I already told you that I don’t care about having pristine books or matching covers and it makes me feel like a freaking unicorn in this community (but learned that there are others of you who don’t care either!!) so you know I’m not terribly particular. I don’t mind a used book and I love that sometimes my books are worn and look well-loved. That’s pretty much how ALL MY books when I was younger looked — tattered and loved.
However, I realize that I do some things that would make most book lovers cringe. I’m kind of not so nice to my books.
(Note: These things do NOT apply to borrowed books — so if you lend me a book I swear I take good care of it!)
I dog ear pages.
Shamelessly. I dog ear pages when I don’t have a bookmark or even a random scrap of paper (or am too lazy to grab something) so that I can find my page later. The majority of my dogearing happens when I read an AMAZING book with amazing quotes I want to copy in my quote notebook or passages I know I’ll want to remember so I can read over and over again (lots of swoony scenes). So the more dog ears = AHMAZING BOOK.
I read in the bathtub/pools/other bodies of water.
Reading in water (ESPECIALLY THE TUB) is one of my favorite places to read however I realize it probably gives most of your heart palpitations to get your book close to water for fear of water damage. Not going to lie, when I read in the tub my book does sometimes get little drops of water on it. I’ve never DROPPED a book in the tub but I’ve certainly got a little water damage on my books from wet hands or a splash. Nothing extreme but I know some of you would grimace as you look at the damage to the pages.
I eat & drink while I read.
I know others do this too but I’m BAD because I’m not careful. I have this tendency to drop things and forget to make sure my hands are 100% food free before I turn the next page because I’m just so INTO THE BOOK. I let my dear friend Jen of the now defunct Makeshift Bookmark borrow Mara Dyer a long while ago and I remember warning her that I spilled food because I was too into the book. I’m working on this one, I swear! Ain’t nobody got time to find a napkin when you are ending a really good page and need to get to the next one!
I have the tendency to throw my books around.
I throw my books (not very carefully) in my bags all the time — not really concerned if they get bent or what not. I throw them on the bed when I’m getting my pjs on to read in bed. I throw it in my car. I just THROW MY BOOKS around. I’m not gentle with them at all. As I was typing this I happened to look over and see the state of my current read that I had left on the couch and I had clearly thrown my bag on it. I kid you not, I did not pose this. I’m just not very gentle — probably why I don’t buy really fragile or expensive things often. Go ahead, call out my book manhandling.
I open my books WIDE.
I know some people don’t enjoy cracking the spines on their books but I totally don’t care. I bend them sometimes so the front cover is actually touching when I’m reading a paperback because it fits better in my hand.
So are you appalled with my manhandling of my books?? On a scale of 1 to 5 how much did you cringe while reading my bad habits? Do you do any of these things also or are some of these things like really bad reader behavior??
Stormy says
I don’t dog-ear my pages, but it never particularly bothers me when other people do, and I’m not always the kindest to my books. Like you, I have a tendency to throw them around sometimes, and I have a tendency to ESPECIALLY throw them in my backpack, which is sometimes bad since I have all these heavy school books in there that tend to crush my poor little fun reads sometimes. So I’m not too picky about books & thought we’d have similar bookish habits, until I reached your last one– THAT one makes me cringe any time I see it! Something just seems so very wrong to me when a paperback’s front cover is bent so much it’s touching itself or the back cover. Not sure why THAT sticks out to me so much when so often I am not too terribly careful with my books, but that’s the one thing my books are always kept far away from!
Ashley says
I do all of these BUT dogear pages and that is only because I work in a library and once someone dog eared over 90% of 500 page book and I was the one who had to un-dog ear them. But before that? ALL THE TIME. Some of my favorite books are dog eared where my favorite favorite parts are. But how do people not read and eat? Like I don’t have time to stop my book. PARTICULARLY WHEN IT IS BEING AMAZING. And I throw books around a lot, I can’t help myself!
Sorry Jamie, I guess you aren’t alone on this one, too.
