Although I am not proud to admit it, this past weekend I too was suckered into countless hours of black-Friday (and even some Saturday) shopping. I found myself wandering through the mall near my home carrying bags in each hand and wishing I was in bed. I did however get a chance to visit the Barnes & Noble, and I was not surprised to see that it was mostly empty. I walked in and browsed some of the new covers in the front of the store. I noticed the holiday and seasonal section in the middle of the store filled with children’s books about the holidays, Santa and the snow. I found this section filled with tree ornaments, holiday music CD’s, Christmas cards and toys for little kids. The few people that were in the store were mostly gathered around this section, with the rest of the store pretty much empty and quiet.
It was a strange experience to walk into Barnes and Noble and see so few people actually buying books that they want to read instead of seasonal trinkets that they find at half price. When I got home and browsed the Barnes & Noble website, it was sad and amusing to see that the first thing you see on the homepage is an advertisement for the Nook starting at $99, and how it is “the perfect gift for holidays.” Just below the ad is separate one for Nook accessories and a simple-touch Nook power adapter. Have the tablets and the e-readers completely overshadowed the pages of texts that I grew up with? Have the hardcovers and paperbacks lost their appeal? Does no one want to buy books anymore?
I can’t decide if this shift in our culture is for the better or for the worst. It is true that e-readers and tablets reduce the need for paper, which in turn is more environmentally friendly I suppose. But what about the feeling of having a good book tucked next to your pillow because you fell asleep reading it? What about the little drops of coffee on the pages that remind you of how you stayed up late just to get through that one chapter? What about the spots on the page where you cried because you were so sad that Dumbledore had died? Isn’t there something about the feeling you get when you hold a book in your hand instead of a thin aluminum pad? I think there is.