I really don’t like it when people use this phrase when they write. It’s an example of shoddy writing, which is not bothering to look for a more apt transitional statement.

I am, I guess, now, curmudgeonly, using a trait that I feared when I was younger. Like words are inflexible and opinionated. And I take things personally. Not good traits at all.

Well, a friend today sent me an email taking me to task for disparaging Kindles, computer readers. I agree with her – they allow those who can’t read fine print access to reading material. However, as I told her, my concerns center around the thousands of books that are being abandoned in favor of this newer, more convenient technology. I just can’t get around it when I hold, say, a copy of Alaska Flora and Fauna in my hands, turn the pages, and in it, and like books, admire the many photos and illustrations. Using a Kindle to read the same book doesn’t compare. I call it fast food reading. The tactile sense that you get in handling a book becomes non-existent

I suspect that my feelings on this matter are related to the fact that I’ve now gotten so many books into the hands of appreciative readers. Otherwise, I wouldn’t care. I’ve also now handled hundreds of kids books with incredible illustrations. Hand a kid a Kindle or have them watch a computer video when bored. Their reading experience will undoubtedly be different than that of a child who has access to print/paper books.

Am I taking this personally? No. I suspect that in time that the majority of readers will read what they read on their Kindle, and print reading will fall by the wayside.

This statement of fact has nothing to do with me, but rather, with the situation at hand. I am not going to waste time passing judgement on those who prefer Kindles. Rather, I am going to continue to get books into the hands of those who value print-based writing.

A good sign. Today I got an email from a woman who is the head of the Head Start programs in the Mat-Su Borough. One of the first things she said is that she wants to partner up with the Bright Lights Book Project. I immediately thought, finally, we have arrived. Now someone wants to partner with us. She wants kids’ books for the younger readers. I could barely suppress my excitement in hearing this. For every time we get a book into the hands of a child, we have increased the likelihood of their becoming a book aficionado.

The sound of pages flipping, the sight of lavish illustrations, the smell of paper and ink, the taste of a board book. Yes, the senses are involved, and who can argue with this?

Next: 332. 12/1/21