making the old new again

I did something last weekend I have not done in years. I read a book.

I’ve read more books than I can count in the past several years, but not real, physical books.

I guess the last “real” book I read might have been in 2012 or so. I had already mostly switched to the Kindle after I got my first one in 2009. I read about 50% paper books and the balance electronic books in those days.

As my vision started going, I needed brighter light to read so newspapers disappeared first from my daily reads. Then magazines. Finally things got to the point where I needed the backlight and larger print the Kindle afforded. I sold and donated a huge collection of books when we moved in 2013, thinking my “book” days were behind me. I kept only a few favorite series: the Sharpe books, the Aubrey/Maturin books, and select rare history tomes. My dad took my WEB Griffin and entire Louis L’Amour collection.

Long time readers may remember I had cornea transplant surgery in 2016. My vision is now a pretty good corrected 20/30.

Habit and convenience kept the Kindle as my sole reader. A few weeks ago I scored an ebook volume of Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe books for free or practically free. I forgot how much I liked the series. Unfortunately, the rest of the books in the series are ridiculously expensive on Amazon for electronic books 15 20 years old. I dug out my box o’books and found the physical copies. Yes! I could read the print without trouble. So I guess I’m going to read some real books in the coming weeks.

It will be hard to forego the convenience and light weight of the e-reader. Who knows, maybe I’ll like it?