My House is Kind of a Library
At any given moment I have no less than 20 books "checked out" of my house. My friends know that when they come over (which is a lot), they're leaving with a book in their hands. Sometimes people come over just for the purpose of picking up a book, or dropping them off.
My house is a library, AND I LOVE IT!!
I love that people know me as the book girl. I love that they know that I'm ready with an endless list of recommendations, for every type of reader. I love that moment when they've read a book I gave them and we get to talk about it. I just love it!
It's like a challenge. Matching up a person with the perfect book.
One of the biggest reasons that I actually buy books that I've already read, is so that I can loan them out to people. I mean, I do want to have books that I've loved on my shelves, but half the time I know I'm not going to read them again, but I buy them anyway just so that I can share them with all my friends.
Oh, and if I have a matching bookmark? That's just icing on the cake!
The only problem I have with this system, is that I'm horrible at keeping track of who has my books. Like, who has my copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth? It's been gone a long, long time, and I have no idea who has it. I tried keeping track, writing down who checked out what and when, but I just failed miserably.
How about you?
Do you loan out your books? Do you have a system for keeping track of who has what books? Do you care about what condition they're in when they're returned? And most importantly, DO YOU KNOW WHERE MY COPY OF THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH IS?
I am a librarian (complete with Master's degree) but lacking a proper library job. Several friends call me their personal librarian, as I loan them books from my collection. I have my books in order alphabetically and listed in an Excel spreadsheet. When someone borrows a book I have a column where I write their name and the date, so I know what books are out and who had them. It is a pretty effective system for me.
ReplyDeleteYou just inspired another post for me! :D
DeleteI did have a list where I wrote everyone's name down, but then I ran out of room, and I quit... :P
I'm the complete opposite. I love when people read books I've read, but I don't like lending out my books. I'm very particular about the conditions they're in, and it's to the point where my mom won't even touch my books anymore. I will lend out books that I've bought secondhand or that I have had for a long time and I haven't kept in near perfect condition, but if they're brand new books then I try keeping them as close to perfect as possible. I think it's great that you are able to spread the love for certain books by lending them out. I hope you find your copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth!! That's the book that made me decide to stop lending out my books actually, because I had it looking like it wasn't read at all and got it back with a crease on the front cover that I wasn't happy about.
ReplyDeleteIf people damage my books then I make them replace it, much like a library would, but then I am hesitant to lend them any more. Luckily most of my friends know about the care I take with my books and are respectful when they take them home.
DeleteOh no!! The Curse of The Forest of Hands and Teeth!!!!
DeleteI think only one time i've had someone borrow some of my books and it was for the fifty shades of grey series & i loaned those to my SIL who returned them a few days later after she read them. I don't have a lot of friends here yet though and the ones i do have don't really read what i do or they own kindles and read on those. I usually just trade my books off when I am done with them unless i really wanna keep them. I've gotten to where i would rather own a book in kindle format though. I read so much more on my kindle then I do my regular books. :-/ I do have a friend that is considering borrowing my hunger games books that I bought from scholastic when I was still working for them. :) I would love for her to read them and enjoy them! I would love my husband too as well but i doubt that's going to happen with his crazy schedule. He's just going to have to wait & see if they explain more about district 13 in the next movie....
ReplyDeleteI like reading things on my Kindle too, but if I really love it, I end up buying the physical copy so that I can loan it to people. haha I know, I'm weird.
DeleteME TOO! I love it! The first room that people see when they enter my house is my library room. I love loaning books out, though I've not done it as often as I use to. Getting one too many damaged books back and people "losing" my books made me not loan out books for awhile, but now those who do borrow them, know that I am extremely anal, and the wrath of book hell will be upon them if my book isn't returned in the condition they borrowed it in. LOL
ReplyDeleteSomeone's dog actually ate one of my books once, but luckily I had an extra copy. Haha.
DeleteI love to match books up with readers, and I even do it with the youth :) I had to move my library , but I have my fave ones to keep in a bin . I don't share as much but I also donate all my books to my kids middle school library .
ReplyDeleteMatching people with books is my favorite! And I have tons of MG and Teens in my house all the time (because my kids are that age, and we work w/ the teens at church, and I coach 7th grade volleyball) and love loaning them books too!