DannyBookworm says
Ah hon!!! I am aooooooo there with you! I dog ear and YES I do bend the spine.. I know I’m a bad book lover..but… bending the spine for instance is important for my reading pleasure and… dog earing? Well… Oh and yes of course I read in the bad tup…
Lisa says
I’m always really careful with my books. I don’t do any of these things except for eating and drinking while reading. Like, sorry, but while eating is the perfect time to read. You’re not focused on anything, so why not? I don’t get anything on my books or anything, though that’s mostly due to my desire to keep everything fresh and new looking. It’s sort of a problem actually. I’ll put off reading a new book because I don’t want to “ruin” it with wear. Oh well.
Jenni Elyse says
I’m down with reading in the tub. I even read my Kindle and iPhone in the tub. But the other stuff does make me cringe a little. 😉
Melissa @ Writer Grrl Reads says
I don’t dogear pages (and I was sooooo upset when my sister-in-law borrowed my copy of Before I Fall and dogeared every second page!). But I’m with you on throwing books around, since I always carry my book in my purse with me. Depending on how long it takes me to get through a book, it can look a little rough around the edges by the time I’m done 🙂
A says
Know what’s really crazy?
I always buy non-abused (no edges bent etc) books with perfect matching covers, to the point that I don’t buy a series until the entire thing has been released (because people LURVE changing covers mid way) but I do pretty much ALL of those things.
I even write on my books (with a pencil)
Yeah, I don’t get it either.
Liz (Along for the Read) says
Honestly I just ind myself jealous of your relaxed attitude towards books. I wish I could break free of my haunting book related OCD. Reading library books and old already beat up used ones helps, but the brand new stuff I just can’t.
Tory says
Nope! Not at all appalled, I actually do all of these except bending the spine but I do like to open my book wide on my lap or desk so that I can read easily. I don’t have the habit of dog-earring my pages but I do fiddle with the edges when I get really anxious/excited/emotional while reading and when I close it, sometimes it results in an accidental dog ear. XD I usually don’t start throwing around my books until maybe a month later when the Feeling of New Things goes away. I also ever spilled curry (like FREAKING CURRY) on my book while eating and reading, that was the worst case ever because I totally WTFed at myself. Other than that disaster, usually it’s just drops of soup/gravy/condensed water from iced drink/tea/coffee… uhhh yeah. 😛
Wendy says
Dog earring pages is the only thing I don’t do. I like all my pages nice and unbent! But I definitely read in the tub! It’s so relaxing! I love it.
Stephanie Kaye says
So glad to know that I am not the only one who LOVES to read in the tub! It is one of my favorite things to do! In the summer I’ll be sitting by my friend’s pool with my feet in the water, smoking a cigarette and reading my book. I kid you not! I also eat and drink while reading my books and I throw them around too. Haha. My friend loves to crack the spine of books. I was at Starbucks with her the other day and she put her book on the table so she didn’t lose her page and when I picked it up to put her bookmark in it and read the back a section of it fell out because she cracked the spine so much. Don’t worry, you’re not the only manhandling person in the world. I think we all have our own quirks. :] Great post by the way!
xo
Stephanie
Kelsey @ The Lost Book Reports says
This post literally gave me an anxiety attack.. I can handle dog-earring your own books, although I cannot do that myself. Opening my books wide, I do that as well. But the rest. AH!!!
Dione says
I admit…a little appalled since I love to keep my books as pristine as possible…but you’re still my favourite book blogger regardless!:)
Daniel says
Hmm, I’d have to say a 4 for cringe-worthiness. The dog-earing and the wide opening of the book are probably the worst. Eating and drinking, I have no problem with doing, I just freak out a little when (not if) I spill things on the books. And near water, I don’t think I really would, I’ve read sitting on the edge of the pool, with no one in it (can’t trust people), but in a bath, don’t think I’d want to risk it. I have to admit that I tend to throw my books around a bit too…
But can’t stand dog-earring or breaking the spines! Each to their own I guess!
Allison (Allure of Books) says
I used to be really bad about dog earing pages, but then I got in the habit of marking passages I really like with little post its, so I’ve mostly worked myself out of that one.
I am ALL ABOUT reading in bubble baths though.
