My mom got me a Kindle for my birthday, and as much as I preach the pleasure of cracking open a new book, I’m slightly addicted to it. It’s so amazingly convienient; press a button and a book appears as if by magic! No waiting until I have time to go to the bookstore, no exchanging of actual money (because virtual money doesn’t count, right???), just good books that I want, when I want them. It’s dangerous on my pocketbook, to say the least.
Anyhoo, I stand by my claim that (eventhoughtIlovemyKindleandneverwanttobewithoutit) real books will always be better. The thrill of browsing the shelves and picking up the perfect book, like rediscovering an old friend. The sound of the spine cracking as you open it for the first time, the sound that promises unlocking adventure. I love the romance of books – their promise, their ability to take you to places you never imagined, the way they sit on your shelves so patiently while you read newer, flashier titles, knowing that you’ll love them just as much when you finally come back and read them again. I even love their smell, that’s how much I love a tactile, tangible, real-life book. To this day, one of the most romantic things A can say to me (and he often does, good man) is “how about we go to the bookstore tonight, grab a cup of coffee, and buy you a good book.”
So even with my newfound Kindle-love, there are more than a few books I would die to have right now. I’d love the Kindle version, goodness knows they’d be cheaper, but I’ve wanted these titles long enough that I’d love to have them grace my shelves in hardback. Heck, I’d take them in softcover, but nothin’ says lovin’ like a hardback book. So here, in no particular order, are the top five books I’d love to have in real-print editions right now:
1. Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe, etided by Bernard Comment
2. Bossypants by Tina Fey
3. The Bitch in the House by Cathi Hanauer
4. Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmer’s Markets by Deborah Madison
5. Amphigorey: Fifteen Books by Edward Gorey
Love. Edward. Gorey.
Do you still die for hardback books, or do you prefer the downloadable version? What’s on your must-own book list right now?
Bigger in Real Life 
Know what’s even better than Bossypants in hardcover? Bossypants in Audiobook! Tina Fey reads it herself and it’s so funny. And I know what you mean by virtual money not seeming real. Once I got the EBay and PayPal app on my phone so I could bid on items AND pay for them on there. Big mistake.
That Marilyn Munroe books looks great. She’s so glam even in a casual turtleneck!
PS. I reviewed Bossypants on Audiobook on my blog: http://brokenpenguins.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/plenty-of-lol-ing-for-tina-feys-bossypants/
I’d heard that the audiobook wad amazing. Thanks for the tips, I’ll have to look into that!
I LOVED Amphigorey! We used to get it from the “Big library” when we were kids and I always wanted to not return it- ever. But, being the good girl I was, I did not do that. But I think either your mom or Aunt Neety stole a book once.