Sniffing Pages

One of my life's simple pleasures is sniffing the pages of a new book. Every so often I hold my nose close to the pages and inhale. When I finish reading a chapter, I fan the pages in my face to savor its aroma. The sensation I get from the smell of a book is beyond compare. It doesn't even come close to opening a lovely present on Christmas day, (yes, it also has a distinct smell), or unwrapping a piece of clothing from a shopping bag.

Apart from this addiction, I am what you can call a traditional reader. I have the need to read words from a printed paper. I have tried reading an excerpt of a book online but after a few pages, I gave up. I didn't feel the connection at all. Perhaps because the experience was something new to me or I was just used to flipping the pages with my hand. Clearly, reading from a real book is an experience all its own.

And so it came as a surprise when a dear friend gave me a Kindle 4 as a present. I initially didn't welcome the idea of reading from an electronic device, but I said I'll give it a try. When I first held it in my hands, it didn't feel like an e-reader. In fact, it looked so much like the usual photo frame that we put on display at home. E-books have to be downloaded from the net, and it took me a number of hours to finally get the hang of it. Plus, it's a treat that all classics can be downloaded for free.

I am reading my first novel on Kindle -- The American by Henry James. I don't get to smell the pages for obvious reasons but this new reading experience has exceeded all my expectations. I don't even feel that I'm reading from a device. It's just like reading paper! It is very impressive, to say the least. A traditional reader can be an e-reader convert as soon as he gets his first e-book on Kindle. It is also very convenient because I can carry my entire digital library right in my bag. Gone are the days when I had to put away some of my stuff just to squeeze in a 350-page book.

I'm not giving up on real books, entirely. But let me enjoy the Kindle until the "honeymoon stage" wears off, which I think will never happen.