i need to take a quick break from posting about all the goings on to just comment. indulge me.
i've been posting recently about all the trips we've taken to arkansas. when i go by myself, i almost always get a book on tape from the cracker barrel. when we all go, jon always drives (against my wishes), and i almost always read a book (which makes not being the driver a little bit easier to take).
on the trip to pick up dennis from his two-week stay with nana and pops, i listened to Run, by Ann Patchett. normally, i get a lovely little no-brainer, something that will make me giggle as the flat fields on eastern arkansas fly by. but for whatever reason, i thought, why waste my money on nonsense? let's get something worthy of "reading."
well...one of my favorite blog spots is Real Simple. they have about 16 blogs all in the same place all about stuff i care about. you know - earth-shattering essays on what to eat for dinner, how to arrange your living room and the merits of digital scrapbooking. recently, they began the "no-obligations book club" blog where you can read along and discuss books online. right up my alley. one of the first books they chose to feature was Run. so exciting. i wouldn't even have to read to participate, since i had already "heard" it all. or so i thought.
the moderator is picking apart the layers of the story, and while i knew it was complex, it's SO much more than i thought. there was even an entire storyline that i missed completely.
so here's the issue: am i just a bad listener, or is it difficult to "get" the nuances of a story without the benefit of print?
i've been itching to get seth godin's new business book, tribes. he has released a copy on iTunes, with himself as the reader. it's only 99 cents. but here's the rub...do i spend 99 cents on a piece that i MIGHT get a little bit out of (a very earth-friendly choice, since there's no oil consumed in delivery, no trees harmed in the printing and no packing materials to kill any penguins), or do i spend $13.57 on the hardcover book from Amazon, veritably killing the earth, one key-stroke at a time? my guess is that the extra $12.58 and ensuing consequences are worth it.
there's something about print that just makes it past my ears and into my head. it's why i ran to my computer to type all the words to "Bent" when I was a junior instead of just listening to the words. they made whole lot more sense that way.
3 comments:
One word: LIBRARY!
Ok... more than one word... One of the most eco-friendly choices you can make is refusing to buy new books. If you want the book for keeps, I highly recommend buying used (handy link right on the Amazon page is what I use).
i'm with jess to a point.
you must buy the book. but i can't do old books. here's why. i'm distracted and upset and bothered if any of the pages are turned at the top. if someone has (gasp!) written in the book, or highlighted! but if you can find a "gently used" book, go for it.
you are a visual learner emily. i've always known this.
also, i cannot believe that you didn't mention that you had your very own quote in "real simple" one year ago. don't act like you don't have that issue saved somewhere in your house.
and if you feel bad about a few trees lost due to buying a book...just cut your toilet paper consumption down. maybe one square for number 1, and two squares for number 2.
ahhh...i crack myself up! ahhh...no pun intended!!!!!!
i really did laugh out loud at that.
ps. there is no way you missed an entire storyline. you don't really expect me to believe that do you?
anyone who uses the word "veritably" doesn't miss a storyline. i don't even know what that means. is that on dr. downs' everyday word list?
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