My pen pal Sarah has been writing nonstop about her senior seminar paper! Everyday, I go to the library and find more messages she has sent me about this “return of paper” topic she has chosen to write about. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy communicating with my new friend, but yeesh! You’d think a girl has more to talk about than some homework!

Anyway, there have been some interesting things she has told me about that have got me thinking about my books, my library, and my deep seated fears of books being made “obsolete” (if you remember my earlier ramblings about that Twilight Zone episode that had me all in a tizzy).

From what I’ve gathered, Sarah strongly believes that books will never go extinct, no matter what advancements are made in the digital world. She claims that books will forever remain an integral part of culture and art. Furthermore, the appeal of “bookishness” will never be met by any digital means. She also says that many of the other students in her class feel the same way.

This gives me a good deal of comfort. If there are young people in the upcoming generations that feel this way, then old folks like me don’t need to worry so much about books being done away with.

PS: My new neighbor “Mr. Zampano” remains at the top of my suspect list as to who sent me that mysterious letter. He stays cooped up in his house and the only time he goes out is early in the morning before the sun rises. Then, he only walks up and down the street a few times, squinting into the windows of all the other houses (I know this because I’ve been spying on him with my bird watching binoculars, which I’ve never used until now because bird watching is a ridiculous hobby. They are much better suited for spying on neighbors). Although, the neighborhood cats do seem to like him, and animals are usually a good judge of character.