Super Cool News: People still read books

Note: Super Cool News is a Daily Wildcat feature that shares the, yes, coolest news happening around town and around the country. Try not to take what its writers have to say too literally.

The Tucson Festival of Books has finally arrived, the event that all Tucsonans look forward to like nothing else; at least those over the age of 60. For many students at UA however, the festival mainly comes in the form of those obnoxious white tents out on the Mall that have made us rethink our route to class over the past few weeks.

Many students may think about this festival and say, “Hmm, what’s a ‘book’ again?”

Contrary to the popular belief held by many college students who are too busy and stressed out to even put their pants on the right way, people still read.

Many individuals this year alone confirmed that during the past year they had not only used their hands to physically pick up a hard copy of a book, but they had also proceeded to sit down at an area of nearby comfort and not only open the book, but also read it, instead of just using its pages as rolling paper. The most surprising part? Many of these same individuals admitted to having actually done this purely for the sake of enjoyment, not for a class assignment.

These people give reasons such as “I actually enjoy reading” or “reading is fun,” or the horribly overused cliché “I can travel anywhere I want in the entire world when reading a book, and I never even have to leave this room.”

Lame, but you get the point. People still read.

Now I know what you may be thinking: with the vast amount of high-quality TV shows and movies that now exist, why would I ever have the need to pick up a book ever again? Or, maybe you think that it seems like all of these books get turned into movies eventually anyway, so why don’t I just see the movie version of the book once Hollywood’s lackluster brain inevitably churns it out? Fair questions I suppose in this day and age, but there are still reasons to read.

If you choose to never pick up a book, you will have nothing to discuss with grandma and grandpa at the next family gathering. Ever since retirement, they tend to do a lot of reading for pleasure, so pick a good book you can discuss with them. Otherwise, they will get into personal questions like “how is school?” or “what are you doing with your life?”

Trust me, you’re better off reading a book and avoiding all of this.

Also, who knows, you might actually enjoy it. You also might not, but let’s remain hopeful here. It may be true that books often get adapted into movies, but these films are usually just bland, uninspired rehashings that never reach the quality of the original book, so don’t be the tool bag that thinks seeing a movie based on a book is the same as reading the book. On that same note, even though some TV shows now have almost reached book-level quality, there is still no substitution for curling up in your favorite corner of the living room next to the fireplace with a cup of tea and a good book, to use another vomit-inducing cliché.

Authors actually use language to accomplish a lot of really cool and interesting things in their stories, so make sure to check out these mysterious objects known as “books” and just read one, for God’s sake. You could use some actual culture.

With that said, make sure to check out the Tucson Festival of Books this weekend. You may even discover a newfound love for reading.

Follow Alec Kuehnle on Twitter.