Statistically speaking, we read a lot. Our children read a lot. We are a book-loving house of readers.
We used to visit the local library and support its book sale during the summer. We had let our daughters browse the book fairs at school, too.
Once of twice a month, we would visit the local bookstores. There are several large stores nearby, a nice change from the situation in Western Pennsylvania. We would also browse the magazine racks at craft and hobby stores.
The novel coronavirus took away the joy of browsing shelves of books.
Yes, we can shop online and we do. We can download books from the library, too.
Still, browsing virtual shelves doesn’t lead to the same unexpected finds. It’s not the same as flipping through pages surrounded by books.
Thankfully, we own so many books that there are many we haven’t yet read or that we want to read again. We do have quite the library compared to the average household.
We don’t limit our reading to books, either. We love magazines.
For 2021, I am going to subscribe to Apple One, which includes the Apple News magazine stand.
The larger bookstores might not carry magazines in the future. Many titles will go out of print.
The disappearance of newspapers was something I accepted. The loss of magazines is more difficult. I suppose digital editions are better for the environment, but I miss glossy pages in my hands.
Susan reads craft magazines, which include patterns. These aren’t magazines you read once and then recycle.
Recycling any magazine is an emotional challenge for me. Parting with old computer magazines was painful. I kept them for decades. Today, though, many of the issues are available freely online.
When I was in college, I’d visit the large bookstores and newsstands to purchase publications from all over the world. I’d buy a French or Spanish publication and try to read the news articles.
Everything is online. It’s not the same.
What the Internet was already doing to publishing, the COVID-19 pandemic is finishing.
Try to support local bookstores, if you can. Buy some physical books and subscribe to a magazine or two, as well.
After COVID-19 passes, bookstores will be among our first destinations, followed by the library.