Source: Google
Often I come across people debating over the issue of marking lines in a book. Some are of the opinion that they never-ever do that for they do not want to spoil their treasured books. They want to keep their precious things intact – just the way they brought it home. Then there are others who say that, if they liked some lines/quotes in a book which they want to come back for re-read, why not? Tough debate, eh?
As for me, I can say that I have evolved as a reader. Earlier in my school days I used to dog-ear pages of books instead of using a bookmark. I also highlighted lines I loved with colourful pens. I remember one of my sister’s friends had this habit of writing short reviews of the book in the last page. And I quite liked the idea back then. 🙂
Coming back to the present, I don’t dog ear my precious treasures but use bookmarks to mark my current page. And in the process have evolved this love for collecting pretty bookmarks. I preserve anything that I come across that can be used as one. All I do now is scribbling my name & date of reading the book in the first page. Every now & then when I come across some lines which make me pause & think for a moment, I make it a point to mark them, but with pencil ( I feel sad when I see my old books all filled with coloured markings 😦 ). That is the least damage I want to do to my book. For me, this helps me to find the specific lines whenever I come back for re-read or inspiration from the book or even to re-live the joy or emotions I felt while reading it. Also, I like my book to be worn-out – a sign that they been read & re-read & loved. The yellowed pages with my markings are a way to remember that they have grown old with me. 🙂
I am not much of a 2nd hand book buying person. But sometimes if I find myself in such a store & find a good back I buy it. And going through the pages if I find some writing from the previous owner I feel joy inside – maybe I feel a connection, after all we both like something similar. I love when there are some random lines underlined that wouldn’t have struck me as special, except that it clearly struck someone else as being the best thing on the page. 🙂
So friends, what do you do to your books – preserve them the way they are or put in a part of you inside it?
Linking this post to MARK-UPS (Booking Through Thursday – 3 April, 2014). Today’s question is – Do you write in your books? Highlight? Make notes? Or do you like to keep your copies as pristine as possible?
dreamzandclouds 
I love the thought of adding the date I read a book in the back. What a great way to remember how the book affected your life. I will underline a passage in black pen, but very infrequently, maybe once or twice in a book. I also enjoy seeing what someone else highlighted in a second hand book. 🙂
🙂
Great post! I did mark books and dogear them, too, once upon a time. And while I don’t do that now, I like the idea of “connecting” to thoughts and feelings of the past…and with other readers, in used books.
Here’s MY BTT Post
I know, isn’t that wonderful? 🙂
i don’t mark the lines, but I used to jolt down the quotes that I liked in my diary…but over time I have grown too lazy to do that…and nowadays all your fav quotes are just a google search away…But I remember once I had borrowed a Sidney Sheldon book from library and ll the..ahem…steamy scenes were under lined in RED and steamier scenes were highlighted…hehe…that was one of the amusing things I had seen as long as marking in books are concerned…. 🙂
hahaha…..markings in Sidney Sheldon books – even I now remember coming across such markings in similar books with similar scenes 😛
I definitely don’t dog ear my pages. I can’t stand that. I don’t tend to mark on the pages either. I prefer to copy the quote out that I want to preserve. My books often look like they haven’t been read, I take such good care! 😀 I’m a bit OCD in fact!
to each his own…..we all have our own ways of treasuring our precious books 🙂
Absolutely adore this post and see some of me here. I used to dog ear the books at times but never now! And I always since childhood write my name and date on the first page. Sometimes I feel tempted to underline a quote or a great line but don’t. For the last two books I made it a habit to jot down that line page on my phone but when u r too engrossed u don’t remember to do that!!
Hey Aditi! Welcome to my space 🙂
I am glad you could find something in common in my post. 🙂
Stay connected!
I never really write in my books, though can understand why people do it. It’s such a nice thing to re-read a book and see all the lines you’ve pulled and why you loved them 🙂
yes it is 🙂
My books are as good as brand new. In case, I find something interesting, I write it down on my word document on laptop which has a collection of such thoughts/insights etc. Earlier, I used to write them in a diary! I still have that diary. I am not a second hand book buyer.
I like to keep my books looking brand new. I used a lot of bookmarks. If there is something special I want to remember, I make a notation on a piece of paper and tuck in between the pages. To me it is painful to mar the beauty of a printed page. (My dad had a printing company when I was young and I loved watching the clean sheets of paper go into the press and come out sparkling with wet ink. I think that might be part of the reason I don’t mark the books.)
Oh! I guess everyone have their own ways to show love for their treasure 🙂
nice post!! i keep my books clean….and don’t lend them to anyone, for the fear that they might write something in it or not return it to me….
Even I find it very hard to lend books for the fear of my book getting spoiled