I've blogged many times about reading. And I've reviewed dozens of books for kids here and elsewhere. I've even written and had books published.

But why do I care about reading so much?

In the first place I think it's one of the most important skills people can have. Reading informs us, helps to shape our personalities, entertains us, stretches our minds, helps us understand people different from ourselves, and provides respite from our problems.

I'm pleased to live in a community where people often line up waiting for the library doors to open.

A while back I had a bumper sticker made that says "Bookaholics Unite" and some other people have asked me where to get a sticker like that. (Maybe I should have more printed and sell them. Ya think?)

Lately bookstores and chains have been closing, newspapers and magazines have gone out of business, publishers have merged, and the internet is full of discussions about the future of books.

Zillions of self published books are competing with traditionally published ones and e-books are spreading like wildfire. (Please pardon the cliche.)

One problem with the proliferation of e-books is that the technology becomes outdated so books people buy today may not be readable in the future, but most often books are only read once anyway.

Personally, I still prefer hard copies and have lots of things on my e-readers I've never bothered to read. But, in the long run,  I don't think it matters whether people read hard copies, e-books, or handwritten scrolls just so we continue to read.