I've been thinking about the popularity of books. Recently I saw a news article on television about the rise in the popularity of books, and the causes of it. It seems counter-intuitive to suggest that as the digital age marches on the popularity of books is actually on the increase, but perhaps it's not as simple as that. Whilst on the surface it would be reasonable to expect that as more and more media becomes digitalised, and as the number of television channels increases, the sales of books in hard-copy would decline, so people may also feel more and more like holding onto something real - something that they can interact with directly - rather than staring at a screen all the time.

I'm sure we all find it annoying to stare at screens for long periods of time, and perhaps this has some part to play in the complex issue. After all, who doesn't find their concentration waning after their gaze has been fixed on one spot for hour after hour? Whilst books also demand that we look at pages for long periods of time, there are frequent breaks in the act - for example every time we wish to turn a page. This alone could provide enough stimuli to prevent our eyes from becoming tiresomely unmoved.

Perhaps we also enjoy the feel of a book in our hands. This is another factor which may help keep us interested in what we are doing. The sensation of various types of paper on our fingertips, the book's weight and also its smell all provide constant stimuli that occupy our senses as we sink into the book's world. Another factor which contributes to my own preference for books is the irritating glare of a screen, particularly after I've been looking at it for some time. For me, switching from browsing the web to browsing a book and feeling my eyes adjusting to the background light is one of life's great pleaures!

I also think that people simply like to have books on a shelf in their house, and you never know when this might come in handy! My house had a power-cut recently which lasted for almost six hours. Had I not built up my own small library of books I would have struggled to entertain myself for that time. Such occasions remind me that just because I don't like all my media digitalised, doesn't mean I'm at a disadvantage.

Ultimately I think that books are just something which we can't do without. It's like using tea bags instead of tea leaves - one is much more convenient but the other has an air of authenticity and a charm all of its own. I'll certainly never stop enjoying my books, and it looks like I'm not alone if the news report was right. So I say, give me books, books, and more books, as I'll always enjoy having them around.