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Monday, April 9, 2012

first world problems

I gave into peer pressure and am currently reading "The Hunger Games".   Each of the kids has read the series, and with all the hype of the movie being  in theaters now, Magnum checked it out from the library. 

It's a fast read, he finished it in a couple of days, so I started reading it to use up the rest of his loan period.

I don't read that many novels, although I do start a few.  I'm not someone that has to finish a book once I've started reading it.   If I don't like the writing, or if I'm just not getting into it for whatever reason, I can stop.  Maybe part of that is because I never purchase novels, so it's no real loss to not finish one that I start.  Okay, "never" is an extreme word, but I honestly can't remember the last one I bought other than those that the kids need for school.

Plus, we have these wonderful places called libraries. They buy the books, they store the books, if the books get trashed, they replace them... what's not to like? 

Well, for one thing, people who mark up library books.  Lookie this:


for shame
This is a page of a book I recently got from the library.  It is one of the few novels I've actually finished!  It helps that it was short.  I took a gamble and got it off the rack of "Staff Recommendations" for lack of any other inspiration.

See all the pencil marks?  Some previous reader marked up nearly every page of the book with underlinings and circled words and margin notes.  How rude. 

The marks were in pencil, so I occassionally would erase pages when I had my Super Pinky handy.  But sometimes my Super Pinky was, like, way in the next room or *horrors* on a different floor of the house.  I was forced to read the book while trying to ignore the chicken scratchings of that Other Person. 





I felt so violated.

Darn First World Problems.

13 comments:

agg79 said...

Dweebs. Some people have no class and ruin it for everybody else. I try to get my books from 1/2 Price or the local resell shop. I read through them too fast to go our and buy a $30 hardback version. Unless I have a gift card from one of the book chains, but with e-readers, those are becoming scarce. I'm like you, I prefer a pages over the e-reader format. Still like the feel of turning the page and seeing how far you have to go to the end.

ShadowRun300 said...

I love books, and always have one started. I usually get mine handed down from my mom who buys them, but I've been known to rent from the library. I've never run across one that's been written in, but I do find it kinda gross when I come across food stains on the pages. I don't think I'll ever do an e-reader. Agg's right. There's something about turning the page and watching your progress and using a bookmark and I'm not sure I want to give that up.
Hunger Games will be next on my list!

Rock Chef said...

I hate that too. I first came across it when I was about 11 in a book about ancient armies - Romans, Gauls, etc - crossing bits out and writing in their own views! Terrible! If you are that clever, write your own book!

Rock Chef said...

PS - I buy books to keep (especially non-fiction books) - I often re-read them over the years if they are particularly good. My wife is a prolific reader of fiction and now has a Kindle which she loves - the books are often extremely cheap or free which is great and she never runs out of things to read, just having to download something new as needed.

Scott said...

Thanks for sharing First World Problems--that's hilarious!

itihtw said...

Now that would be the only good reason for me to buy an e-reader. ;-)

Abby said...

I love browsing used book stores. I sometimes get cookbooks there and pretend that I will really use them.

Abby said...

It takes me a long time these days to get through a book. Hunger Games is a page turner, I wish I had bigger blocks of time for it!

I spilled a good amount of tea on a library book once. I own it now.

Abby said...

Hmmm... sounds like a bit of a control freak. Is he commanding an army now, I wonder!

Abby said...

There are some good ones! My oldest told me about FWP's one night while lamenting that we were out of real butter and he was "forced" into eating Smart Balance. The pain of it!

Abby said...

I hear ya. I doubt I'll ever buy one, but I'd accept one if given to me. Go get one, report back!

terri said...

Well... maybe the original owner of the book wrote all over it, then donated it to the library. Don't ask me why I'm trying to defend whoever did it. I don't know!

I haven't been to the library in years. I've found a circle of fellow book lovers at work and we share books. Also, I've got the Nook, and as RC said, the electronic versions are often quite cheap.

I can give up a book once I've started it too. Usually I'll go back and give it another chance. Sometimes it works out nicely. My favorite book ever was one I put down and revisited later. Sometimes I just give up.

Anita said...

I gave in and read the Hunger Games, too. Science Fiction is not my first choice of book to read - nor my 2nd, 3rd,or 4th... But, when my daughter read it in two days, and another began reading it - I was curious. It was a good read and lived up to the hype; I gather you feel the same.
So now daughter # 3 is reading it. When she is done, we'll go see the movie.
I "might" read the rest of the series. The jury is out. I assume you're going to read more?

I love libraries and book stores and I use both.

I resisted the e-book for all the reasons that everyone who doesn't have one mentions. When it was given to me as a gift, I gradually realized its benefits, but will still read "paper" books. For me, it's more about the content.

Ps. Not trying to sell anyone on an e-book, but I have yet to meet anyone who has one (even as a reluctant recipient) who doesn't like or use it.