I break the spine of the book I'm reading.
I wear out the edges of the cover.
I don't mind laying my book face down at the page I'm at and leaving it there until my return.
I don't mind when the corners of a page are turned slightly up.
I don't mind if a little water managed to soak the bottom of a page.
I love creased covers.
I love yellowing pages.
I love looking at my bookshelf and seeing the books that are battered and wrinkled.
And do you know why?
It gives the book life. Suggests they've been places, been read, been re-read and been loved. They've been on adventures, seen things, locked memories within their pages. Memories that can be relived and experienced again every time the book is picked up and pages are turned.
There's the mark made by the sand on the beach in Portugal.
Oh, look! There's the tear I made when I couldn't stop flying through the pages.
There's the crack in the spine I made when I was so frustrated with these two characters because they couldn't see how perfect they were for each other!
It gives the book vitality, something unique, something else that no other book can compete with. The book with the fraying edges, yellow pages, cover discolouration, wrinkles, cracks and tears could be one of the books you hold dearest to your heart.
That's why I am proud to be a spine breaker. Are you?Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo
I love, love, love this post. BECAUSE THIS IS TOTALLY ME TOO.
ReplyDeleteI ALWAYS fold page corners and everybody always looks so shocked but when I re-read the book I can see where I stopped etc and I LOVE doing that. And I break the spines all the time… and some of my books are tea-stained and the pages wrinkled from when I was reading in the bath.
But, y'know, like you said, it's just because they've been well-read and loved.
Yay, thank you!! Don't you think there's something so satisfying in feeling the spine give way? I love it! xD
DeleteI LOVE THIS SO MUCH!
ReplyDeleteI'm like this but it only happened with my Harry Potter books. They have yellowing pages and the plastic that covers the cover (if you know what I mean) is peeling off and the edges of the cover are battered. But it shows how much I've loved those books, as much as I wish they weren't like that.
I know I've broken spines before and haven't realised it and it's kind of exciting when you realise that you have.
I love well loved books
Holly xx
Thank you so much!! My HP books have yellowing pages too but the hardcovers are holding up pretty well cover-wise! :O That just sounds like a hashtag: #ilovewelllovedbooks
DeleteIf only the hashtag #ilovewelllovedbooks would trend haha :)
DeleteIkr?! :(
DeleteTHIS. POST. IS. JUST. AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteI hate letting my book look anything other than pristine but at the same time i don't mind batters and tears. thats why i sometimes have two copies of a book. a hardback. to look at ALL THE PRETTY. and a paperback, because they wear and two more easily <3
wear and two? WEAR AND TEAR.
DeleteEeeek, thank you!! Ooooh, you're one of them. >.> DISOWNED! Kidding, there's love for the spine breakers and the non-spine breakers alike. ;)
DeleteThat mistake is embarrassing. :O
This post is simply AMAZING!! clearly defines what true book readers do, and how much we appreciate ALL books. :P
ReplyDeleteThank you!! xD
DeleteOh yes, I COMPLETELY agree! I do all these things too (except with library books, haha) and I love making a mark on a book because it makes it MINE! Fantatsic post :D
ReplyDelete*high five* Thankies!! xD
DeleteI completely agree!!!! I actually don't do the corner thing, because most of my books aren't mine, but I turn them upside down instead of a bookmark, and half of the book I do own have cracked spines and wrinkled pages from baths... lol.
ReplyDeleteCool post!!
Yay! I don't fold the corners anymore (I used to), that's just corners that have curled upward. Thank you!! :)
DeleteEEEK!!! I understand the significance of having beaten down but I am a huge fan of unmarked, untouched beautiful books. I love a bit of both My books have to look nice but yes, I have some battered, dog eared and coffee stained copies of Harry Potter and I am proud!
ReplyDeleteYou go girl! Carry on destroying those books, as long as you enjoy it with a passion :) <3
You're kind-of like Hawwa in that sense then! She likes pristine books but the odd imperfection doesn't bother her! My Harry Potter books are actually in surprising good condition (even though I've reread them about five times each)! I don't know whether it's because I have the hardcover copies - they're a little worn down at the corners and the pages are yellowing but that's about it!
DeleteThank you for commenting!! :D
I so agree with all of your points! I always get weird looks from my classmates whenever I read because they always take care to not crack the spines whereas I slam the book open without a care in the world. HAHA! Love the pictures, by the way! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! #teambreakingthespine Thank you!! xD
DeleteThis blog post is definitely one of my favourites! I absolutely loved reading it! Admittedly, I'm the complete opposite, but I love your view on your books having life. Mine look unread, which does make them look quite unloved to be honest, although I love how they all perfectly line up like they do in shops. Such a great post!
ReplyDelete-Sophie :)
http://a-day-dreamers-world.blogspot.co.uk/
Thank you so much!! It's so fun finding out who're the spine breakers and who're the other half, haha! ;D
DeleteAh, I can totally see where you're coming from, but I'm the total opposite!! Sometimes, I wish I could be like this, and love everything you describe but I can't help it - what gives me a thrill is stroking the perfect, smooth spine of a pristine book, and the soft feeling of flicking through the clean, crisp pages... even when my books have been read several times over, they still look pretty much the same as when I first bought them! But even though I'm the opposite from you, I still found this post so beautiful - your description was just magical! It really makes me wish even more I could appreciate the battered well-lovedness of books...*sighs wistfully* ... I don't know...I just can't bring myself to do it, though!
ReplyDeleteCATHERINE! Haven't spoken to you in AGES! How are you?! xD
DeleteI can totally see how some people would prefer their books in perfect condition but, contrastingly to you, that's just not me, haha! ;)
I can see you point and you put it across beautifully, but it made me squirm - just the thought of those beautiful books being damaged. I can't do it. I don't mind a little crease on the spine where the book has been opened and read but all of my books look pretty pristine.
ReplyDeleteI love that gorgeous new look on a book, their smooth covers, fresh pages and simple perfection of a clean, smart book. I love my books and treat them with the highest respect - to damage them would just be unspeakable, I couldn't do that to my books.
I am a bit OCD with it, so much my mum won't borrow my books anymore because she is scared she may damage them lol.
I do sometimes wish i could loosen up a bit, but I just can't do it, but posts like yours do make me reconsider just a little bit.
Haha! I can still fully respect readers who keep their books in great condition - I just couldn't do it! :3
DeleteThank you for commenting! :D
*gasp* I could not do that deliberately to my books. I'd hate to spend all that money and then to have it ruined because I couldn't be careful with it. I don't mind a little wear and tear because I guess it does show how much attention it received but the think I hate the most is cracked spines! Great post, I love seeing a completely different view on this. Most people say how much they like to take care of their books and that just gets old.
ReplyDeleteI don't do it deliberately, haha! I'm just not cautious with them, I just treat them like normal. The wears and tears usually appear after I've reread them, not because I've just ripped them for no reason, hehe! ;P
DeleteThank you!! xD
I do not tear the coner of the cover but all was like to crack the sipne. Put books face down to so return read to but screm when spinl water on my book and do love pages to ,this great post ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://booklol16blog.wordpress.com
Fantastic post, Rachel! I've been so busy with school I haven't been on your blog in ages, it's looking even more fantastic than usual! :D I love your background and header:)
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good post, I must admit, there have been times where I've been so involved in a book that I've cracked the spine because I wasn't even thinking about reading carefully because the book was so good. This is a really great post and I agree with you, it is nice when books are a little bit worn because it shows that you've read and loved them :) xx
Great post! I like crisp, clean books, but I really don't mind reading books that are a bit worn. Books with bent spines are the most loved because they have been read over and over again. :)
ReplyDelete