As a kid, I remember going to the library was one of my favorite things to do at school. To go and check out physical books and hold them in my backpack until I got home. I would spend hours opening the pages of a brand new book. The pages are crisp and clean. The smell of new paper enters your nose and the dark ink dances across the pages. As each page turns, you focus deeper and deeper into the story. Characters fill your head and page after page it becomes better and better.  But as everyone got older, the library was a chore, reading was no longer fun, and there was no reason for a library when everyone had an iPad, computer, or phone. 

In a technology-filled world, not many people read physical books anymore. It saddens me that people would rather sit and watch a movie instead of reading a book or even listen to a book through an audio recording. Most people nowadays would much rather pick up their iPad or Kindle to read. While this is a way to access books, I feel like you are not getting the best experience and most out of what you’re reading. Studies have even shown that when reading online, people do not pay attention as much as when reading the hard copy version. Even my own eye doctor said that in the next few years they are going to see more and more people with eye problems due to so much technology. 

There is nothing better than being able to hold a book in your hands and being able to picture the words on the page in your head. I myself am obsessed with Barnes & Noble. Being able to be in a store that is full of so many stories and words, I have never been drawn to the eBook version at the stores. 

Some people believe that eBooks are simply better because they are much easier to access. I even agree that eBooks are much easier to access. But I feel like if I had the choice I would rather have the physical book version than reading it online any day. Physical books allow you to fully focus on what is on the page and what you are reading. When you read online or through a screen you are staring at bright lights and pixels. It strains your eyes and is extremely hard to get lost in. I personally never feel like I am really reading what is on the screen of my computer. 

We cannot let physical books die. Still, as I get older I realize the importance of physical books and how reading is so important. I just wish other people noticed the need for books. I feel smarter when I read books, my vocabulary is broader, and my attention span is increasingly longer. When we limit our reading to online-only we are missing out on so much.