One of the things most people would probably have inside their storage lockers would surely be books. Even in these days of e-readers of all shapes and sizes, there is something about the humble book that will never die. Sure you can keep thousands of books on an e-reader and still be able to pop them all in your pocket. You certainly can’t do that with a thousand paperback books. You can’t even fit one of those in your back pocket.
However good e-readers get, I don’t think we’ll ever completely give up ‘real’ books. There’s something about them, isn’t there? Maybe it’s the smell of the paper and the ink as you flip through the pages. (That smell gets better with age too, like a fine wine. Or is that just me?) Maybe it’s the reality of a proper book in your hands, whereas reading a novel on an e-reader just doesn’t feel the same. Yes, I know it tells you how far through the book you are, but it’s not the same as reading each page and just being able to glance at where you are in the book as a whole. Ah for the simple pleasures of reading a book. A proper book.
We tend to get rather attached to those ‘real’ books too don’t we? Most of them probably only get read the once, and yet they stay on the bookshelf or get stored away in a cupboard somewhere. Maybe we’ll read them again one day. Maybe we’ll eventually have a clear-out and sell some of the better ones on eBay. You might just do that if you’re lucky enough to have some first editions that could actually bring in a serious amount of money. You couldn’t do the same with anything you had on an e-reader, could you?
In some ways, the books we have are as personal to us – and as revealing – as photos in an album. Go on admit it – do you ever look through the books someone has on their bookshelf whenever you visit someone’s home for the first time? I know I do.
That’s one of the reasons why so many people have hundreds if not thousands of books in their storage spaces. These aren’t the easiest things to get rid of, nor would you want to get rid of them. And that’s the way it should be.
Posted in: Self-storage