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Real books are back and I couldn't be more pleased

Remember books? Actual feel-the-weight hardbacks and spine-just-waiting-to-be-cracked paperbacks, both giving off that almost woody aroma of new-ness? Well, they’re back.

Recent figures from the Publishers Association show book sales income rose by 5% last year and there was a 31% rise in hardback book sales income. I’m declaring this to be good news:

My eyes thank me for the rest

I spend hours staring at a screen. My laptop is on for at least 12 hours a day, and as for my phone… Sometimes (okay, most of the time) I find myself staring at both screens; it makes my eyes hurt. This is one of the reasons I have never owned an e-reader and never will. Too much screen time is painful.

I can’t love an electronic device in the way I can love a book

In the same way that a Labrador is easier to love than a goldfish, books are tactile, comforting things. Curling up with a Kindle just isn’t the same as wrapping yourself around a good book. Pointy edges and cables really aren’t very… hygge. And the covers! My bookcase is a riot of pinks, greens and lilacs. Merely picking up a favourite book sparks so many thoughts, feelings and memories.

Reading is escapism

I read novels, the type that are written by women and which come wrapped in pastel-y jackets. Okay, chick-lit. Mock if you must but I love them because they are an escape. My days are filled with weighty documents, detailed reports and slide decks in eight-point font. So, when I do get to sit down with a book, I like it to be as far removed from that as possible. Of course, that’s about the story, rather than the format, but I can’t escape the feeling that I’m still at work if I must do my reading via a screen.

My books are mine, forever

I buy them, I give them a home and I cherish them. I will re-read my favourites for years to come and shuffle them along the shelves to make room for new additions. Technology moves on (and breaks) so will e-books have the same sort of shelf life? I’m not so sure.

Books help me to sleep

Back to the screen thing again. If there’s one thing I have learned from regular bouts of insomnia it’s that light-emitting tech does not help the situation. Harvard Medical School found that reading an e-book in the hours before bed adversely affects overall health, alertness and the body’s natural sleep/wake pattern. All bad news.

Do you agree? Are you more of a page-turner than a screen-swiper? Let us know.

If you’re looking for reading inspiration, books recommendations, or you want to find your new favourite author, keep an eye on the Bookie website for more announcements about the Autumn Bookie (28-30 September).

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