Book Pet Peeves
[caption id=”attachment_7091" align=”alignleft” width=”300"]
What are your book pet peeves?[/caption]
A few weeks ago, I saw on Tumblr a post with a photo of a book in a bathtub. Not someone in the bathtub, but the book actually in the water. The person who made the post was quickly confronted by a huge part of the reading community claiming she couldn’t do that to her books. But, in fact, she could. The point being made was that, if a book belongs to you, you can treat it however you want. You could throw it in a bathtub, make crafts out of it, dog-ear the pages, you name it.
While I understand where this person is coming from (if you pay for something, it belongs to you and you are entitled to do whatever you want with said object), I can’t say I wasn’t slightly scandalized by the book in the water. I tend to be very careful with my books and seeing other people “mistreating” theirs has always made me cringe a little on the inside. This “mistreatment” is the main reason why I dreaded letting other people borrow my books; I didn’t want them to come back with scars that I would have never dared to inflict on them.
Every reader is different, and our definition of a pleasant reading experience varies. We all have a list of acceptable conducts and a possibly longer, list of pet peeves. So this week, I thought I’d share with you my top three book pet peeves.
- Dog-eared Books
I hate it when people dog-ear their books. Whenever I see a page with the corner folded, I can’t help but want to tell the owner, “There are bookmarks, you know!” Many libraries give out free bookmarks. You don’t even have to use a real bookmark; you can use any piece of paper. And if paper is too boring for you, there are many cool bookmark options made with yarn, magnets, fabric, etc. Use your creativity when it comes to creating bookmarks.
- “Poorly” Organized Bookstores
There is a bookstore in my hometown that organizes books not by language or genre, but based only on the last name of the authors. I know looking for last names is quite easy, so that’s not the problem. For me, the problem is that all the genres are packed together — there is no separation at all. You’ll find fiction novels right next to contemporary poetry, and maybe a children’s book next to a cooking one. The system’s not that bad when you know what you’re looking for, but it certainly makes browsing a real nightmare.
- Interruptions
This pet peeve could be considered a people pet peeve more than one about books, but I am really perturbed when people don’t respect my reading time. Because I am a reader, I know reading demands concentration. You immerse yourself in the words and the story. You are physically sitting somewhere, but your mind is somewhere else. I know a lot of people who don’t seem to understand that when I’m reading, you are not supposed to talk to me — even after I ask them not to. I read outside because I like it, not because I want people to bother me. The situation only gets worse when they start asking questions: “What are you reading? What’s it about? Do you like it so far? What do you usually read?” How about you ask me when I’m not reading?
I could go on all day and not finish talking about my book pet peeves. Everyone is entitled to have the reading experience they want, so make sure you’re not interfering with another reader’s experience. Mind your books and those you borrow from fellow bookworms. What about you? What are your book pet peeves?
