Stop and Smell the Ink

I don’t personally use an e-reader, though I know a ton of people who swear by them. I still prefer holding the hard copy of a book in my hands and being able to flip the pages manually.  When I’ve finished reading, either for the moment or at the end of a book, I like the satisfying sound of a volume physically closing. While browsing the selection of publications at a bookstore, the different typefaces and the fonts within each of them are fascinating to me.  I especially love smelling the distinct inks used in the various printing processes and truthfully, the aroma of an ink can make or break a book purchase for me.  I realize the irony of this posting, as I sit here typing on a computer and hoping that you read this — which will, because it’s an online blog, of necessity be read on a screen.  I recently had a short story published and I’ve had several people ask me where they can read it online.  The answer at this point is: nowhere.  And I’m okay with that.  I want people to savor the experience of my story in its original form and I also want very much to support the independent press that set my writing, as well as the essays of others, into print.  You can’t smell a book on a computer screen.