Friday, March 21, 2008
A Reader's Resolution
If you’re one of the people who have seen me read a book, you’ve definitely asked why I read that way. One of my strange habits is reading a book half- closed, only to protect its bind (which I refer to as the backbone) from having white and crisscrossed lines.
I’m not really the O.C. type who organizes my things to the point of labeling each one, but I’m very particular with my books. I use them with utmost care so that they will look brand new when I stack them on my bookshelves. I also avoid letting other people borrow them for the same reason.
Just a month ago, a friend borrowed a Coelho book of mine. When she returned it, it looked as if it aged 10 years from the day I lent it to her. I was, of course, disappointed and even thought of buying a new copy. Fortunately, I didn’t. Because if I did, I would have felt worse after reading an account from Coelho’s “Like the Flowing River”:
“… but as soon as I’ve finished the book, I let it go; I give it to someone else, or to the public library. My intention is not to save forests or be generous. I simply believe that a book has its own journey to make, and should not be condemned to being stuck on a shelf.”
I’ll still stick to my almost-merely-peeking kind of reading, but not anymore to preserve the book for my shelves. I’ll still treat my books with utmost care so that they can endure the trek of being passed on from one reader to another. I will no longer be reluctant to let others borrow my books, because, in the first place, books are meant to be read and I, as a reader and owner, must allow them to fulfill their purpose.
I’m not really the O.C. type who organizes my things to the point of labeling each one, but I’m very particular with my books. I use them with utmost care so that they will look brand new when I stack them on my bookshelves. I also avoid letting other people borrow them for the same reason.
Just a month ago, a friend borrowed a Coelho book of mine. When she returned it, it looked as if it aged 10 years from the day I lent it to her. I was, of course, disappointed and even thought of buying a new copy. Fortunately, I didn’t. Because if I did, I would have felt worse after reading an account from Coelho’s “Like the Flowing River”:
“… but as soon as I’ve finished the book, I let it go; I give it to someone else, or to the public library. My intention is not to save forests or be generous. I simply believe that a book has its own journey to make, and should not be condemned to being stuck on a shelf.”
I’ll still stick to my almost-merely-peeking kind of reading, but not anymore to preserve the book for my shelves. I’ll still treat my books with utmost care so that they can endure the trek of being passed on from one reader to another. I will no longer be reluctant to let others borrow my books, because, in the first place, books are meant to be read and I, as a reader and owner, must allow them to fulfill their purpose.
# posted by Liana : 3:31 AM
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