We were looking forward to spend some time at Page One in Vivocity today. To our disappointment, the shop had closed down. I had spent many moments poring through the latest reads, sometimes even venturing into the art and architecture section. Page One had a wide collection of good books that favors the curious reader.
That got us thinking about the future of the brick and mortar bookstores. Yes, we are bombarded with options of reading on our handphones, laptops and ipads these days. With magazines and books all developing its own e-version, what is the value of a physical bookstore?
I consider myself a modern reader in that I don’t mind reading from the computer instead of hard copy books. But I must confess I love my books – yes, the ones that sit on the book shelf, ranging from novels to non-fiction. There are a few epic, classic reads which I believe I will read over and again. And years before, I had also enjoyed my time chatting with a wise ol’ second hand bookstore owner at Pearl Centre. He had provided me the much needed guidance to pick the right books for philosophy, religion, etc., things which I was curious about at that time. Today, the smart websites can analyze your reading profile or purchasing behaviour and provide the same recommendations. Question is, what’s different? Does the human touch make a difference in this case?
I can imagine a future without physical bookstores happening in my lifetime. And I’m ready to start reading off a Kindle or Ipad.. But one thing’s for sure, my love for reading and knowledge will remain – that’s the essence, the substance. I consider the rest ‘form’.
Photo courtesy of http://houseofpens.blogspot.com/2009/11/singapore-pen-tour-2009.html
