Ask people from Oregon what they love most about the place and you’re sure to hear things like “trees!” “environmentalism!” and “draft beer!”
As a born-and-raised Beaver-stater myself, these items would certainly be on my list. However, far and away the thing I’m most proud of my home state for is its claim to the biggest independent new and used bookstore in the world, Powell’s Books.
My life as a bookworm began early. I learned to read when I was 3 years old and by 5, I was leading story time for the neighborhood children. At 10, if I’d been given the choice between Disneyland and the Eugene Public Library for a family vacation spot, I’d have said, “Well, they have ‘Aladdin’ at the library, don’t they?”
If there were a group called Book Readers Anonymous, I’m sure my loved ones would insist I attend. I can’t put down “Pride and Prejudice” or “Franny and Zooey,” no matter how dog-eared the pages get or how frustrated with Mr. Darcy I become. I’m one of those freaks who rarely even returns his class books at the end of the term – you just never know when a glossary of macroeconomic equations might come in handy. My logomania has led to a dream of one day owning my own personal Library of Congress, and I’m well on my way to making this a reality.
So, you can imagine my horror upon Amazon.com’s creation of the Kindle and its release on Monday of the Kindle 2.