CeCe says
I see your reading in the tub and raise you reading in the HOT TUB – when the jets are on high there are water splatters ALL OVER my books and I don’t even care at all. honestly, I do all of these things. I like to think of it as giving books characters : )
Laurie C says
Coffee spills and water damages from carrying books in my bag are my #1 hazard now, but I used to treat my books the same way as you until I started working in a library. Now I’m more gentle with all of my books.
Jenn @ A Glo-Worm Reads says
I looove reading in the tub. I will admit that I did once drop a book in the tub, it was an old used copy of something (I don’t even remember what) my dad gave me. It was like 800 pages and huge and I fell asleep. I still read in the tub, even with my ereader :O
I pretty much do all of these things, except dog ear books..lol. *shudder* I used to do it, when I was little 😛
Savindi @ The Streetlight Reader says
Your post made me laugh so much. When I was younger I wouldn’t let my brother break the spines of my Harry Potter books. He had to read them at this weird angle and he’d get so frustrated with me. Well the spines are broken of the paperback copies I own, just not the hard covers lol. I actually have never read while I was in the bathtub, but I’m always afraid to get water or tea on some of my newer books. I feel bad saying that because it sounds like I don’t care about my older books, I do care! but they’ve been through hell and back so it’s okay, but yes I tend to take care of newer books better and Library books as well.
Em (Love YA Lit) says
I gave a shiny new book to one of the teens I work with and when she finished reading it she gave it back to me so that I could pass it on to our teen friend who had just moved across the country. It was a nice thought, but the book was absolutely MANGLED. I don’t know what she did to it, but I’m sure she gave you a run for your money. (and I found it amusing – not sacrilege)
Brittany @ The Book Addict's Guide says
I cannot dog ear pages yet I manhandle the hell out of my books… Mainly because I carry them around with me so they get all messed up in my purse! If I’m truly treasuring a book, it does NOT go in my purse because I don’t want to bend the cover/pages!!
But I’m also very guilty of eating/drinking while reading! I need to read and I need to eat so I need to do them both at the same time. No time to take an eating break!! Haha.
Lydia says
I do all of those things, except dog-earring and bending covers. I am so rough with my books, yet I still seem to get upset when the covers get bent. I also love to read in the tub, and reading and eating seems very natural to me! Why does that bother so many people I wonder? I don’t mind dog earring, as in it doesn’t bother me, but I don’t do it. Bending covers however? I can’t handle that one. If the spine is cracked, I feel like the book is going to fall apart, and I feel this compulsive need to tape the spine back together.
Tammy says
Five!! I’m sorry but I won’t be lending you any books;)
Christina (A Reader of Fictions) says
O_O
Okay, I’ll admit I’m not with you on this one. My books do occasionally get thrown around, though a lot of that I’m going to blame on Percy. If I accidentally fold the cover, it’s followed by a gasp of horror. I don’t dogear, though I did when I was a teen, so there you go. Oh, but I do eat and drink while reading, and I know I have a couple books with a like a food finger print, but oh well. I totally baby my books otherwise. Like, the book I just finished was obnoxious because the text went really close in to the spine so I had to open it wider than I like and it was really hard not to break the spine. Gah. If I get those lines down the spine of my paperbacks, I am the saddest.
Natalie says
I do all of these things except for dog-ear my pages! But that’s only because I love using pretty bookmarks. And oh, please, who has time for a napkin when you desperately need to turn the page!! There are definitely a few mysterious food stains in a handful of my books 😛 also, I tend to toss my books around too. They always get messed up in my purse/backpack! And as for folding the covers back on paperbacks, I just think it makes them look well used and loved <3
Sarah says
Some of those aren’t so bad. I eat and drink while reading though I do tend to only eat non-messy food while reading or else I will set the book down until the food is gone. I have never and likely will never read in or near water, water damage on pages is not a thing I want but even more so if I am reading on my kindle. When I was younger I used to bend the cover back all the way as well, it was easier to hold the book, now however I tend not to do that unless it is already a really well worn book. Dog earring pages. Oh god. That’s my biggest pet peeve when it comes to books. I know a lot of people do it but I could never bring myself to do that, I will find something else to mark my pages with. But hey, in the end we all have our own reading habits and while some people may not agree with what you do it’s your thing and your books so who cares!
