt-and-akvavit.html ): > Because every year in February, all of Sweden has a book sale. Literally> (see what I did there?). The entire country has a book sale. A bokrea if you> will." > > > Yep, that's right. The whole country has a book sale (bokrea in Swedish). It> d usually referred to as "THE book sale" (bokrean). Every store, shop and> boutique that ever sold books will prepare a sale. During the day or days> before the official start you can often see piles of books and tables with> books, wrapped in paper (the paper is removed when the sale starts â€" and it> starts at the same time everywhere). It's almost a day before Christmas> feeling, with all those wrapped gifts you are so curious about... > > > There is a sale catalogue (or several catalogues) available the days or> weeks before the sale, but there will always be a few surprises on the> actual sale day. For a few years you could hand in lists to the stores> before the sale, where you requested (or stated a wish, rather) to buy> certain of the books on sale. There were no guarantees, of course, it was > first come first served" on paper as well as in the stores (or when "first> come" couldn't be used to determine who'd get to buy a certain book, they'd> do a lottery). And you'd almost never get your whole list. But that was kind> of the charm with it. Even more of that Christmas feeling. It really was> like writing a wish list for Santa... We would usually pick up our> pre-requests as soon as the sale started (meaning midnight), even though> that was not actually necessary. You handed the clerk your request receipt> and then you watched (excitedly, attentively) as they walked over to the> area with the pre-packed packages and paper bags to find the one with your> number on. Just like a kid on Christmas Eve, you were hoping for the biggest> package, or at least the one you had your eyes on... We usually didn't> unpack till we got back home. Spending the way home guessing on what we had> in our packages/bags, which of our wishes had been granted... > > > Unfortunately, they don't do the pre-request thing anymore, but the Sale is> still going on, every year. And for book lovers like myself, and , THE> book sale is of course a huge event. Even if we no longer queue outside the> bookstores before or on midnight on the starting day of the sale.

> > > This year we took the afternoon off, to go browse the stores. We didn't> really think we would actually buy anything, but of course we were carrying> three heavy bags as we returned home... > > > love

> /Reb>

February 24, 2011

Hi Reb...I relate so much with what you said about the way it is having a "real" book vs. the electronic ones. I have always loved books, and to go to book stores, especially the older ones. Ever since I could read I always had a book I was reading. I was fascinated by Dickens, and would read his stories over and over. I wish I had kept some of those books. I think my step-mom threw them out when I left home. :-(

When I was homeschooling my kids we would visit the thrift stores in search of reading material, and one little shop had a separate room full of books. I was lost in another world for hours perusing all these really old books.

I actually started collecting old dictionaries as it was interesting to see how the interpretations of some words had changed over the years.

What a wonderful custom your country has, and it shows how they value books. :-)

Hugs, Jackie

Subject: Re: The sensuality of reading. Was: Happy hunting!To: MSersLife Date: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 10:50 AM

I think iPads are "bigger" than Kindles in Sweden, at least judging from what you here people talk about, and see people use in public places. I have neither, but can read e-books on the iPhone (and on the computer, of course). I use e-books mainly for academic purposes, though. And for that they are excellent. Especially the searchability and the fact that e-books can be distributed easier than "real" ones, and hence is more readily available some times, are factors that come into play there.

But for pleasure I don't think I'd be using an e-book any time soon. And I don't really consider them "real" books.

I actually had an opportunity to reflect on that recently, about what an actual book is to me. And I came to the conclusion that for me, neither e-book nor an audio book is an "real book". It needs to be an actual physical object to be a book, in my mind.

Both e-books and audio books have there place, the first for academic purposes as already mentioned, and the latter for many purposes. For instance, to make commuting a lot more endurable. I just don't see them as actual books, is all.

Reading for pleasure should be a sensual experience, in my opinion.

The way the paper look, and the way the book feels in my hand, that's all part of the reading of a book to me. And the feel of the book should correspond with the "feel" of the content. I once read a book about a small fishing community on a Danish island, and it was bound in the kind of cloth used for sailor's bags and stuff like that (know the word in Swedish, but not in English, unfortunately). That was a perfect example of what I am trying to describe here.