DeleteI'm in the same situation! Constantly donating books to schools and our own local library. They're always so grateful, but I also lend out a lot of books. I am careful, however, because it might mean I have to buy another one. Yesterday, I gave my carpet cleaner EASY by Tammara Webber. I'll never see it again, so I bought another copy. :D Liza
ReplyDeletePeople are usually pretty good about returning things, but every once in awhile I start to wonder if I'll ever see certain books again. I think it's worth it though. To connect with people and see them happy!
DeleteFirst of, I don't have friends who want to borrow my books :p And I wouldn't like the borrow my books either, because I'm very careful with my books.
ReplyDeleteThat stinks that your friends don't read what you do. I'm so happy to be surrounded by so many readers. Although I think part of the reason they read so much is because I keep shoving books at them, haha!
DeleteI'll loan my books out to certain people because I know they will take care of them. But a lot of my friends do come to me about book recs, and I love trying to figure out a book that matches them.
ReplyDeleteThat's the best part!
DeleteI tend to lend my books to people that I know will read and love said books. But I must admit that I'm a bit of a worry-wart when it comes to lending. They're like my kids, sadly. I tend to lose it when they come back damaged. Lol.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I think you're in the majority here! :P
DeleteI used to, but then my best friend left my favorite book in a taxi...I have always been afraid of lending them out after that incident.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe the taxi driver got to read it and it changed his life? (looking for a bright side)
Delete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI'm awful about lending my books out! I'd honestly rather buy a friend his own copy than trust him with mine. I think people sense it, because they rarely ask me to play librarian.
During those rare times I do lend books, I have a memory like a bear trap. There's no way anyone will be able to fudge his way around it! LOL! One time, a friend insisted that she had returned my Edgar Allan Poe book to me; since she was a good pal and I didn't exactly love Poe, I decided to let it go. About a year later, her whole family cleared out their house . . . and she happily returned the book to me, having blissfully forgotten our earlier conversation. I let that go, too. =P
I have been known to buy multiple copies of books I really love, for the people I really don't trust. Haha!
DeleteI'm really precious with my books. Sure, I'll lend them to you. But I will write your name and the title down, and you better not bend that spine! I'm book crazy and I do share but I do like them looking just as they left them... I always have tons of recommendations as well though, even in a public library I'll be telling my friends what they will love and what they won't xD
ReplyDeletehttp://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/04/how-to-write-poem.html
I would like for my books to be returned in good condition, but I'd rather they were read and loved than preserved. But I totally get what you're saying!
DeleteI am a librarian for some of my friends. I'm the one that isn't scared about buying books and if I love it I'm telling my fellow readers and shoving it in their hands. I keep a list of who has my books, just in a notebook. But that's usually people who I don't usually lend books to so I need to remember, the ones I lend to all the time read the books and give them back so I don't need to note them down.
ReplyDeleteFor one of my friends I am her personal library, haha. She reads a lot and as often as I do but what makes us really work together is she pretty much has the same taste as I do. We have rarely, if ever, disagreed on a book. We both love reading fantasy books, we both love kick-ass female leads, we both fall in love with the same male character and ship the same ship. This might be a good time to say we also share the same birthday, and I don't mean just the day but the same date of the same year. Same hospital too. No she's not a twin, just a birthday twin. But our personalities match so much it's almost scary o_O
We trust each others taste so much that when the other gives a book recommendation we don't question it but just read it.
Omg Andye just email me your home address and I'll POST you my copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth!! Won't cost you a thing, I don't even like it so I'll be happy to get it off my bookshelf.
- Shepa
Don't mess with me! I will totally take your book!! :P
DeleteI wasn't even messing, dead serious here woman. I could do with some space on my shelves ;)
DeleteWait, aren't you in the UK? That's so expensive!
DeleteYup! I don't mind, it's not like I post books to the US everyday.
DeleteSee how much I love you? (or how much I DON'T want the book) :P
Ok, I feel really guilty about this, but I will take it...haha! Email me at Andye @ReadingTeen.net :D
Delete❤
Done :D
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