DeAnna @ Mommy's Reading Break says
Haha, I could have written most of this post. I used to dog-ear pages all the time. I don’t really do that anymore. Obviously, a lot of these habits stopped when I mostly switched to my kindle. And now, I have several signed books, so obviously I’ll be careful with those, but other than that, it’s all out. Hell, I even bring my kindle in the bathtub. (Shocking, I know.)
Ciska @ Ciska's Book Chest says
*EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK*
The other day in the train a woman first totally bend the spine of a book and I must have been staring at her in horror because the lady across from me started laughing. Second she dog-eared (or donkey-eared for the dutch) her book and I just stared and stared.
For paper books I have the little post it notes I stuff in books when I want to remember and they are easy to attach to a book so there are always some available.
The only thing that happens to my books but I hate it when I do it is that I make smudges due to nail biting. Which makes me hate the fact that I bite them even more!!
Still though I cannot stand to see it if people deal with their own books like that I do not bother. I once lend a perfect special edition hardcover to someone and got it back dogeared and spine bend and that did hurt a lot!!
Rachael @ Rachael Turns Pages says
I don’t like dogearing pages. I hate when I get a library book that has that. I open my books wide although I don’t read by water. I also eat and drink while reading so you’re habits are pretty normal.
Candice @ The Grown-Up YA says
I think the only one I don’t do is dog ear the pages. I used to do this all the time, but then just stopped… I really don’t know what made me stop either! Anything else… yeah, I do it. Sadly though, I’m not quite as careful as you are about the bodies of water… I’ve dropped many a book into the bath tub while reading! 🙂
Brandy @ A Little of the Book Life says
I only cringed if I thought of my own books. Promise.
Personally, I don’t dog ear pages, and it only bothers me if someone else dog ears *my* book’s pages. lol It’s your book – do what you wish. I use those tab post-its in my books to mark passages and such. 😉 I haven’t read in water since 5th grade. I was traumatized. I dropped my copy of “Witch of Blackbird Pond” in the tub. I cried… and cried… and cried. I still have that copy, too. I tried to, once. I was about 20… and I was so nervous the entire time I couldn’t focus. 🙂 I totally eat and drink while reading. Sometimes that’s the only downtime I get *to* read.
Since I started buying more books (realizing the money behind it) I’m a little more careful about how I throw them around, but at any given moment something awful could be happening to them – like my daughter stealing it and folding pages over before I get to her/realize it. Such is the life of a book, though. Everyone shows love to their books differently, and I’m okay with that. Just don’t dog ear (or the worst for me was my sister in law who got cigarette ashes smeared on my HP Order of the Phoenix book… I’m not a smoker, and I didn’t tell her to be careful, but c’mon, now!) my pages if you borrow my book, unless you ask and I say yes. 🙂
Nadia says
I dog-ear sometimes too! When there are just too many quotes or a page I want to come back later I do it. And I tend to draw hearts in things I like too much ahaha.
I also eat when reading and have gotten food on my books D:
One time I even got blood on one NOT BECAUSE I WAS EATING BLOOD, but because I got a papercut and didn’t notice it soon enough.
But I cannot handle throwing my books around. I’m paranoid when I have them in my purse because I don’t like getting them bent or scratched. But I don’t mind cracking the spine ONLY if the book can go back to it’s former posicion.
TBH I think most of my paranoid reasons are why I get along so well with my e-reader haha.
BarefootMedStudent says
You’re a braaaave person, Jamie. I wish I had the guts to read in the tub.
I don’t dog ear but not because of a moral aversion to it. I just… don’t, I guess?
I do also eat with my books! And get crumbs in them, oops.
I don’t mind cracking a spine. It’s more damage to the front or back covers that break my heart.
Ordinary Reader says
No cringing at all. I’ve done, and do, all those things. I have a collection of Jane Austen books that I’m careful about because they all have red hard covers and gilt edges and I want to leave them to my grand daughter, and a few other older books I take care of but that’s it. The rest of my books are well used and marked up and I love them that way. I buy a lot of my books used. I don’t like books that look as if they’ve never been read any more than I like houses that look as if nobody lives in them. Life and love are messy. I like books that look loved!
katy says
I do or have done all of those things! I’m trying to be better about dog earing, and now I use post it notes as bookmarks. I used to read in the bathtub all the time and I actually have dropped books in the tub-one was a book I really liked so I bought a replacement. I never threw the damaged one away and found it the other day. I’m also getting a lot better about food, but I used to have messy books with like chocolate smudges on the pages. And I toss mine around a lot, too. You’re not alone!
