Last week I attended a meeting with my digital staff and our Digital Content Manager Stephanie who came in from New York. After going over figures and stats we took a quick break in the meeting and just kicked back for a few moments. In conversation with Stephanie, she happened to mention how much she enjoyed books as opposed to e-books.

She described the many benefits of books, (actually holding the book, its heaviness, the fact a person can dogear the pages, underline, etc. etc.) Then she said something that really hit home with me. She said she loved "the smell" of a book. Immediately, my mind went back to the very first book I ever got. I was 8 years old, and some friends of my mom gave me a book about Pinocchio. I opened the book, and the first thing I noticed was the smell. I really enjoyed it, maybe even more than the book itself.

After all the moves I've made in my lifetime, I'm pleased to say I still have the book. I found it in my home library last night, and guess what the first thing I did was? Right. I smelled it. I know to some it might sound crazy, but it felt comforting as my mind filled with memories of my childhood.

I've taken a few photos of the book to show you. To me a book is a treasure, something to enjoy and pass on to future generations. It's pretty tough to do that with an e-book.