Room for Reading

I am a passionate reader. ‘Addict’ is probably a more apt description; I can stay up all night, telling myself I’ll only read one more chapter. And, as a designer, I love the way books add character to a room. So it was with mixed feelings that I received a Kindle for Christmas this year. Don’t get me wrong: the idea that I never have to be without something interesting to read ever again fills me with glee. And if I’d had one while traveling around India, I would probably suffer less from back pain now.

But the idea that I’m unlikely to buy physical books any more is a strange one. I grew up in a house filled with books, and I still find that walking into a bookstore or a room with lots of books gives me an enormous sense of possibility. I got rid of my physical music a long time ago; although at one point in my life I was a musician, CD cases and covers don’t seem to mean anything to me. Maybe the difference is that reading a book is an inherently visual act?

I can’t imagine eliminating the library from my eventual dream home, so I wonder if the trick is to switch to only buying real books that make the most of their physicality. What do you think?

Sources: Elle Decor, Dezeen