Christianna says
I totally wish I could be like you with how I treat my books! I don’t always take the best care of mine, but I tend to not do any of these things. I guess part of me wants my books to look perfect, and I’m not sure why that is. But I love that other people can break past that and just toss their books around. I do have to admit that I love used books though! Worn out ones, that you know other people have read and possibly loved at one time. Or maybe they hated it and passed it on out into the world to be found by someone who would like it. I just think it’s great!
@Jpbooks1 says
I subscribe to the philosophy that you have the right to handle your belongings in any fashion you desire. You go girl! That being said, I am still cringing. May not sleep tonight as I am having difficulty moving beyond the disturbing mental images that you described above.
Stephanie B says
Okay, I admit it, I’m one of those people who like their books to be as perfect as possible when I get them. I don’t like it when paperbacks have creases in the binding, but I’m not so paranoid that I won’t open a book up to so it’s comfortable to read.
Annette says
Something about dog-eared pages just bothers me. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. Always been this way — even before I was a librarian. But the eating and drinking, and reading by the pool (or God forbid, on the BEACH) is all OK with me. I do it all the time (and that beach thing — not nearly enough — I wish I had the opportunity to read on a beach more often!!)
Justine @ paperback heart says
I like my books to be a little lived in. I’ve gotten better about dog-earing pages, but I will jam anything I can in a book (kindle, phone, another book, bills that should be paid and then get forgotten about) to keep my place. I read in my car while I eat lunch and I can’t tell you how many time I’ve dribbled something into a book – even a library book once! I throw them in the car and they fall on the floor and slide around. I recently found three half finished books under my passenger seat (I wonder how many were still n my old car when I sold it??).
Andrea @Cozy Up With A Good Read says
I actually do some of these… especially the eating and not being careful around my books. I can’t dog-ear pages, that one gets to me LOL. But that last one, opening a book wide, I love cracking a spine, and I feel that shows how well loved a book was. When I get a used book I look at how worn the spine is to tell if the book was loved. I don’t understand people who won’t crack the spine, it’s too hard not to do!
Alexa Y. says
(I want to say, before I continue writing my comment, that what I’m about to say only applies to MY books. I don’t normally do these things with library books or with books friends have lent to me.)
I am not at all appalled by how you handle your books. Why? Because every single thing you listed in this post is actually something I’m guilty of doing as well. I’m notorious for using a dog ear to mark my pages (since I’m lazy and won’t get up if I don’t have to, and that often means I don’t have a bookmark on hand), but eating and drinking while I read is something I’m definitely most notorious for! I’m usually able to manage without spilling or dropping anything or damaging my books in a drastic way, but there have been little accidents…
I’m also the girl who shoves her books into whatever bag she has and just GOES. I don’t check how I put it in, I don’t normally pay any attention to how putting it into a big bag (especially one without dividers) can result in crinkled pages or wrinkled covers. I literally am just a grab and go person!
So yes, know that you are not alone when it comes to these things!
Lisa says
I love that you treat a book like it is – paper! It is not a precious jewel. It has precious insides of course but it is just paper!
I support the dog ears, the food, the spine breaking and all of the wear and tear!
Molli says
So, some of this gave me hives (lol I am only kidding) but I DO some of this, so. I have drank like hot tea while reading, but I don’t usually eat while I read. I can’t STAND dog-earing pages – so I have a huge collection of bookmarks. I also literally CAN’T bring myself to break a spine so I hold my books so gingerly. *shudders* It’s why sometimes I prefer reading on my Nook!
Maggie @ Just a Couple More Pages says
I do all of these things so I am not at all appalled. I say good for you! I take terrible care of pretty much everything I own though so I’m not one to ask. Also, I take almost all of my books out of the library and I do all these things with library books so that might make me worse than you. I return a lot of books to the library with crumbs in the spine, water droplet marks, and occasionally food smears (although I am generally a neat eater).
