Notebook, not E Book

Here we are again, standing on thr brink of Read an E book week. The calendar flagged up the notification, 7th to 13th March, 2021. Annually, the first full week of March.

Twelve months ago, I posted about it, gave a heads up for the links to Smashwords, and the dedicated page on the site. 

I'm a fan of digital, as much as the traditional, hard copy format of the book.

The technical advantages of the ebook are balanced by the aesthetic of the paper version. Softback, hardback, whatever the actual size and format the physical aspects possess what the virtual can never hold. 

The image at the head of this post captures something of the last year, and gave me the answer to a question. the series of posts exploring the notebook, with emphasis on the traveller's notebook and it's lookalikes. I knew the answer, sort of. The timing was curious. The picture of the eReader tucked neatly into the pocket, and the hardcopy struggling to fit caught the mood of the day.

Digital, everything has taken a digital angle in the last twelve months, working from home, and Zoom, or Teams, Hookups, Whatsapp, etc.

Life traded the physical for the virtual, and is poorer for it. Arguably necessary, under the circumstances, but poorer nonetheless.

Sight and hearing have been overloaded, sated beyond their normal capapcity, yet smell, taste and touch have suffered neglect.

The confinement brought out a strain of creativity to satisfy the needs. Baking, gardening, art, anything that can be touched, smelt, tasted.

The notebook, the trigger, brought with it the unmistakable characteristics of real leather. Following the process to completion was a balm. A confirmation, of a primal urge, to touch, to explore the texture of an object.

An idea, drawn from the virtual into the real world.

Suppressed by lockdowns and social distance the primal urge, expressed by a fingerprint on recently dried paint, the irresistible desire to touch found an outlet.

So here's mine, all my own work, including the Inserts, with a bought clip and the ubiquitous Jotter pen.

Have fun with whatever you're doing.

Martyn