I first went to Copperfield’s in 1998 and loved it. Tons of books. Well organized. Cozy. Coffee bar. It smells of books.
Most of my sales are ebooks. I get it. Probably half of my reading time is with ebooks. The convenience is unsurpassed – at least until books can be projected on my Args. Still, I prefer physical books. There’s something about holding one that enables memory. We have very good positional memory. One of the tricks memory champs use is the memory palace. I first learned about it in Moonwalking with Einstein by Josh Foer. (Great book BTW)
Following the eruption, survivors were trying to account for the dead and missing. A survivor had been attending a banquet but left early and was far enough away to survive the ashfall. Afterwards he helped to identify the dead because of where they were in the banquet hall. He pictured himself back at the party and walked from table to table recalling who was there by where they were sitting.
Reading a physical book is like that. You can remember scene and facts you want to recall by picturing where they were – left or right page, close to the front, near the top of the page, etc.
Smell is another powerful evoker of memory. The smell of printed books, slightly musty, leftover eau-de-ink, paper itself, all take me to my happy place. I’ve always read in bed. Picking up my book to read is a signal to my mind and body that the day’s trials are at an end. Nothing left to do but read a bit and fall asleep. A close second is outdoors.
Lounging on beach or sitting at a campsite with a physical book in my hands is perfection.
On May 13th you can come experience the brilliance of Copperfield’s and hang out with me at the same time. I was there last year and enjoyed it – even if it was hot. At the time I only had SPARK out. Now, I’ve added Fire, and by the time of the event, you’ll be able to order OrcLand! I’ll be signing books, selling books, and chatting with fans. My booth will be right across from the FREE SNACKS. That’s right, free nosh. I may even give away a book and T-shirt or two.
Come by and say hi.