The thing that I can’t stand is when people crack spines of books in bookstores. I have a lot of friends that do this and the sound is so painful to me. (But I also probably wouldn’t notice if I bought a book with an already cracked spine, I would just never crack the spine of a random book in the store.)
Anna says
SAMESIES!
Jen says
Oh, GIRL. I am the worst about reading in the tub. Like… from a very young age. I have this memory in elementary school where we were in the media center and the school librarian gave us this lecture about PROPER BOOK TREATMENT. She was like “someone once returned a book all wrinkled because it fell in the tub. THE TUB! Can you BELIEVE that?!”
And then I shrank in my seat because yes, that is a thing I had already been doing for years. And I have butterfingers so sometimes my books drown ;_;. I still do it now though… it’s so relaxing and I’ve literally stayed in their for hours (I have to refill because the water gets cold).
I tend to throw paperbacks around a lot and it doesn’t bother me, but I’m weird about my hardcovers– I almost hate opening them and marring their beauty. And when the cover is glossy, I could weep because I KNOW I’m going to leave fingerprints behind.
I don’t dog-ear, but I also don’t use bookmarks either. I generally just remember where I leave off in a book. As for quotes, if it’s not an ebook, I usually either track it down on Goodreads, or add it there myself.
WHOA, this comment got out of control long, so I’ll end it here, haha.^_~
Jen says
stayed in there*** for hours. *sigh*
Amy says
I am guilty of all these things, ESPECIALLY the pool/bathtub and eating. One of my favorite things in the summer is to go to the pool and read my books. But another thing I do that probably makes people cringe is to get my greasy sunscreen hands all over my books. I try REALLY hard not to, and I always take the book jackets off but somehow the book always gets my greasy little fingerprints all over it. Whoops. As for the bath, I just got the coolest thing at Bed Bath & Beyond that solved all of my problems. They have a book caddy for bathtubs! It has adjustable arms and also has a holder for a wine glass and a candlestick! It’s the best thing I’ve bought in ages!
Sarah says
I eat and drink all the time when I read! I also love to read in the bath tub. My house is usually super loud and I find I read more and process the book better when I am in a quiet bath. I would read in my room for quiet but its freezing in there because I sleep in the basement.
The only thing I do no do is dog ear my books. I use sticky tabs if I want to remember a certain quote/scene. I also love using cute bookmarks so there is always that to…
Annie says
I can proudly say that yes, I do all these things. It just is part of who I am: clumsy and careless. I’ve actually dipped a book in the bathtub once while reading. Eeek. It was terrible. But that is about the only time I’ve ever majorly ruined a book. Hopefully, that’ll be it.
Kierra says
I would say a two for me 😉
I do happen to eat and drink when reading a book, but I think I’m pretty careful with that.
Bending back books and dog-earing them does make me cringe, but I don’t really care as long as it’s your own book! Throwing books around is my main problem, like, BAD! I sometimes throw my books 10 feet away, and I somehow don’t care. Yeah.
Great post! I enjoyed reading your appalling tendencies ;D
Jessica says
Huzzuh! Someone else does this too. 😀 I do treat books with care especially if I borrow them. My biggest pet peeve is opening a library book and seeing food/drink stains or pet hair embedded in the pages. I don’t feel guilty if I break the spine or dog ear my copies.
I will say this though-if sending a book to get signed by an author make sure if you’re sending a dirty / used copy that you state it’s yours and mark it someway. I sent a new crisp clean copy to an author and got back someone’s very used book (food stains, questionable stains, torn pages, etc). Turns outmy copy was swapped out by the assistant and someone else got my new copy. Made me angry because even though I can treat a book the way I want to, it’s my copy and don’t want to receive someone else’s.
Danielle says
Ohmygosh, I’m guilty of so many of these things. I break spines in my books all the time; my books look like they’ve been read. I also highlight, write in the margins, and post-it flag obsessively. This is not true of most of my signed copies, I’m a little more gently with them. Reading is interactive and sometimes messy, just like life 🙂 You are not alone!
