--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not know people your age still read…" description: "\"“I did not know people your age still read books,' Penumbra says. He raises an eyebrow. 'I was under the impression they read everything on their mobil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-rea_677186.jpg" --- # I did not know people your age still read books,' Penumbra… ![“I did not know people your age still read books,' Penumbra says. He raises an eyebrow. 'I was under the impression they read everything on their mobile phones.' 'Not everyone. There are plenty of people who, you know--people who still like the smell of books.' 'The smell!' Penumbra repeats. 'You…” quote by Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-rea_677186.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-rea_677186.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-rea_677186.jpg) > ““I did not know people your age still read books,' Penumbra says. He raises an eyebrow. 'I was under the impression they read everything on their mobile phones.' 'Not everyone. There are plenty of people who, you know--people who still like the smell of books.' 'The smell!' Penumbra repeats. 'You know you are finished when people start talking about the smell.' He smiles at that--then something occurs to him, and he narrows his eyes. 'I do not suppose you have a...Kindle?' Uh-oh. It feels like it's the principal asking me if I have weed in my backpack. But in a friendly way, like maybe he wants to share it. As it happens, I do have my Kindle. I pull it out of my messenger bag. It's a bit battered with wide scratches across the back and stray pen marks near the bottom of the screen. Penumbra holds it aloft and frowns. It's blank. I reach up and pinch the corner and it comes to life. He sucks in a sharp breath, and the pale gray rectangle reflects in his bright blue eyes.”” [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage sat the clash between traditional book lovers and digital readers, highlighting nostalgia, curiosity, and the tension of changing habits. **In simple terms:** Old and new reading habits clash, sparking curiosity and nostalgia. Key Takeaway Embrace both formats, appreciate the sensory and digital. Themes nostalgia technology reading culture curiosity Mood reflective nostalgic thoughtful Type literary conversational observational When to use this quote - library - bookstores - digital classrooms - personal reading habits Key Concepts digital vs analog sensory experience generational shift Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance love for physical books with digital convenience? - What does the smell of a book represent to you? A Different Perspective Some may view digital devices as diminishing the tactile joy of books. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Mobile Phone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mobile-phone/) [Smell Of Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell-of-books/) ## Related quotes > [“Then we will do two things," Penumbra says, nodding. "First, I will tell you just a little of our history. Then, to understand, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/then-we-will-do-two-things-penumbra-says-nodding-first-i-will-tell/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“The smell!" Penumbra repeats. "You know you are finished when people start talking about the smell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/the-smell-penumbra-repeats-you-know-you-are-finished-when-people/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [I still love the book-ness of books, the smell of books: I am a book fetishist—books to me are the coolest and sexiest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-still-love-the-book-ness-of-books-the-smell-of-books-i-am-a-book/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The smell of books is the smell of us all coming together to document, entertain, and explain things for ourselves now and forever. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-pasricha/the-smell-of-books-is-the-smell-of-us-all-coming-together-to-document/) [Neil Pasricha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-pasricha/) > [Doing research for 'Penumbra,' I read quite a bit about the early history of printing, and the more I did, the more it sounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/doing-research-for-penumbra-i-read-quite-a-bit-about-the-early/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [I think, personally - I don't know if other readers would agree - but reading 'Penumbra,' I detect an Internet writer or a writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-think-personally-i-don-t-know-if-other-readers-would-agree-but/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“Anyway, sorry,” Jad says to me quietly. “We’ll be fine,” I say. “People still like the smell of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/anyway-sorry-jad-says-to-me-quietly-we-ll-be-fine-i-say-people-still/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“Despenco em sono leve sobre a penumbra macia e aveludada, a qual vagarosamente me digere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filipe-russo/despenco-em-sono-leve-sobre-a-penumbra-macia-e-aveludada-a-qual/) [Filipe Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filipe-russo/) > [“She loved the smell of books. She loved everything about books. It was her escape. She traveled all over the world with them. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soroosh-shahrivar/she-loved-the-smell-of-books-she-loved-everything-about-books-it-was/) [Soroosh Shahrivar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soroosh-shahrivar/) > [I don't get how people want to read books on computers because it must be really bad for your eyes, for starters. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-nash/i-don-t-get-how-people-want-to-read-books-on-computers-because-it/) [Kate Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-nash/) > [“She loved the smell of books, the feel of books, the look of them on the shelf.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-michaels/she-loved-the-smell-of-books-the-feel-of-books-the-look-of-them-on/) [Barbara Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-michaels/) > [I read on a Kindle. I must be of the opinion that the new way to read is a pretty good way to read.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lore-segal/i-read-on-a-kindle-i-must-be-of-the-opinion-that-the-new-way-to-read/) [Lore Segal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lore-segal/) > [“There is nothing like the smell of books, both new and old. If someone ever bottled the smell, I would be all over it .