Nooks Are To Books As Apples Are To Rocks

Electronic reading devices are all the rage. It lends new fear to the shout, 'I can't find my book!" As the conversation goes on, it turns out that it wasn't just a single replaceable volume, but the pricey device. Oh boy. This conversation followed one a month ago that was just as frustrating, "The SCREEN is broke on my Nook." I am not even going to go into what a fuss that caused and how long it took to finish that chapter.

Book lovers are an odd sort of people, I should know, because my books have been crated and carried from place to place, borrowed out to family and friends and generally just sit around looking messily inviting.

When I love a book...it really looks like it, just ask the Velveteen Rabbit. Stories have followed me from my crib to trundle, futon to four poster with a regular beat just like my heart.

The best books are the ones that are annoyingly 'out of print', found in dusty book sellers or coveted from other people. Nothing brings as much joy to my soul as to find a used book seller where I can spend the day going up, down and all around, through stacks and piles of unusual titles....browse a page, check the first owners name written inside the cover and see if there are any turned down corners...those let you know more than anything about a book.

You won't find any of that in an E-Reader.

You also will not see scribbled notes where a question is answered, or further explored by a previous reader, just adding to your own thinking. My hands literally shake with anticipation when I get hold of an old stained cook book. Ahhhhhh....that is more than just recipes, that is a lifetime of work, and notes changes to the printed copy, and a keeper.

Most recently I obtained a church cookbook put together by the ladies of 'The Sacred Heart League, of the Byzantine Catholic Church in Livonia Michigan', May 1978. Don't even look for it, you won't find one. I can tell  that this was not only a collection of recipes, but tucked within the covers is an entire list of what recipes were added by certain friends and family members. The owner of this cookbook told me more about herself  by this list than anything. For example, I know that her own mother contributed a recipe found on page 154 for "Apple Cake". Her 'Mom' was noted as Mrs. Helen Relich.

Sitting in the drawer of my bedside table is a copy of 'The Book of Common Prayer' Printed in Canada. Inscribed inside the cover are the words,"William B. Brown, RCAF, July 14, 1940, With best of luck from his Father."

Wow....Can you even imagine the places this book has been? William relied on the words of faith printed on these pages and I believe it gave him 'luck' as it returned home. Not even printed originally with this book is a little quote from the giver on a tiny newspaper clipping carefully pasted under the dedication.

"They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary, nor the passing years condemn. But at the going  down of the gun and in the morning we shall remember them."

I read it, and I cried. When I think that my path has led me to a corner, or a dead end. When I breathe in and feel my mortality and look to grab a lifeline...I hold this book and read from it. I want to let the hands of another, who wrote a dedication to a son, the son who carried and read this book, cross the boundaries of time and space, and hold my hands.

Note to husband and son, "If you even think for one moment in time that I would appreciate an e reader in my stocking, I would lose it, break it or fuss over it and not really enjoy it. Just buy me a book."

A shiny red apple will also be appreciated as long as it requires a good bite.

Gratefully written,

Mary