Do you like to write notes in books?

[Ea]

Notes in books? Are you crazy?!

No, not in p-books, I'm much too careful with my books for that. I have paper-backs read several times that still looks virtually un-touched. Broken spines - eurgh!

[Lady Blue]

I NEVER make notations in pbooks, or dogear pages, or break the spines.

Like Slite and Shorty, if I want to make a notation in a pbook, I use sticky- notes (post-its). I was taught as a young child never to deface a book and never have.

I tried the sticky-note thing with my 505 for awhile, but in short order it started looking like a shingled paper doll house and had no space left to affix a sticky-note except for the screen (and that just wouldn't do at all). So I'm considering getting the 600 so I can annotate and highlight to my heart's content.

[PennyPie]

Not on your life...no spine cracking, turning down of pages either!
Sacrilege, we're talking SACRILEGE!

[Juliette]

I make annotation all the time- a book well-worn is a book well-loved. Shares a piece of history with me. As long as it's not comments like "about time this essay ended, how boring" and with the notable exception of library books (I'd get medieval on them, which is kind of ironic given that mostl of them are books of medieval history), I underline (mostly with pencils- also, keep a lot of pencils around because I don't want to interrupt the reading because they need to be sharpened), I write, I put bits of reference and so on. Don't feel as if it's defacing: it's enriching.

(just my two cents, eh )

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Juliette

I make annotation all the time- a book well-worn is a book well-loved. Shares a piece of history with me. As long as it's not comments like "about time this essay ended, how boring" and with the notable exception of library books (I'd get medieval on them, which is kind of ironic given that mostl of them are books of medieval history), I underline (mostly with pencils- also, keep a lot of pencils around because I don't want to interrupt the reading because they need to be sharpened), I write, I put bits of reference and so on. Don't feel as if it's defacing: it's enriching.

(just my two cents, eh )

Thank you for that I was actually wondering why so many (of us) here who'd voted and commented seems to have problems with cracking spines and writing in books. On the one hand I can see point of it being enriching, making the book feel lived-in - but I couldn't do it myself, not to my own books, it would be so wrong. I think I know why I don't, but it's my impression that this "obsession" with keeping a book pristine is pretty unusual - which is why I was surprised to see so many of you here talking about it. What is your impression and experiences?

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Ea

Thank you for that I was actually wondering why so many (of us) here who'd voted and commented seems to have problems with cracking spines and writing in books. On the one hand I can see point of it being enriching, making the book feel lived-in - but I couldn't do it myself, not to my own books, it would be so wrong. I think I know why I don't, but it's my impression that this "obsession" with keeping a book pristine is pretty unusual - which is why I was surprised to see so many of you here talking about it. What is your impression and experiences?

Most people I know who enjoy reading books, but aren't obsessive about it, aren't fussed about keeping books pristine. On the other hand, the few people I know who are obsessive about their books do.

(My own objection to broken spines on books is that the pages in mmpbs have a tendency to fall out once the spine gets broken - which is annoying when the book is too large to read comfortably without bending the spine enough to break it)

[Ea]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

...
(My own objection to broken spines on books is that the pages in mmpbs have a tendency to fall out once the spine gets broken - which is annoying when the book is too large to read comfortably without bending the spine enough to break it)

uh, what exactly is "mmpbs"? Sounds very cekret

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Ea

uh, what exactly is "mmpbs"? Sounds very cekret

Soz! Mass Market Paper Backs

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

Most people I know who enjoy reading books, but aren't obsessive about it, aren't fussed about keeping books pristine. On the other hand, the few people I know who are obsessive about their books do.

(My own objection to broken spines on books is that the pages in mmpbs have a tendency to fall out once the spine gets broken - which is annoying when the book is too large to read comfortably without bending the spine enough to break it)

Ah, yes, broken spines (broken as in 2+ pieces) are really hateful, with all those pages going everywhere! Glad paperbacks I can find here do have something that justifies their exhorbitant price: good binding. But flying pages, threatening to be lost or misplaced- that's about my only peeve.

