Bookworms Anonymous

Books are hot!! It's official.

The 'hot coffee in a cardboard cup' has been replaced by ...the novel!! I'm not kidding, as I rode the escalator to the top of Green Park station this morning, every passing commuter was engrossed in a veritable selection of fiction.

And they used to say reading was only for swots and nerds... Well, in their face!

As a sometime nerd and avid reader, I am thrilled at this change in the trend barometer (even if it has only been noted by yours truly). And despite the constant barrage of hip, techno-complicated gadgets such as the Kindle and the iPad, I still prefer the feel of a real page-turner. In much the same way as I spend oodles of dosh on magazines despite much of the content being available on their dedicated websites, having the actual, tangible thing in my possession is far more satisfying.

Electronic reading devices are designed for those video-game obsessed, internet-addicted, gadget-needing individuals - for whom hardware will always entice more than a hardback.

I love knowing how far into a book I am - notably earmarked by my Twilight bookmark - and being able to pick it up wherever I am (on the train, in bed, in the park) and carry right on, easily able to flip back to something if need be, or read the author bio or see what other titles said author has written.

I am currently reading Marian Keyes' 'Sushi for Beginners' and in true Keyes style, I am by now intimately acquainted with each character and unable to put it down. I love getting lost in the words, the literary illustrations, the stories and quite frankly I don't believe this can be achieved - electronically.

I will always have bookshelves lined with books - but what can we expect in the future? Minimalism taken to a new level? We've done away with CDs, videos, I imagine DVDs will be extinct eventually what with the Apple TV... so we will live in white-washed homes with a computer for company? Dating replaced exclusively by cyber-dating, long-haul flights made redundant by Skype video calling and shopping done entirely online? It's a scary thought...

The world changes dramatically from one day to the next - with yesterdays' news again warning of brain tumours caused by excessive use of mobile phones, I can only wonder - will technology be the end of human life as we know it?