And then there is the look of the actual letters and the actual text on paper. The fonts used etc. That is ideas and stories taking on a physical existence, in yet another way.

Don't know if it makes me a romantic or just eccentric, but it's how I see the pleasure of reading ;-)

love

/Reb

>> Wow, Reb, that is SO cool! Such an awesome tradition, that must be so much> fun! The whole country! Wow! > Here in the US it seems people are turning away from the traditional bound> book and using electronic reading devices more and more...me, I still prefer> the good ol' book. Of course the fact I can't *afford* a kindle might also> factor... > > > > > Ã¯Â»Â¿ Ã¯Â»Â¿ > ~*~Hugs~*~ > ~*~Akiba~*~ > Pragmatic Visionary > http://www.affiliates-natural-salt-lamps.com/pages/156.php > -- Happy hunting! > > > Every year, starting on the last wednesday of february, Sweden has a book>

sale. > > > And, to quote from a Swedish-American blog I found (at> http://welcometosweden.blogspot.com/2010/03/books-guilt-and-akvavit.html ): > Because every year in February, all of Sweden has a book sale. Literally> (see what I did there?). The entire country has a book sale. A bokrea if you> will." > > > Yep, that's right. The whole country has a book sale (bokrea in Swedish). It> d usually referred to as "THE book sale" (bokrean). Every store, shop and> boutique that ever sold books will prepare a sale. During the day or days> before the official start you can often see piles of books and tables with> books, wrapped in paper (the paper is removed when the sale starts Ã¢â‚¬" and it> starts at the same time everywhere). It's almost a day before Christmas> feeling, with all those wrapped gifts you are so curious about... > >

> There is a sale catalogue (or several catalogues) available the days or> weeks before the sale, but there will always be a few surprises on the> actual sale day. For a few years you could hand in lists to the stores> before the sale, where you requested (or stated a wish, rather) to buy> certain of the books on sale. There were no guarantees, of course, it was > first come first served" on paper as well as in the stores (or when "first> come" couldn't be used to determine who'd get to buy a certain book, they'd> do a lottery). And you'd almost never get your whole list. But that was kind> of the charm with it. Even more of that Christmas feeling. It really was> like writing a wish list for Santa... We would usually pick up our> pre-requests as soon as the sale started (meaning midnight), even though> that was not actually necessary. You handed the clerk your request

receipt> and then you watched (excitedly, attentively) as they walked over to the> area with the pre-packed packages and paper bags to find the one with your> number on. Just like a kid on Christmas Eve, you were hoping for the biggest> package, or at least the one you had your eyes on... We usually didn't> unpack till we got back home. Spending the way home guessing on what we had> in our packages/bags, which of our wishes had been granted... > > > Unfortunately, they don't do the pre-request thing anymore, but the Sale is> still going on, every year. And for book lovers like myself, and , THE> book sale is of course a huge event. Even if we no longer queue outside the> bookstores before or on midnight on the starting day of the sale. > > > This year we took the afternoon off, to go browse the stores. We didn't> really think we would

actually buy anything, but of course we were carrying> three heavy bags as we returned home... > > > love > /Reb>

