Seeing this makes me a bit wistful.. it used to be if I walked into someone's home and didn't see shelves full of books, my impression of that person was forever changed.
Now, my home has no shelves full of books. All my (dead tree) books are in storage and I just have a kindle.
I still read as much as always, but I feel as if a certain degree of intellectualism is lost. No longer can someone look at my shelves and say "oh, I loved this book" and spark a nice literary discussion.
I should add, however, I am probably one of the few regular users of goodreads.com, though it is hardly a replacement (and I've only got one or two friends).
Now, my home has no shelves full of books. All my (dead tree) books are in storage and I just have a kindle.
Which in its own way may lead some visitors to get an impression of your reading tastes too :-)
The majority of books I own either aren't on the Kindle or couldn't usefully be on the Kindle in its current form (most TASCHEN books, megasets like Modernist Cuisine, almost everything in large formats, atlases, Edward Tufte books, art and design annuals, anything with even the barest flare of graphic design..)
Which in its own way may lead some visitors to get an impression of your reading tastes too :-)
Oh I know, that is exactly what I meant. I fear the conclusions people might draw when the only reading material they see in my house are my girlfriend's Us Weeklys.
Now, my home has no shelves full of books. All my (dead tree) books are in storage and I just have a kindle.
I still read as much as always, but I feel as if a certain degree of intellectualism is lost. No longer can someone look at my shelves and say "oh, I loved this book" and spark a nice literary discussion.
I should add, however, I am probably one of the few regular users of goodreads.com, though it is hardly a replacement (and I've only got one or two friends).