Book Blogger Hop: A Future Without Books

Today I’m taking part in the Book Blogger Hop, a weekly hop hosted by Billy B at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer (originally created by Jennifer at  Crazy-For-Books). You can see the hop schedule here.

“Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end on Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.”  

~Billy B

This week’s question:

You are suddenly transported into a future time in which (horrors!) books are unknown. How would you explain books, and how wonderful they are, to the people of that time?

~ Submitted by Maria @ A Night’s Dream of Books

First of all, that sounds like one terrifying dystopian future! Books are amazing and it would be a very bleak world without them! If I had to describe books to a society that had no idea what they were, I would probably start with a standard definition: a book is a volume of written work, either words printed onto paper pages and sewn together or published in the form of an Ebook that you can read on an electronic device.

Non-fiction books include guides explaining various topics, directories of information, collections of articles and memoirs of real-life experiences. Reading allows us to absorb information and learn more about a particular subject. Books like this help to educate, empower and inspire.

Fiction books or novels are about events, characters and settings that are created by an author. There are so many categories and genres that there really is something for everyone. The author’s words allow you to imagine experiencing all kinds of different situations and adventures, a bit like virtual reality. You can become anyone from a rock star to a vampire queen, explore anywhere from the Amazon rainforest to the far reaches of the galaxy. And all without ever having to leave your bed!

As well as all that, books can help us through hard times and make us feel understood by someone. We can relate to the thoughts and feelings of the characters and maybe realise that we’re not alone. We can return to our favourite books time and time again and find comfort in the beautiful words or the magical setting. That’s why books are truly amazing, and why you need to bring them back and experience them for yourselves! 

What about you?

How would you explain books to someone from the future who didn’t know about them?