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-king/there-is-nothing-like-the-smell-of-books-both-new-and-old-if-someone/) [Tiffany King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-king/) > [“Books for me were what the ocean is to the fearless explorer-deep and mysterious, boundless and soothing. I loved the smell of books, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-pemberton/books-for-me-were-what-the-ocean-is-to-the-fearless-explorer-deep-and/) [Steve Pemberton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-pemberton/) > [I lived in the library with my grandmother as a child. I still love the smell of books; the library card is still my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-lived-in-the-library-with-my-grandmother-as-a-child-i-still-love/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) ## More by Robin Sloan > [“But it will make mistakes," she says. "Hadoop will probably get us from a hundred thousand buildings down to, like, five thousand." "So we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/but-it-will-make-mistakes-she-says-hadoop-will-probably-get-us-from-a/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [You can go as far back as fifth grade, and you will find me tinkering with media and computers, making things that are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/you-can-go-as-far-back-as-fifth-grade-and-you-will-find-me-tinkering/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [He has the strangest expression on his face- the emotional equivalent of 404 PAGE NOT FOUND.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/he-has-the-strangest-expression-on-his-face-the-emotional-equivalent/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“Baking, by contrast, was solving the same problem over and over again, because every time, the solution was consumed. I mean, really: chewed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/baking-by-contrast-was-solving-the-same-problem-over-and-over-again/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“I tell him, and I write it down as I go. It makes me feel better, as if the weirdness is flowing out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-it-makes-me-feel-better-as-if/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [There's just no escaping it: The half-life of media on the Internet is super short. Tweets flow and fade; pages that look great today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/there-s-just-no-escaping-it-the-half-life-of-media-on-the-internet-is/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Imagination runs out. But it makes sense, right? We probably just imagine things based on what we already know, and we run out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/imagination-runs-out-but-it-makes-sense-right-we-probably-just/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“My limbic system has grown accustomed to a certain (very low) level of human (female) contact. With her standing right next to me, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/my-limbic-system-has-grown-accustomed-to-a-certain-very-low-level-of/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“The shelves were packed close together, and it felt like I was standing at the border of a forest--not a friendly Californian forest, either,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/the-shelves-were-packed-close-together-and-it-felt-like-i-was/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“How was New York?' Ashley asks politely. I'm not sure how to respond. Something like: Well, the mustachioed master of the secret library is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/how-was-new-york-ashley-asks-politely-i-m-not-sure-how-to-respond/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [We range widely, we readers of fiction, but I think we all need a home. Mine is science fiction. It's my home shelf, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/we-range-widely-we-readers-of-fiction-but-i-think-we-all-need-a-home/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“Neel cuts in: "Where'd you grow up?" "Palo Alto," she says. From there to Stanford to Google: for a girl obsessed with the outer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/neel-cuts-in-where-d-you-grow-up-palo-alto-she-says-from-there-to/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Doing research for 'Penumbra,' I read quite a bit about the early history of printing, and the more I did, the more it sounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/doing-research-for-penumbra-i-read-quite-a-bit-about-the-early/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“History hinges on such small things. A difference of thirty degrees, and this story would end here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/history-hinges-on-such-small-things-a-difference-of-thirty-degrees/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [“It is very quiet. I set my chin into my palm and count my friends and wonder what else is hiding in plain sight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/it-is-very-quiet-i-set-my-chin-into-my-palm-and-count-my-friends-and/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) [Explore all 227 Robin Sloan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I did not know people your age still read books,' Penumbra says. He raises an eyebrow. 'I was under the impression they read everything on their mobile phones.' 'Not everyone. There are plenty of people who, you know--people who still like the smell of books.' 'The smell!' Penumbra repeats. 'You know you are finished when people start talking about the smell.' He smiles at that--then something occurs to him, and he narrows his eyes. 'I do not suppose you have a...Kindle?' Uh-oh. It feels like it's the principal asking me if I have weed in my backpack. But in a friendly way, like maybe he wants to share it. As it happens, I do have my Kindle. I pull it out of my messenger bag. It's a bit battered with wide scratches across the back and stray pen marks near the bottom of the screen. Penumbra holds it aloft and frowns. It's blank. I reach up and pinch the corner and it comes to life. He sucks in a sharp breath, and the pale gray rectangle reflects in his bright blue eyes.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robin Sloan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-read-books-penumbra-says-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-read-books-penumbra-says-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-rea_677186.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-rea_677186.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-rea_677186.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I did not know people your age still read books,' Penumbra says. He raises an eyebrow. 'I was under the…” — Robin Sloan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robin Sloan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I did not know people your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-read-books-penumbra-says-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-did-not-know-people-your-age-still-read-books-penumbra-says-he/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```