Rei'sa al Ghul; life, books, tea and other things!

Lately, I have had this constant war with myself...

Is it truly bad to break the spine of a book?


In thinking this over, I decided reach out to a few friends, communities I am apart of, and family I trust.


Here are some of their responses:

• It's such a real struggle. I prefer paperbacks and mostly buy them. However I HATE seeing a cracked and crinkled spine. So I always hold my books just so to not hold the book too open and crack the spine. It's my burden in life

• I hate it! It bothers me so much! Publishers work so hard on those books. It's just as bad as losing the dust jacket or damaging it!

• The book is going to age anyways. Yes, its nice to preserve it... but it's like a baby. The more you try to protect it, the more likely you are going to be devastated the first time it gets a boo boo. 

• I do it over my knee. The content is much more important than the medium it's printed on. 

•  I read almost exclusively eBooks or hardbacks so this usually isn't an issue for me. I am very careful with comic book trade bindings, however, and other books that I have that are paperback. I mostly only have books that I want on a shelf so. I don't really want them looking like crap on a shelf. 

•  As long as the book is sturdy enough not to fall apart when I break in the spine, I don't mind those white lines

•  I love breaking in new books!... My brother, on the other hand, would freak out if I creased his book spine.

•  It really depends on how bad the break is. If it's bad enough to destroy the book, then yes. I have a problem. If the book is unidentifiable by the spine... sometimes. Otherwise, books are meant to be read.

Personally?...

I used to hate it. Hate it with a passion. It's one of the MANY, MANY, MANY reasons I hate mass market paperbacks! The moment you try to read a fantasy novel (they are the worst offenders) comfortably, without getting a headache... You can't quite read what is so close to the center.... craaaacckkk. The book breaks. Sometimes it splits (depending on how hard you bend it...).

Sometimes, the whole thing with the little white lines, just cannot be helped! Even the LITTLEST reach to read.... a BIIIIGGGGGGGG indent that proves you read it...

... and I think I like that last one. It leaves proof that the book was well loved. It shows that you were invested. Caught up; even if you hated the book! You were there!

I love having broken spine books, floppy paperbacks and even floppier hardcovers... as long as it's not just falling apart. There is a difference!

When my books are like this, it means... I enjoyed it to some extent. I may have re-read it. Especially if its still on my bookshelf.

Now, don't get me wrong, I looooove me some pretty bookspines. That is why I sometimes re-buy books I know I will love... one for a reading copy, one for a shelf... until it becomes the reading copy and a new one takes its place. It's why I have so many copies of certain Vampire Chronicles books.

What are your views on this subject? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Are you indifferent? Are you tolerant? Does it bother you when you lend it out and this happens?

I can forgive a lot... but not losing, damaging, loaning out or... dog earring my books.


Never dog ear my books. 

Anyways! I think this is all for now! Keep on the look out for more reviews later this upcoming week!

- Reisa