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?
Hmmm… Well, I’m not sure if my readers are all that interested in the state I leave my books, so what if I extend this topic a bit and ask if whether we think the above could somehow reflect our personalities? And then, one step further… could the way we treat books somehow mirror our taste in books? What do you think?
First, here’s my answer… it depends on how long it takes me to finish the book! I try to read books in one, two or three sittings, if possible, so the book does not receive much abuse… But I also carry whatever I’m reading around with me, so I guess the corners might get a little squinished. More than once, I have jumped in the car to go to dinner with my husband, book in hand, and he has given me a sidelong glance and asked, “Are you expecting downtime at dinner?”
But, philosophically, I really do not have an opinion either way regarding a little book abuse — the magic is in the words and how they are put together, not in the physical wrapper, so to speak…
So, what do you think? Is how we treat our books a reflection of our personality — reading or otherwise?
I don’t think it’s personality in my case because I changed and I have a reason for that. Come visit.
I think in some ways it’s an extension of our personality…I’m really organized and I like my books in nice condition. But at the same time, I am the queen of clutter and a pack rat, so I don’t know!
For me, I think it’s more a question of the type of book rather than personality traits. If it’s a special edition of a book, or something I consider part of a special collection, then I’m really careful with it. Otherwise, I figure books are meant to be enjoyed and if that means they get a little squished and mussed, then so be it.
I treat my books well – I don’t intentionally break the spine, and I never write in them or dog-ear the corners.
I do carry them with me everywhere, so, yes, sometimes the corners bend or the dust jacket gets a bit “shop-worn”.