A Note to Book Borrowers

In theory, I could be writing this blog about the book I just finished for our book club, since it is a review and all. But it's not on the 2009 list- it was published in 2004- so I won't write about the story.

I will, however, write about the book - the covers, the pages, the binding.

Let me begin by saying that I adore the library, borrowing and lending books, the whole idea of literature being available to anyone without payment. A big thanks to the Tigard library and the whole Washington County Cooperative Library Services system, that ships books from other libraries to mine so even the driving isn't my own work to do.

But as I read this book, I noticed things that drove me a little crazy, and so I'm compiling an etiquette list for book borrowers.

1. Do NOT write in a book that doesn't belong to you. No little marks to keep your place, no underlines, no funny drawings.

2. If you drip food into a book, wipe it up, for heavens sake. Don't leave it in between pages that then are stuck together and rip apart. Yeesh.

3. Don't dog-ear! I was eight or nine when I loaned my Goosebumps books to my friend's brother, and he dog-eared all over the place- folding corners of the pages instead of getting a bookmark. I was appalled then, and shrieked at him until my mom freaked out. When I told her he had defiled the book, she glared at him and told him he wasn't allowed to borrow books until he learned manners. The bent corners wear faster and eventually fall off, also making buying used copies difficult.

4. Don't lose the book jacket. Someone I love dearly lost the book jacket to the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets book my brother got for his (seventh?) birthday. Sigh. It still pains me to look at. Not only are book jackets functional as bookmarks, but they're pretty and they protect the book. As a matter of fact, you probably shouldn't take the book jacket off at all.

5. If the book you borrow is from a person, not a library, and you ruin it, BUY THEM A NEW ONE. Seriously. Sign up for Border's Rewards program, wait til you get a 40% off coupon, and give them the new copy.

6. Don't loan a book you're borrowing to someone else. C'mon.

7. Return the book. Duh. Believe it or not, I'm missing dozens and dozens of books that people never gave back. I'm not a library- it's not just one of my many copies. (I am also guilty of this, according to Kelsey Garner's copy of the 4th book in the Narnia series that's been sitting on my shelf for more than a year.)

What do you guys think? I don't want this to be a rant- this was kind of fun! What do you wish you could put out there for others? What am I missing from this list?