Something Needs to Hold My Book Open

I love books. I like reading, but books themselves are really important to me.

Many people are switching away from the traditional book format in favor of electronic book formats like the Amazon Kindle or Apple’s soon-to-be-released (and curiously-named) iPad.

With all of the technophiles out there, it’s pretty easy to forget that there is still a significant portion of the population who resist technology. Technophobes are listed as one of the microtrends in Mark Penn’s 2007 book Microtrends, meaning they represent a significant group of people with unique needs that must be addressed.

I wanted to make the above point because my idea for today’s post deals with books as they are used in their traditional format. Because I want to be presenting ideas that can be considered relevant, I felt I needed to illustrate that. In addition, I reserve the right to make this point again in future posts.

While I don’t consider myself a technophobe, I do have a deep appreciation and respect for the written word in it’s printed (non-electronic) form. During the approximately six hours per week that I spend on a treadmill, I like to bring a book along to read. This helps me pass the time. I have gotten pretty good at reading while walking, but the only way I can do that is to hold the book in my hands. If I set the book on the little ledge thing that is attached on the front of the treadmill, the book closes.

Each make and model of treadmill seems to have a slightly different version of that ledge, but I have never seen one that will allow me to keep my book from closing on me. Also, there are other times when I need my book to be held open without using my hands. For example, when I’m lying by the pool and I want to expose a certain part of my arms to the sunlight, I cannot hold a book.

Someone needs to invent something that will hold books open when they are not being held. I have seen so many homemade versions of such a thing; the homemade versions involve anything from a complicated system of paper clips and rubber bands to simply a shoe laid on top of a the book. Though the idea is inspired by my workout needs, I really want to see something that is more useful that can be used in any situation. If someone could invent something simple to keep my book from closing on me when I want to read, that person could market it to anyone who prefers to read books in their traditional form, librophiles and technophobes alike.

Does anyone know of something that already does this? Am I the only person left who prefers traditional books?