Kaitlin Michelle says
I don’t usually dog ear the pages of my books, but only because I recently made a bunch of cool bookmarks, before that I did mark them by folding pages, or hi light quotes, or anything to them really. I do literally everything else on your list though!! I didn’t actually realize all these things were no-nos in the booking community until you started posting about them. My husband is always telling me to treat my books better, and not throw them around or leave them all folded open, but that is just what I do! And I open my books all the way (cracking every book spine) so that the covers touch also. Yikes!
The Broken Shelf says
I need to read in the tub more. ha ha!!! 😉
Asti (A Bookish Heart) says
You’re obviously not alone! I am guilty of most of these… I think the only one I don’t do is open my book wide. I can handle a lot but those white lines on the spine perturb me. Everything else, yes! It’s funny with the throwing my book around because I do it, but then if the cover gets bent or anything else I get upset about it… but it’s my fault it happened in the first place! Fail.
Jade says
We all have those little reading quirks that would annoy others to no end, don’t we?
The turning of page corners really gets my goat going. But I’m not going to lie… I pretty much do all the other things you listed. I LOVE reading in the bath… It’s just so relaxing! And, yes, yes, from time to time I may even bring my Kindle in as opposed to real physical book, as terrible as that is to admit…
As for the cracking of spines, whilst I don’t intentionally think wooo, lets make lines in the spine, I do like to read everything on the page without having to struggle to read the end words of a sentence. I say cracked spines adds character 😛 Plus, it shows the sign of a great book. At least that’s how I justify myself. Haha.
My Book Bubble
Kat (AussieZombie) says
Meh, they are your books, you can do with them as you like 😉
I used to dog ear and spine crack but I’ve broken myself of both those habits, but eating, drinking and even (gasp) smoking while reading is fair game. And I’m a thrower too 😉
Tiff @ Mostly YA Lit says
I do all of these things. ALL OF THEM. I also write in books with pencil (and sometimes pen if I don’t have a pencil handy). And I totally do not get why people care about breaking the spine of a book. I do it all the time without noticing.
I don’t even consider these bad habits. They’re just things I do with my books. =P
Alisa Selene says
I love reading in the bath LOL Annoys the hubby to no end!
Leanne Yang says
I’ve started to dog ear my pages now too, just for parts that I really like! I also eat and drink around my books.. so yea!
Giselle @ Book Nerd Canada says
Jamie! It’s okay to be a unicorn in the book blogging community 😛 That just means you’re unique! I used to make sure all my books were in perfect condition when I bought them but now I simply don’t care as much. It’s okay to casually toss my books around and what-not. I too eat when I read and I almost end up dirtying the pages when I do. I even leave some stains on it lol I too read my books and crack the spines..I even lay the book wide when I don’t have a bookmark handy!
Lea B says
Jamie one of my favorite things about you as a book blogger – you’re a real person and you make me feel okay about bookish things that aren’t the “book people” norm. I love to crack the spine but always feel like someone is going to jump out and yell at me. Totally dog ear books for quotes, great scenes, or to mark my spot – and yes, I lay my books down wide open when I get up and am coming back. You’re so real, love it! 🙂
kailia Sage says
Not gonna lie, I cringed reading every one of those! I rarely let anyone borrow any of my books because I’m not certain if I’ll get it back in the condition I load it out in! I’ve found that when it comes to books for school, I tend to open the book really wide since I take notes in the book. I’ll usually bend back pages so I can write in the margins!
BookTasty says
Oh we’re so similar. I frequently dog ear my pages. If I can’t find a bookmark it’s just gonna happen! 🙂 also I totally have no issue eating or drinking while reading AND reading near water. I don’t take baths anymore but when I used to (as a teenager) I would ALWAYS read in the tub!!!
Janita (Book, Interrupted) says
I literally can’t eat breakfast or lunch without a book in my hand. What am I supposed to think about when I’m eating? It’s so annoying when you’re reading a paperback and you don’t want to lose your page but you need to cut something in order to eat it, so you have to jam your elbow up against the spine so that you don’t loose your spot. I snack a lot when I read (which is bad because I also lose track of how much I’ve eaten haha).
