TightWind is written by Kyle Baxter. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

John Battelle explains why he won’t read books he cares about on his Kindle.

And that’s when it hit me, in a very visceral and almost reactionary sense: I never, ever, EVER, want to read a book on this device, at least as the device is currently set up. Perhaps that’s a bit too sweeping: Put another way, I don’t ever want to read a book that I would ever want to share or keep – one that I’d want to put on my shelf in my library at home.

He makes a compelling point. Sharing can be solved rather easily, but the social aspect of books — seeing what someone is reading in public, and what one’s read in their library — can’t be.

Reading in public is especially interesting. When you see someone reading a book in public, the focus isn’t on the medium, but on what book it is. When reading on a device (whether it’s a Kindle, Nook, or iPhone), the focus is entirely on the device. That seems to be an important shift.