Rowan Tree and Red Thread

Lifted from pompe, a book meme that's a little more content-full than the usual.

Are you careful with the spines? Or do you crack your books open to make them lay flat?

My mother is a librarian, though she came to that career late in life. She must always have had the urge however, as I'm genetically incapable of cracking the spine of a book and feel physically unwell when I see someone, on the bus for example, with the cover of their book folded right around. We hates it, we does.

Do you use bookmarks? Or do you dog-ear the corners? If you do use bookmarks, do you use those fashionable metal ones? Or paper?

I use a bookmark, usually a piece of paper, sometimes a more fancy purpose-made bookmark. I don't like the metal bookmarks.

Do you write in your books? Ever? If you do, do you make small marks, or write in as much blank space as you can find? Pen or pencil? Highlighter? Your name on the front page?

I don't write in books as a rule. With reference books I do sometimes add annotations, and there are books I deliberately buy a second copy of to have one I can annotate. I never use highlighter in books. sammywol has a nightmarish tale of a undergraduate in the Early Printed Books section of the Trinity College library from her college days. Get her to tell you it sometime if you're a book lover with a strong stomach.

Do you toss your books on the floor? Into book bags? Or do you treat them tenderly, with respect?

Not on the floor. I do sometimes carry paperbacks in my backpack, and then worry when they get a bit bashed.

Do you ever lay your book facedown, to save your place?

NO! In fact I sometimes insert a bookmark into books I find like this and save them from their uncaring readers.

Um--water? Do you bathe with your books? Hold them with wet hands? Read out in the rain? Anything of that sort?

Nope. We don't have a bath in our house so I'm not about to read in the shower. I don't read in the rain unless caught out by surprise.

Are your books lined up on a bookshelf? Or crammed in any which way? Stacked on the floor?

In common with many on my friends list I suspect, we have more books than shelf space. Most of our books are on shelves, double-shelved in some cases, and in piles on the floor elsewhere.

Do you make a distinction--as regards book care--between hardcovers and paperbacks?

It's irrational, but I do generally take better care of hardbacks.