‘Nothing beats a real book’

Veronica Zundel waxes lyrical about the touch and smell of books, and reminds us of the treasure to be found in the ultimate library of books

Time to be honest. I own a Kindle – a very old one. It’s around somewhere, though I’ve lost the charger and I doubt it would charge anyway now. I also have Bluetooth ear buds, but have never got round to downloading the BBC Sounds app on my phone. My husband reads books on his phone or tablet, but for me that has no appeal at all. Why would I want to scroll down a dingy-looking grey screen when I can have the joy of turning pages, feel a smooth satiny cover and, most of all, take in the inimitable smell of a new book? And even an old book, unless it has been really abused, has its own distinctive, peppery smell that transports me to the magic of dusty archives…