And on the other hand, one can't be as obsessive as one of my exes. He wanted to become a librarian (I think he actually made it), so all his book had actual library stickers on the spines and were arranged in some kind of variation of Dewey.

The story was doomed since the beginning! My room is full of books but offers a certain unease in finding more shades in the 90% section of "History" (I keep them divided between books I use and others very scientifical).

[vivaldirules]

I'm frankly shocked at the poll results. I suppose that when I was very young I avoided writing in books at some peril from a parent or teacher. But a book is just a thing, it's mine, I have no intention of ever selling it, I want it to be as useful to me as possible, and my annotations are usually useful to me even when I come back years later. So why wouldn't I? Or, rather, why wouldn't you?

And what does cracking spines have to do with writing in books? I usually write in the outer margins with a pencil and don't think I see how spine cracking could result from that. Please explain. Inquiring minds, you know.

I'm looking forward to annotating my ebooks. I'll want to keep track, for example, of all the times I end up taking a bath in the Harv and Vera stories, for example.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Juliette

Ah, yes, broken spines (broken as in 2+ pieces) are really hateful, with all those pages going everywhere! Glad paperbacks I can find here do have something that justifies their exhorbitant price: good binding. But flying pages, threatening to be lost or misplaced- that's about my only peeve.

And on the other hand, one can't be as obsessive as one of my exes. He wanted to become a librarian (I think he actually made it), so all his book had actual library stickers on the spines and were arranged in some kind of variation of Dewey.

The story was doomed since the beginning! My room is full of books but offers a certain unease in finding more shades in the 90% section of "History" (I keep them divided between books I use and others very scientifical).

*lol* well, there's a difference between paperbacks and "trade paperback" - the latter being much more robust (for those who "work" their books).

When I was younger the local library was a refuge for me - and the librarians was my good friends. I still organise my non-fiction books as in a real library (we don't use the Dewey system here though, but one like it). I don't feel like using real library stickers though - I don't need them to tell the order

[pshrynk]

I never really caught the habit of writing in a book, so I voted "very occasionally" since I'm not a fanatic about it.

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by Ea

I don't feel like using real library stickers though - I don't need them to tell the order

He wasn't really normal, after all :P (EDIT: what I wanted to say was more on the line of Il était pas normal, il devait aller se faire voir!!!

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

I'm frankly shocked at the poll results. I suppose that when I was very young I avoided writing in books at some peril from a parent or teacher.

Maybe that's one of the origins of the personal choice- depending on country/school, the ownership of textbooks. I owned my schoolbooks, for example, since first grade (for primary school it's free, then it's up to you if you want to buy it new or second-hand), even some dictionaries if you were in humanities high school (and annotations on dictionaries for, say, lemma in Latin or Greek will save you a lot of times). So I feel no problem if you want to annotate, add, comment, doodle and so on (unless it's a text you would have needed at an exam, but some professors actually encouraged annotations- shows that you've worked on it).

As for cracking spines- er, I suppose it was a bit OT, but for the bit about flying paper. Notes have to be kept in order?

I join the queue of "want to be able to annotate ebooks" asap, in fact.

[Sweetpea]

I make annotation all the time- a book well-worn is a book well-loved.

I always took my books wherever I went. In my jacket pocket, in my bag, stuffed somewhere in a backpack, underneath my pillow, in the bathtub, on the beach, etc.

They did get scuffed, but that was mostly the cover. And that's why a book has a cover, right? But the pages were always in perfect state. No text in it except from the publisher and no earmarks (at least, none made by purpose). If you go and stand in front of my library, you can pick out my most favourite books withous problem. (but I try never to break a spine!)

I agree on a book well-worn is a book well-loved. But that's only on the outside. On the inside, you should be able to read a story exactly like you did when the book was new.