...This bookworm likes to squirm in prose and nibble on the pages of actual books...

      I'm a bookworm. I love a good book. On cold days, I can be found curled up in a blanket with a book and a mug (filled with tea, coffee or cocoa). This hobby became a habit in recent years. There is a certain comfort in the pages of a good book.
     Yesterday, in my Renaissance class I was introduced to a book by an author. The book is The Decameron (summary & more text). The author is Giovanni Boccaccio. Essentially, it's about a group of people who are trying to escape the plague in Florence Italy during the course of their journey the begin to tell stories to entertain and otherwise kill time.
      I found myself intrigued by these tales which could be considered one part fiction and one part fact. I was also intrigued by its significance as well as Boccaccio. I wanted to discover for myself why this man and the fore mentioned body of work was regarded so highly by my professor and other scholars.
   This curiosity took me on a short "treasure hunt". I found it at the Mardigan Library, about five or six copies were available at my fingertips. This find was exciting and overwhelming because I wasn't sure which one I should borrow.
     I chose an elder translation and walked down stairs to check out. I felt like such a nerd leaving the library with my book and maybe soon to be a good friend. This statement probably warrants a chuckle or two. It's a good habit to laugh at yourself because the world certainly will.
    Anyways, this newly borrowed acquisition made me ponder the future of books, especially those used in the classroom. I like holding a real book in my hand. It's hard or soft shell housing pages of a published manuscript seems to provide a more intimate bond between reader and writer. I like turning the pages too. You can get lost in the prose regardless of its form but I think we stare at too many screens during the course of the day.
    I wonder what it would be like to referring and or teaching from an e-book?! How amusing would it be if my students teased me about my ancientness if they knew I prefer physical books to e-books or readers. How interesting would it be to watch e-books/readers to completely replace books? Would I have to actually explain what books are/were someday? How long would it take me to become accustom to this device?
     As long as books don’t become the things firefighters target and burn like they do in Fahrenheit 451. I couldn’t imagine a world without books. How could I acquire new knowledge or expect my students to do they same? Though the Internet is convenient, a book is easier on the eyes than a computer screen. Our books were perhaps the first piece of technology utilized in the classroom. However, at one time there weren’t enough to go around, especially in the early years. With that said, I am a grateful bookworm because I can squirm around different flavors of literary soil.

The Decameron Project