Some people believe books should be read with rubber gloves and surgical tongs. I don't--my books have scribbled notes, busted spines and creased corners.
We are writers. We need to devour books when we read them. You can write your own book, but you are constantly in conversation with the other books you read. How can you have a conversation with somebody if you don't ever get close to them? Give your books a hug.
If you need some inspiration, check out the Book Inscriptions Project--an online archive of all the personalized dedications and messages that people left behind in books. "Send a copy of the cover and the inscription and any details about how, when and where you found it. See this or this or this for examples," they write.
Seeing how other people love books (and share them with loved ones) is the first step in building a better relationship with the books you read. Check out this slightly nerdy, tender inscription if you don't believe me. I love it when stories and love get all tangled up...
“'Lindy,
Nothing like this
ever ends. The ring,
like Gandalf, never ends.I love you
Robert'-- A 1966 copy of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien."
(Thanks to 52 Projects and Bookgirl for the link.)
I was never one to believe books should be handled with kid gloves either...unless of course it was a text book I wanted to sell back once my class was over. Not surprisingly, I kept my journalism text books, still use them as reference books and they are pretty beat up.
Posted by: Kimberlee Morrison | June 13, 2007 3:57 PM | Permalink to Comment