February 24, 2011

Old dictionaries are really interesting! The "owl edition" (published between 1904 and 1926 in 38 volumes) of the Swedish encyclopedia "Nordisk Familjebok" (literally: "Nordic family book") is among the "inhabitants" in our book shelves we love the most. In fact they take up almost a whole bookcase on their own... The spine looks like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bokrygg_för_uggleupplagan.jpgSome people don't see the value of old encyclopedias. Think they are redundant since the information in them is not up to date anymore. But that's the whole point!And, yes, the way old encyclopedias define words says so much about their times (just as the way contemporary encyclopedias define words speak volumes, literally..., about our time...). wrote a paper on the changing definitions (in encyclopedias) of some words for her classes in the history of philosophy. Can't remember right now if it was the paper she wrote for her bachelor's degree, or some other. But a super-interesting way of examining the changes in science, mentality, ideas etc.And, on the subject of university days and our national custom of THE book sale, I just remembered when I was preparing for an exam in literature studies, and a guy in my dorm (who had taken the same classes a year earlier) had given me a couple of old tests, with his helpful comments on (just for the record: that's not cheating, that's practicing/studying, they change the tests from one time to another...). This particular exam was on the literary market, and one question was about the history of the Swedish book sale tradition. Something like: "Using examples from the history of the february book sale in Sweden, argue either for or against it's continuation". On that question he (my dorm pal) had left the hand written comment for me: "Remember: With this professor, you need to argue FOR for him to look favorably on your answer. Then again, why would anyone argue against it."love/Reb> >> > Wow, Reb, that is SO cool! Such an awesome tradition, that must be so much> > fun! The whole country! Wow! > > Here in the US it seems people are turning away from the traditional bound> > book and using electronic reading devices more and more...me, I still prefer> > the good ol' book. Of course the fact I can't *afford* a kindle might also> > factor... > > > > > > > > > > Ã¯Â»Â¿ Ã¯Â»Â¿ > > ~*~Hugs~*~ > > ~*~Akiba~*~ > > Pragmatic Visionary > > http://www.affiliates-natural-salt-lamps.com/pages/156.php > > -- Happy hunting! > > > > > > Every year, starting on the last wednesday of february, Sweden has a book> > sale. > > > > > > And, to quote from a Swedish-American blog I found (at> > http://welcometosweden.blogspot.com/2010/03/books-guilt-and-akvavit.html ): > > Because every year in February, all of Sweden has a book sale. Literally> > (see what I did there?). The entire country has a book sale. A bokrea if you> > will." > > > > > > Yep, that's right. The whole country has a book sale (bokrea in Swedish). It> > d usually referred to as "THE book sale" (bokrean). Every store, shop and> > boutique that ever sold books will prepare a sale. During the day or days> > before the official start you can often see piles of books and tables with> > books, wrapped in paper (the paper is removed when the sale starts Ã¢â‚¬" and it> > starts at the same time everywhere). It's almost a day before Christmas> > feeling, with all those wrapped gifts you are so curious about... > > > > > > There is a sale catalogue (or several catalogues) available the days or> > weeks before the sale, but there will always be a few surprises on the> > actual sale day. For a few years you could hand in lists to the stores> > before the sale, where you requested (or stated a wish, rather) to buy> > certain of the books on sale. There were no guarantees, of course, it was > > first come first served" on paper as well as in the stores (or when "first> > come" couldn't be used to determine who'd get to buy a certain book, they'd> > do a lottery). And you'd almost never get your whole list. But that was kind> > of the charm with it. Even more of that Christmas feeling. It really was> > like writing a wish list for Santa... We would usually pick up our> > pre-requests as soon as the sale started (meaning midnight), even though> > that was not actually necessary. You handed the clerk your request receipt> > and then you watched (excitedly, attentively) as they walked over to the> > area with the pre-packed packages and paper bags to find the one with your> > number on. Just like a kid on Christmas Eve, you were hoping for the biggest> > package, or at least the one you had your eyes on... We usually didn't> > unpack till we got back home. Spending the way home guessing on what we had> > in our packages/bags, which of our wishes had been granted... > > > > > > Unfortunately, they don't do the pre-request thing anymore, but the Sale is> > still going on, every year. And for book lovers like myself, and , THE> > book sale is of course a huge event. Even if we no longer queue outside the> > bookstores before or on midnight on the starting day of the sale. > > > > > > This year we took the afternoon off, to go browse the stores. We didn't> > really think we would actually buy anything, but of course we were carrying> > three heavy bags as we returned home... > > > > > > love > > /Reb> >>

February 24, 2011

About books.... a subject dear to my heart! I love old books and I have bought many vintage books at thrift stores. I just bought a vintage cookbook off ebay for $5. It's a cookbook from the 40s by Meta Givens. My mother loved her copy of this cookbook but it burned in our first house fire. Nostalgia got the best of me when I saw it for sale on ebay and I had to buy it. When I hold that cookbook it's kind of like having my mother nearby. That may sound silly to some but I'll wager some of you understand.love to each of you and the books you love! SharonThis email is a natural hand made product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects. To: MSersLife Sent: Thu, February 24, 2011 12:24:44 PMSubject: Re: The sensuality of reading. Was: Happy hunting!