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So many books, so little time, space, and money. Many fans love collect physical copies of their favorite stories, often so much that they run out of bookshelf space. (Stephen and Zack are in this situation!) Now that we have audiobook and digital copies, isn’t book collection a waste of resources?

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3. The Pop Culture Parent by Ted Turnau, E. Stephen Burnett, Dr. Jared Moore

Mission update

• New at Lorehaven: reviews for The Heart of the King and Beneath False Stars
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Concessions:

• This is about culture in general, not Christian families or homeschoolers.
• Not focused on this episode about the recent trends of books that are turning away prospective male readers.

1. Physical books make a wise investment.

• Judas Iscariot, kinda: “These books could have been sold and the money given to the poor.”
• Reading a book is more work than watching a movie or enjoying some other form of entertainment, so people have high expectations. And too many books have disappointed, browbeat, or lectured them. Many people are right to be skeptical that a book will be worth their money.
• “We’re basically after Joe’s beer money, and Joe likes his beer, so you better make sure that what you give him is at least as pleasurable to him as having his six-pack of beer would be.” — Jerry Pournelle
• You can always make more money, though. And more importantly, you can make a book budget. There’s also the library.
• Another concern is that reading books, especially speculative fiction, will not help us get the jobs that make enough money.
• But every job requires communication and people skills, and this is a skill best learned through a novel.
• “According to the neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf, so-called deep reading—sustained immersion in a text—stimulates a number of valuable mental habits, including critical thinking and self-reflection, in ways that skimming or reading in short bursts does not.”

Zackary Russell’s central bookshelf, as of August 2025

2. Physical books really should take up space.

• Why own physical books when you can erase any “carbon footprint” they would take up by owning them digitally?
• People who move frequently—for work, ministry, or personal reasons—might find that owning a large physical collection challenging.
• Even at my daughter’s college, the first floor of the library is a computer lab. The book stacks are in the basement.
• Digital books can go in your pocket and you can read them any time you have a spare moment. But of course, you can do a million other things on your phone.
• Space is more limited but you can usually find room for a new bookshelf or else hang a new shelf or two.
• Bookstagram and BookTok and “Shelfies” are a thing because people like beautiful physical items.
• Holding a physical book, especially without any digital devices within reach, helps you more fully immerse yourself in the story.
• You also remember things more easily from a physical book reading experience.

3. Physical books are well worth your time.

• This is harder to address, because you can never get back any time that is spent.
• I certainly didn’t read all the books assigned in high school English class.
• But do you berate yourself for spending time remembering the past or imagining the future?
• Or trying to understand someone else?
• Or picturing a potential course of action?
• These are all things the imagination helps with, and we train our imagination through fiction. We can’t simply impart life skills or decision-making criteria. We learn those best through stories. Even the book of Proverbs uses stories.
• “Being bored has become unnatural.” This is the real blight of our time. Smartphones have given us a constant ache for a dopamine rush. And if you’re just reading a book for pleasure, why not read things on social media for pleasure?
• The real problem is the FOMO from everything digital media offers us.
• Maybe new laws like Texas cell phone ban will reverse this.

Com station

Top question for listeners

• Will you share with us pictures of your physical book collection?

The Adaptation Stationmaster commented on ep. 276:

Real rainbows in nature have lovely, soft, delicate colors. The rainbow flag looks tacky by comparison.

Next on Fantastical Truth

Here in the U.S., we’re about to have Labor Day, meant to mark the actions of hard-working Americans. And right now many Christian families honor the work of Christian heroes who are now at rest, such as pastor John MacArthur and Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson. Many fantastical stories wouldn’t be here without leaders like this. When they pass on, and people discuss and debate their ministries, how can we best honor their labors?