It's NOT International Book Week, but that's OK

This week is apparently "International Book Week." Only it's not. There's no such thing as International Book Week, even though millions of people will play along with the game, which is fine with me.Anything to get people to think of books and reading is fine with me.
For years, many have forecast the doom of the paper book. The failure of the Borders chain and the rise of e-readers all seem to signal the approaching lib-copalypse. Thankfully it hasn't happened yet. While it's true that e-books now account for some 23% of sales, that means 77% are still good old analog versions. Research shows that the majority of people prefer browsing titles in a book store, even if they later download the book to a reader.
As I sit here with my morning coffee, looking at a small section of my large library, I muse on the wonder of books:

1. When you buy a book it's yours. You may lend it, revise it it, cut it up and give the pieces to your children to make a collage, or to decoupage a shoebox for a Martha Stewart-ish holiday gift for bemused grandparents.
2. If your book gets wet, you can dry it out and still read it.
3. If stored reasonably well, your book will be able to be read by your descendants for hundreds of years.
4. Books on shelves make a more satisfying design statement than does leaving an I-Pad on an empty surface.
5. The book requires only light, natural or artificial, to become operational. It never runs out of power, nor does it fade in the sunlight.
6. You can read books perfectly well wearing your polarized sunglasses.
7. Books may be sat upon to raise the height challenged at the table.
8. Books serve as weights, shims, and ladders.
9. Fresh new books smell as good as a new car.

In pondering whether to purchase an e-reader, consider the following:

1. 78 RPM records.
2. Records in toto.
3. 8-track tapes.
4. Reel to reel tapes.
5. VHS tapes.
6. Betamax tapes.
7. Cassettes.
8. Laser Discs.
9. 3-D anything.
10. The Republic of China
11. Floppy Discs.

Consider all of the money you've spent over the years on technology that is no longer operational.
Now, find your beat up copy of "Winnie the Pooh" or "Just so Stories." Notice, they still work. They still evoke wonder and magic, no matter how time worn (and worn by the hundreds of times they've been read).

So go ahead. Open any book, turn to page 52, and start reading. No need to post the 5th line on FB. Just tell us if you enjoyed the read.