Oct 30, 2008

Booking Through Thursday: Conditioning


Mariel suggested this week’s question.

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?

I try very hard not to break the spine of books I'm reading, although I'm not anal about it or anything. I'm also not a dog-earer unless it's something I really want to go back to and study more, but I don't do that too much. I do like to keep my books after I read them and try very hard to keep them in the best condition possible. I always have a book with me, so when reading a hardcover, I usually take off the dust jacket to keep it from getting worn while in my purse or bag. When I see people bending books back all the way or not paying attention to their appearence, I cringe, especially if its a book I let someone borrow. That makes me crazy!
What about you? Do you pay special attention to your books as well? For more Booking Through Thursday responses, click here.

8 comments:

  1. I'll take the dust jacket off sometimes too so that it doesnt get messed up.

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  2. Like you, I remove the dust jacket before reading. That would be rude if someone borrowed a book and mishandled it.

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  3. I HATE it when people abuse books that aren't theirs!

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  4. Books should be handled with care and gentleness, just like cradling a baby in the crook. I'm appalled to see library books that are marked, coffee-stained, page-folded, dog-eared, and written on.

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  5. I treat my books with great care, but I never thought of removing dust jackets until I had a kid. I like looking at the cover illustrations from time to time while I read. But my toddler always tore or wrinkled dust jackets on her nice picture books, so I've had to remove them all. They're stashed in a drawer now. I'll probably put them back on when she gets older and they're no longer in danger.

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  6. I think it really comes down to treating others books as visitors in your home. What others do to their own books is their business and I try to take good care of any that are lent to me. I don't mind a few dents or dings in books that come back to me (as long as the inside stays intact). That being said, there are some books that never leave my house because the book volume means too much to me.

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  7. I take the dust jackets off too :-) Nice to meet another book lover!

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  8. I cover my books and bending the spine is out of question! However, I have occasionally turned the corners although now I am more careful. I always keep a bookmark while reading!

    Conditioning, anyone?!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I look forward to hearing from you again soon!