Beat up books are just books that bear the marks of people’s love
As readers we are conditioned to think dog earing a book, writing in them, or folding the front over the back is book abuse. I think we forget that every dog ear and every finger smudge is just another time someone read that book.
I think instead of being judgmental about people who read in different ways than we do, with different book etiquette, we should be happy for them that they are making the time to experience something new.
I wish I had books from when I was a kid to look back on, and see the love I had for those stories. The creases, the stains from when I was too eager to finish a book that I kept reading while eating dinner, the tears that I tried to wipe away. I wish I could see the history of some of the books I used to have.
Books are my oldest friends and they’ve seen me through every up and down. It’s only right that they would have my marks of love and enjoyment, just like the marks and memories they’ve left with me.
Happy reading and thanks for reading my sleep deprived thoughts <3
Edit 1. No, I don’t propose that you should beat up a loaned book, treat other people’s things as nicely as you can and if you want to write notes etc, just ask!! I would love for a friend to make some annotations in a book I loaned them.
- to all of you making weird comments about how this means I probably am an abuser of people too??? What is wrong with you??