What is a Book?

In my mind, a book is a way to defy reality. In books, you can see magic, travel through time, embark on unbelievable adventures, and come to know some of the most famous people in history. I think that Joe Meno is right when he discusses the idea that books can take any form that the reader wants. Just take a look at all of the different types of readers there are! Some people prefer reading biographies about historical figures while other people might prefer stories about someone being attacked by a monster that hides in a closet. 

To me, a book has to be relatable to the reader whether it's through a memory, a similar experience, or a character. A book should be like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter's day. A book should be able to warm your soul and make you feel emotions as you read it. I also think that a book needs to have an actual hard-back cover with a picture. I really enjoy being able to look at a cover because I can see a character or figure out how the cover relates to the book. But sometimes, I just like to look at the pictures because they are pretty or interesting. A recent example is when I read Nightshade (Which I highly recommend). The cover shows the main character Calla holding a bouquet of lilies spattered with blood. The lilies are significant because Lily is Calla's nickname and they are spattered with blood because Calla is not afraid to fight someone to protect her pack. Calla also has strange yellow eyes on the cover because she can transform into a wolf (very cool)!

As I was reading the quotes from these people, I hated Victor LaValle's opinion about books vs. e-readers. I don't buy physical books just because I know that someone's spent months writing it! I buy physical books because I enjoy having something that serves as an escape from the technology that takes over a large part of my life. I find something comforting and magical about an actual book opposed to a Kindle. I really like Nancy Jo Sales's opinion because she agrees with me about how books are better than Kindles.