Let me start this off my saying that your books are your books. Do with them what you will. Just know that if you do any of the following book “sins” you may hear my soul cry, my heart break, and experience some serious side-eye.
Yes, I am silently judging you. Note the “silently” part. I will not lecture you, I’ll just be adding you to my “Do not lend books to…” list.
A small price to pay, I’d say.
Floppy ears are cute on animals, not on books.
You might be in a rush. You need to mark your place because there is nothing worse than losing your place and in vain trying to remember where you left off only to reread a chapter or a few pages.
I get it. I get it. I get it. But no.
You are dog earring my very soul the moment you crease that page. I weep from the pain of it. If you think I am making a big deal out of nothing, that is fine. I still feel the same about this dog eared page. There are so many options if a bookmark isn’t handy — a Kleenex or napkin, a scrap of paper, a Post-It, an old bill, ANYTHING!
Just use a wee bit of imagination, pal. PLEASE.
“Step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back.”
Do you remember this fun little rhyme as you skipped to the store to get a lolly?
You do? Great!
Now consider that every time you crack the spine of a book. If you have to imagine that your actions will break someone’s back to keep you from doing it, please do. Sure, there is something to be said of a well-worn book, but if the book is a work of art worthy of collecting, SPARE THE SPINE.
“Step on a line, you’ll break your father’s spine.”
When it comes to writing in books, whether it’s in the margins or between the lines, I am torn. Personally, I avoid this at all costs. However, if you are an English Major, like I once was (stares nostalgically off into the distance remembering days of old), you may need to do this.
If writing in a book is an insult to your very being, consider an e-reader! They have some great features that can help you preserve your physical copy.
Your paperback is not a taco
You know when people fold over the cover to a book like it’s a taco? Books are friends, not food. I physically cringe when I see people holding their paperbacks like this. The poor spine is going to crack, the cover is going to curl, and the book will never ever be the same.
So, please, for my book loving heart, be nice to your paperbacks and mass markets and don’t fold them over.
Protect the dust jacket at all costs
While the name dust jacket does kind of imply that it is there to prevent your book from getting dust on it, that doesn’t mean we should be cruel to it. Using a dust jacket makes sure the hard cover always looks pristine, but by protecting it you help keep it looking brand new. Not to mention, the majority of the time the book itself is just plain boring.
So stop taking it off your book, folding it and shoving it away in a drawer to be eaten by the dust bunnies forever.
Protect the dust jackets – protect the books.
What are some books sins that make you as a reader cry? Comment below and let us know!
Bibliomavens 
Yes! haha The dog ears, breaking the spines of a book, all of it! Makes me wanna cringe
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I always say, “Great minds cringe alike!” 😂
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The lengths that I go to not break the spine – it’s to the point where I have the book opened so little that I have to rotate the book to see what I’m reading 😂
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Same! It’s like book yoga trying to get into a position where you can read and not break the spine. I basically cry when even a little crease shows up on my spine. – Amber
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