This week’s meme:
Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earer? Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way round make you flinch or squeal in pain?
It depends. (Doesn’t it always?)
Spine Breaking: I will break the spine on a mass market paperback. That’s it. I never break the spine on anything else.
Dog Earing: I dog-ear poetry books.
Writing: I wrote in books I read for college. I write in books now only if I’m “studying” it.
Condition: I do keep my books in good condition, even after I’ve read them. (I’m not particular about “pristine” unless it’s a special book – signed or a rare edition or particularly meaningful to me.) Usually you can’t tell whether I’ve read a book or not by its condition.
Others: I don’t mind what other people do to their own books. However, in closing, may I mention a particular pet-peeve here? I cannot abide lending a book to someone and having them return it in worse condition than when I gave it to them. It makes me furious.
Books are an investment for me. I buy them so I can enjoy them for years to come.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I feel the same way – books are an investment. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.
Robin of mytwoblessings
I agree with that pet-peeve. I always feel bad when I borrow a book and I think that it’s going back in worse condition, so I do offer to purchase them a new copy. It’s the campground rule: leave it in better shape than when you found it.
Books should be handled with care and gentleness, just like cradling a baby in the crook. That said, my obsession justifies my restraining from lending books out.
Yes, I wrote in and highlighted college textbooks too.