“I’m optimistic that electronic reading will bring more good than harm.” — Jacob Weisberg, Slate, 3/21/09

It’s not difficult to guess that we at Linebreak have some sizable bets out on the e-literature horse.

Confession: I’m a book hoarder.

My bookshelves runneth over. I keep books on side tables, on the floor, on the defunct entertainment center shoved into the corner. Books are what we’ve had to work with, sure, but I’ll admit I’ve got real affection for the dusty, crumbly things.

Why don’t I have a Kindle (or its shinier, brighter sibling Kindle 2)? I’m broke, but who isn’t? I like holding books. I like turning pages. Johnathon is likely glowering at what sound like a technophobe’s reservations.

It’s what we deal with daily when we consider what we do on this site. Will we be forgiven for not having a body? For our own part, I hope so. Is reading poetry in a digital format different than reading a novel in the same way? I think so. Poetry’s manageable. It’s not Moby-Dick.

I don’t know how to react to Jacob Weisberg’s recent Slate article: is the Kindle the future? How long until we embrace our digital overlords? I have a feeling we’ll see soon enough.