Books for Design, Books for Utility
Books should be loved. But could they be loved a little more gently??
The other day, I found The Carnivorous Carnival (Book 9 in A Series of Unfortunate Events) on the floor, sprawled open, upside down, spine strained. My 9-year-old had left it there.
This was after Book 1 in the series had received so much water damage from one of my kids that I had to replace it. My hardcover Harry Potter books have ripped book jackets, and even the beautiful illustrated copies of the first three books in that series are showing wear and tear. Same 9-year-old also lost the first book in the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series and I made him buy me a new copy out of his allowance (but now the cover art has been redesigned and no longer matches the rest of my copies…)
Even outside of my children, it is difficult for me to lend out my books. So often, they aren’t returned and I begin to hyperventilate that I’ll never see the book again. Finally, a few years ago, I adopted the policy that if someone asks to borrow a book I say “Keep it, it’s a gift.” If I love the book enough, I buy myself another copy. It saves me all of the stress of wondering if…
