- I'm addicted - a lousy book is better than no book or a magazine or a newspaper
- I keep most books I buy - since I generally read the first few paragraphs of a book before I buy it, I seldom buy a book I wind up not liking - then again there's the books I get as gifts (some of those do get recycled)
- I re-read my favorite authors - of course I have to wait at least a year, because I remember the excellent characters and plots
- I NEVER bend the corners - sacrilege!
- I DO break the bindings - how else can a book feel comfortable in your hand?
- I do - sometimes - pencil in the margins, underline, or highlight - this is only with self-help and motivational books - NOT, God forbid, fiction
- I put address labels inside the front cover - don't ever borrow a book from me and not give it back!
There are probably some other weird things, but that's all I can think of at the moment. Oh, no, wait, there IS one more thing. My house contains 6 bookcases and I don't stack books in the traditional library method. I have so many books that the shelves have them stacked in piles two deep; the shop shelves have stacks so tall they're in danger of falling over. If you ever need to consider what kind of gift to get me: bookshelf - that's the thing. BEFORE I moved to Montana, I had WAY more books - I could only pack and fit 15 boxes of books in the moving van or else my husband would have divorced me. He got a hernia moving those boxes, I packed them so full.
Why don't you share some of your book pecadillos? Then I won't feel so weird...
Moving is one activity that makes us clean house. A tree fell on our house and everything had to be removed to make way for the repairs. We distributed books to the library and a collectible book store.
ReplyDeleteUntil it can all be put back together I'm lost without my comfort zone.
Yes, I reread books and never leave home without one for the times I have to wait.
I also have books all over the place because I'm so behind in my reading, but most books get passed on to friends or library used book sales after I've read them. If I didn't do that, my house would have no room for furniture.
ReplyDeleteMy keepers: signed first edition hardcovers, reference, and a few classics and short story collections.
I don't write in my books or highlight stuff -- I use Post-It notes as markers, and I don't turn or crease pages.
One of my favorite bookish things to do is visit the library, wander the stacks, breathe in that book smell, peruse titles, and read first pages to see if I'm interested in checking the book out.
Indeed I do re-read books, particularly classical mysteries.l My shelves are packed with Sayers, Christies, Allinghams, Nash, etc.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't deface these classics either!