Borders gone?

"Oh no, not Borders" was my reaction when I read about the bankruptcy of the bookstore chain. I am a certified bookworm and during my stay in the US, I had grown fond of the Border stores. It's a sad day indeed! :-(

Thankfully, the bookstore business in India is alive and kicking but doomsday predictions are already being made. Everyone is saying that the moment the eReader market picks up, it will be curtains for the bookstores in India as well. I hope and pray that it never happens - ever.

I am one of those who feel that it is a sin to replace the crispness of paper pages and the fragrance of a new book by something which runs on a battery and is guaranteed to strain your eyes no matter what the buzzwords in the advertisements say. I don't think that curling up with an eReader will be the same as curling up with your favorite book on a rainy afternoon. These readers will never be able to replicate the warm comforting feeling of your old often-read book.

And they will never ever have any place to keep the bright petals or tiny green leaves that you can so confidently entrust to the pages of a paper book, will they? :-)