Current Project: Finding my way back . . .
Status: waiting for a map
Oh um, HI! Is it my day to blog? REALLY? Of course, I remembered LAST night, only to forget in the course of freezing berries, toddler wrangling, and general life. And so it goes.
Have you ever worn a book out? My beloved copy of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything has been in three pieces for months now. Note that this is NOT a three volume set. Then this weekend, I noticed that pages were missing. The death knell has finally tolled, and I'm facing the need to replace. Similarly, my copy of Dr. Sears' The Baby Book has not survived the toddler years. I'm wondering if the universe is sending me a message. When I was younger, I wore out These Happy Golden Years, Anne of Green Gables, countless Judy Blume books, and the first 10 Babysitter's Club books. My copies of Suzanne Brockmann's Unsung Hero and Breaking Point are in sore need of an upgrade to hardback. I wore my copy of Lori Foster's Mr. November out and was so happy to see its release in anthology last year.
The toddler is following in my footsteps. Baby Colors is in tatters, Dear Santa needs a trauma team on stand by, Dr. Seuss's Alphabet book is missing a few letters, and Johnny the Gorilla is now a two volume set. I look at the carnage with pride.
I'm always torn between replacing and repairing. I'm not an expert on repairs like some of my relatives, so my repair jobs end up impairing the reading experience. Yet, the battered books stand as testaments of love and devotion. They are badges of honor. I can think of no greater compliment to a writer than a worn out book. Personally, I would much rather see a tattered stack of paperbacks than a shelf of display books in pristine condition. Books are meant to be loved.
Which books have you worn out? Have you ever replaced a beloved book?
4 comments:
Fun Blog, Wavy!
I have two cookbooks that are in tatters. Index missing in one so it is hard to find recipes, except the ones that have a sticky note stuck to the pages of the tried and true recipes.
My Thesaurus has lost the back cover and the spine is floppy. My book of baby names has crinkled covers, Any paperback I've read has a creased binding from me bending the pages back to hold the book one-handed in the bathtub. ;) My LaVyrle Spencer books have seen better days, as well as Nora Roberts' MacGregor series and the Born in Ice, Born in Fire, Born in Shame trilogy. Not to mention the worn covers on my Agatha Christie collection.
As for the kid's books- Pokey Little Puppy is barely hanging onto it's cover. Hop on Pop has lost its cover, and Little Black a Pony has lost its cover.
Well used books are like old friends.
Wavy, I love your blog and I agree with Paty and with you and Tavi: read that sucker, love it to death. And sure I've replaced books, lots of times because I lose them -- I leave them somewhere and can't find them and then spend two hours between midnight and daybreak looking for that book because I NEED to read it, I NEED to reread a scene and not just a scene, I want to read everything before and after it, happening across it as if by accident, as if I don't know it's around the bend, over the hill, like a stand of wildflowers in a meadow. "Oh, hello there, chance meeting you here!"
Go Books!
Simply delightful! M:)
The book of mine that's worn out is "Arm in Arm" by Remy Charlip. It's my favorite children's book and I've had it for as long as I can remember. I finally brought it to my home a few years ago and my dog got to it. A couple corners are missing, but it's still readable. I need to get another one, but I just don't want to replace the one I've had most of my life.
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