Asheley (@BookwormAsheley) says
This cracks me up. I don’t dog-ear my pages, but I will fold my page in HALF, with the crease running vertically. Sometimes. (But I dog-ear library copies! I’m AWFUL, right?)
Also, THERE IS NO PLACE BETTER TO READ THAN IN THE BATHTUB. No shame there, friend!
Nicole says
I have probably said this a million times already (but what is one more right?) – I love reading these posts! I hadn’t really thought about my bookish habits before but now that I am I realize I too read near bodies of water, eat/drink while reading, and bend spines (I actually like hearing that bendy/crackly noise) and I guess this is pretty poor handling on my part. But I haven’t had any major bookish catastrophes and I guess if they are my books and I don’t mind then no harm no foul?
Anya says
Haha, I think the water one scares me the most ;-). I used to dog-ear and spine-bend before a confessions post and then I realized it and now I can’t go back. I kind of hate feeling so angsty honestly! I make exceptions for mass market paperbacks because I can’t freaking read the inner words if I don’t bend it more!
Kristilyn (Reading in Winter) says
Ha ha … I love this! I always read in the bathtub and have never dropped a book in it, either. I remember once reading on the deck while laying on a cushion on the floor part in the sun and the dog came running up and stepped on the inside of my book with a big, wet, muddy paw. It just gives a story to that book. 🙂 Other than that, I do try to keep my books in good condition — but some things can’t be helped!
Jaz says
4/5 cringey because I do the food thing too. I HATE cracking my spines. I love it when books have the scored covers or are made of the type of cardboard that doesn’t crease.
The water and throwing bit killed me. My jaw dropped and I just stared. It’s a wonder you haven’t dropped a book in the tub D:
Josephine says
I was prepared to be appalled, but you don’t even write in your books.
Lili says
I used to dog ear, but I stopped because my mom scolded me about it haha
I eat while I read though! There was an unfortunate spilling accident and now I am much more careful, but I do eat and drink while I read. Who doesn’t want some tea or lemonade while they read?
I also manhandle books. It’s okay. Sometimes babies need tough love, you know?
sarah/appifanie says
No no no! Be nice to the books! Keep them pretty!! Aaaaaaahhhhhh
sarah/appifanie says
Oh, sometimes I put my kindle in a freezer size ziploc and read in the tub 😀
Tamara says
I like my books well loved too, and I’m not overly careful with them. But I don’t dog ear and I don’t like seeing broken spines, though my paperbacks do always seem to end up with broken spines… Oh well.
Amber says
I dog ear pages too. It is a horibble habbit I can seem to break. I have read in the pool before and ended up giving my brand new copy of City of Bones a bath. That was a horrible experience. Never again. And i always eat or drink white reading. Especially if i is a good book, its like a movie to me I need muchies to read
amyo3119 says
Oh no, those are kind of cringe worthy. The funny thing, I wouldn’t do those things to my books or library books, but I do have to write in the books that I buy for the library (the call number on the first page). Plus, I black out the stamp when I delete the books. I really enjoy doing that. It must be from keeping all the other books in my life in great condition.
However, let’s talk about that teal wallet!! It is gorgeous. Plus, I spy a Starbucks wrapper. 🙂
Tori says
Oh, god. I cringed big time. Seriously. I’m so OCD about my books. It sucks because my best friend borrows my books. At first, she was really careful with them because she’d knew I’d kill her for ruining my books but now she’s less careful and literally I found food on the edge of my book. Like, I can handle pencil marks from a backpack but food? You’re kidding, right? (I just realize you do this, hahaha. Oh, well. I mean, this wasn’t her book to spill food on.) And she comes to my house and leaves with like 10 books. I need to put her on a book borrowing ban, if that’s a thing…
Basically, I don’t do any of these things that you do, hahah. I hate putting books in my purse so I end up just bringing my ereader. I just hate the idea of them getting bent, haha.
Oh my god, someone dogeared the pages in my TFiOS copy, and I don’t know who did it (so many of my friends have read this. Like 10), but I’m fully prepared to kill them. Yeah, I’m violent, but…they’re my books…
They’re my babies.
Runwright says
I don’t dog ear generally – in a pinch, I memorize the page number but I commit almost all the other book crimes 🙂