When I was younger I would spend hours hiding away with a succession of books, imagining I was part of the excitement I was reading about. Nowadays I have much less time on my hands to enjoy them, but there are often times I would rather enjoy my favourite book than go out.

Part of what I love about reading is the book itself, and I am sceptical of the new technological craze of digital e-book readers. A small device, about as big as an i-Pod, can store thousands of books on it, to be read and enjoyed anywhere. This sounds great in theory, but to me takes away part of the fun. My room is filled with books that I have enjoyed; I spend hours exploring charity shops, books shops and car boot sales to see what hidden jems I can find. My eye is attracted by the pretty covers (even though you should never judge a book by its cover!) and the old fashioned hardback books with ornate gold lettering. Replacing all of these with a single electronic device would give me a lot more space admittedly, but I don’t think it is worth it.

Technology is slowly being invented to replace what seems like everything, but this is not always for the better. Holding a book in your hands and turning the pages in eagerness to find out what will happen next is part of what reading is about, and seeing a book that is all worn and battered shows how much enjoyment someone has had out of it. The fun of reading would be slightly ruined by squinting at a small screen, and you can guarantee that just as you get to the exciting conclusion the battery will die! Nothing can replace the experience of reading from a proper book.