As I was reading the first half of Jim Butcher’s The Aeronaut’s Windlass, I came across a passage that I thought was masterfully written and appealed to the author in me:
Bridget blinked once. “Books do not have souls, sir.”
“Those who write them do,” Ferus said. “They leave bits and pieces behind them when they lay down the words, some scraps and smears of their essential nature.” He sniffed. “Most untidy, really — but assemble enough scraps and one might have something approaching a whole.”
“You believe that the library has a soul,” Bridget said carefully.
“I do not believe it, young lady,” Ferus said rather stiffly. “I know it”
Now, granted, this might come off as the author imposing a little too much but for those of us who are book lovers and library lovers, we can really appreciate it. Have you ever walked into a large library or even an old library and just felt like you weren’t alone anymore? Like someone was there to comfort you if you were feeling down or laugh with you at some joke you had heard?
It’s that feeling that assures me that no matter what technology we may have, no matter how popular e-books become, libraries will still exist. People will still want the feel of paper in their hands. And authors will never run out of stories to write.
Kristopher L. Campa 