How E-Readers Destroyed My Love Life
I had one good pickup line, and e-readers ruined it. I can no longer hit on a handsome man on a long commute by asking about his book — because I can’t see it. Gone are the days when, sitting on a train delayed in the station, I could imagine exactly where in the New York Public Library we would first kiss — in the stacks between Mailer and Malamud or Foer and Franzen? E-books may be saving literature, but my dating life has suffered.
It’s true, books give you a certain social identity. I love looking at people’s bookshelves when I pop round for a nice cup of English tea. It would be a shame if, one day, we all did away with our printed material.
That said, there are plenty of other places to share and view each other’s reading habits, like Shelfari and goodreads. Not quite the same thing though, is it? Not yet, anyway.
