Reverence for the Written Word

Helen Scott Taylor will be back tomorrow to choose the winner for The Magic Knot.
Now, on to this week's rambling's with LKap. All comments today will be counted in the contest.

I was reading a magazine the other day and realized how I abuse these poor things. I am one of those people who can read a book and you probably couldn’t tell I’d ever cracked it open. Yes, when it comes to books, Anal retentive is an understatement in what you’d call me.

I will not crack the spine, I will not turn down pages, I absolutely hate stickers – which poses a problem when you get them signed and they put the “autographed copy” sticker on them. Those I have learned to deal with (although truthfully it still bothers me). When I get published I will really have to think of something else, I can’t be the only one out there with this problem.

So what is it about a magazine that I can fold, roll, crumble, rip out pages and thoroughly destroy that is different?

Authors are authors right? These people write and some write very well, but I see this as different somehow. Depending on the magazine you read, these things actually cost more than some books. And not to mention they’re in color. I mean really, most books you get the cover only in color.

I never gave this much thought until one day I was reading a magazine and started tearing off the pages one at a time after I read them. Then, I threw them away! Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to throw a book away – I think it would have to be caught in a tornado and practically shredded before I’d do that. And still I’d think about it and hope when it dried out it would be okay.

I grew up in a house that revered the written word. My mother at one time was just like me (or rather I am just like she was—please don’t tell her I’m admitting to this). Now the woman can mutilate a book like nobody’s business – the horror I tell you! Even books I don’t care for, I have a hard time getting rid of.

I don’t have time any longer, but I would never – I mean never - not finish a book once I started it. I was raised knowing someone put a lot of thought into each word. Now of course I understand it even more. But a magazine—not so much.

Still don’t understand why, still tear off the pages as I read them—and throw them away.

Anyone else out there like me? Or do you secretly bend your book pages too?