Updated: August 3, 2016
Originally Published: September 25, 2015
The era of eBooks and Kindles? Not my crowd. My tribe consists of those who roam the aisles of local bookstores, inhaling the scent of fresh paperbacks while flipping through pages that are tantalizingly close to their noses. These are the individuals who leave used bookstores with bags full of books simply because they can’t resist a Buy One, Get One Free offer. You see, we—those of us who grew up in the ’70s and ’80s—have an undeniable passion for books. Real, tangible books. We cherish the way our thumbs ache from holding them open for hours, engrossed in a captivating story. The feel of the pages sliding between our fingers and the aroma of both vintage and new books is something we hold dear. eReaders? No thanks.
While we’re not technophobes—after all, we have our smartphones and tablets—we find ourselves in a peculiar limbo. We exist somewhere between hardcore technologists and the hipster elite glued to their screens. Sure, we acknowledge the advancements in technology, but we proudly raise a paperback in defiance.
The notion of reading on a screen simply doesn’t resonate with us. As children in the ’80s, we checked out books with those stiff, old library cards tucked neatly in the back. We scrawled our names in pencil beneath our peers’ signatures, from our best friends to our first crushes. Many of us even saw our names repeated several times, having renewed and reread our favorites throughout the school year. There was nothing like the thrill of signing that card and taking a book home for a two-week escape into our imagination. For some, snuggling under the covers with a well-worn copy of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret during the wee hours was a rite of passage. For those two weeks, those library books—real ones—were ours.
We are sentimental, and let’s face it, we had some exceptional reads as kids. We knew quality literature when we saw it, and we carried our books until their covers were tattered and the pages frayed. From the Trixie Belden mysteries to the adventures of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, we devoured every clue alongside our favorite snacks, like Cheetos and Tab. We envisioned ourselves as the clever Encyclopedia Brown, though we often couldn’t wipe the orange fingerprints off page 45 before returning it to the library.
Encyclopedia Brown wasn’t the only character that captivated us. Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume filled our summer reading lists, and we eagerly dove into the Bunnicula series. Holding a battered copy of How to Eat Fried Worms was a badge of honor back in the day.
As time rolled on for those raised on Reading Rainbow, we found ourselves firmly attached to the written word—a sentiment that deserves its own love letter. In middle school, we navigated the dilemmas of Sweet Valley High, and as we entered high school, our teachers assigned us classic paperbacks. We relished the opportunity to explore The Catcher in the Rye and thumb through The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Each page of The Lottery became a canvas for our imaginations, allowing us to connect with the characters’ struggles.
Our personal libraries began to grow. We started acquiring books we couldn’t bear to part with, such as The Color Purple and To Kill a Mockingbird. No longer did we have to return them to the library; they were ours forever, destined to be passed down to our future children. Little did we know that they would miss out on the experience of examining the signatures of previous readers in the back of those books. They would likely be more familiar with the smell of an OtterBox than the pages that had been lovingly turned by countless readers before them.
So go ahead, keep your eBooks. I’ll cherish my shelves filled with both new and aging volumes. You can have your Kindle, complete with its elusive charger, while I hold onto my tattered copy of The Call of the Wild. You may have your iPad, with its reading apps, but there’s no app for the feeling of turning pages and inhaling their scent. That experience is uniquely mine.
For anyone interested in family planning and other parenting resources, check out Make a Mom’s guide on at-home insemination kits. It’s a great read if you’re exploring options. Also, for those navigating their journey through IVF, hydration is key—consult the experts at Intracervical Insemination for more information. And for excellent resources on pregnancy week by week, visit March of Dimes.
In summary, Generation X book lovers are passionate about the tactile joys of reading physical books, celebrating the nostalgia of library cards and cherished childhood favorites. While technology has advanced, the love for printed pages remains a cherished part of our identity.