Books Over Blogs

“Books are the new business cards,” I’m told.

I also hear that “books are dead.” “Nobody reads any more.” “I don’t have time to read books.”

For me, reading books is like breathing, necessary to maintain life and sanity. I’ve come to understand that a book isn’t the paper it’s printed on. A book isn’t the number of copies that are sold. A book isn’t what’s on the New York Times Best Seller list.

A book is a long, crafted thought. It’s a work of art, of skill, and of intellect.  There are good books and bad books and many bunched up in the middle between the two extremes.

A tweet is ephemeral. It passes by the reader like a road sign, a billboard and is quickly gone, forgotten. A blog post is like a magazine article, a short discussion that piques the interest, but may occupy only a few moments of time and attention.

But a book. A book is a weekend stay with a friend. A book is a classroom. A book, a very good book, is a dream that stretches on and on and lingers in memory and experience for ages.

And in terms of this week’s posts, a blog post is like a videoconference while a book is like an extended personal meeting with a friend or colleague.  It requires time, focused attention, and reflective thought. I find good books both stimulating and satisfying.

As writer and publisher of this blog and a reader of many others like it, I do find blogs engaging and satisfying, but were I to have the opportunity to read a book by my favorite blog writers, I’d happily trade the little daily helping for the more satisfying meal.

While in St. Paul I had the pleasure of visiting two bookstore.  Play By Play Theater Bookstore is a delightful shop for those interested in the theatre or film.  And not to be missed for anyone, Garrison Keillor’s Common Good Books. Both are wonderful and dangerous for someone like me.

Update: Part of the series: Some Things I learned By Showing Up.

 

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Tagged as: Blogs, books, read, Social Media