Reading on the Go

New digital reading devices have made accessing a book easier than ever, no matter where you happen to be. They also allow you to store more reading material in one place, instead of having to cart around a dozen paperbacks. You can even read on your iphone! The increasing amount of access to digital books, magazines and even newspapers shows us that while technology keeps changing, reading itself isn't going out of style. Even so, I hear people comment sometimes that it's too much trouble to bring a reading device with them somewhere, much less a book.

I'm lucky to love my work enough that I want to take parts of it with me even when I go on vacation. Of course, "work" is synonymous with "books." Reading is a physical experience for me as much as a mental one, turning the pages and smelling the ink, so I don't own an e-reader yet even though I love that they're available and constantly improving. That being the case, I decided to try and prove a point when I packed a few books for my recent vacation: reading is still doable in a lot of obscure places even without a digital device like an ipad or a Kobo. So whenever I went on a hike or excursion on Kaua'i, a book came with me. It only ever took a few seconds to tuck a book into a day pack, and even on crazy, muddy, uphill hikes the weight didn't make much of a difference.

I know that my perspective on books, their relevance, and whether they're worth having around is biased. But I did have fun with my little experiment, and got some pretty great photos out of it too. So enjoy this glimpse into my personal vacation reading, and the next time you're packing a bag somewhere, be sure to add a book!




^ Trail near Kapa'a

^ Waimea Canyon Overlook

^ Alakai Highland Swamp