World Book Day and we are told about thousands of little bookshops closing down. On a thread on the Tipsheet board (because it is about music as well as fillums and books) we praise the ease and cheapness and variety of Amazon. I'm sad that book shops are dying - I adore browsing - but the reality is - Internet killed the Charing Cross star.

We're burning the books - just in a different way from the obvious.

It's sad, but there's a happy side to it all too. Quite soon, you will be able to download and read on your Kindle (or whatever), just about any book that was ever written (and preserved), no matter how many decades out of print.

Electronic books, like the Kindle, don't appeal to me at all. I spend far too much time looking at screens (computers, TVs) and I appreciate being able to pick up a physical book and rest my eyes on the printed page. It's far more relaxing and I don't need to worry about batteries or power cuts (unless it's at night). Real books have a character of their own. E-books are too cold and clinical.

My local book store has cosy armchairs and a small coffee shop, creating an atmosphere which help to draw people in. Once in, people do buy a book or two. Plus, it's hard to get a signed copy of an E-book.

I think paper books will be with us for a while longer.