I was sad to read that another bookstore will bite the dust (Last chapter for Knowledge Book Centre in Bras Basah Complex, June 7).

As more Singaporeans turn to e-books, bookshops, some more than 40 years old, are fighting for survival. Rising costs and fewer customers are forcing shops like Knowledge Book Centre to close.

The true feel of a book, its smell and the yellowing of its pages, make a book precious. They are what separate a "real" book from a digital one, and this is what we must appreciate.

To sit with a good book, to hear the rustling of the pages as the book talks to us and know that at that moment, the book is your best friend. That is the essence of enjoying a book.

For more people to understand this, they must pick up a book and read it, not use a device.

One way to encourage people to visit bookshops is by setting up more bookstore cafes, where people can sit and read with a drink.

They would learn to appreciate books, and might support the bookstore by buying a few.

Avishi Gurnani, 12

Primary 6 pupil