Follow My Book Blog Friday Hop #15

Happy Follow Friday!!

This weekly feature is hosted by

Rachel at Parajunkee's View 

and 

Alison at Alison Can Read.

Rachel not only has fabulous features,

but is a web designer

'par excellence'!!

Alison has a beautiful and very

interesting blog!

You can find the rules at the links above.

Join in the fun and make new blogging friends!!

This week's featured blogs are:

Books Are Vital

and

Once Upon A Time!!!

This week's question is:

When you’ve read a book,

what do you do with it?

( Keep it, give it away, donate it,

sell it, swap it..? )

Well, first of all, I consider books to be sacred treasures, which is why, incidentally, I will never own a Kindle!  Or a Nook, for that matter.  Or any other ereader.  A book is more than just words and sentences, whether printed or digital.  A book is a valuable object in itself.  It's a work of art.  It's incredibly precious!  Even the lowliest paperback has that distinction for me!  Therefore, I do not treat books lightly. 

If I love a book's plot and characters, I will definitely keep it, even if I never read it again.  (I always plan to do just that, of course, but life usually gets in the way....)  The book has joined my group of accumulated sacred treasures!  If I totally dislike a book, I have no problem getting rid of it, though.  I will usually donate it to the public library, or give it away to whoever I think might get something out of it.

As for swapping books -- that's not for me at all.  I don't like reading books that have been handled by others.  Maybe it's because they leave their "vibes" on the book.  Maybe it's because they haven't treated the book with the proper reverence.  There are people who fold a page over to mark their place in a book.  I cringe when I see that.... Then there are those who turn the front cover of a paperback over, as if the paperback were a magazine.  The result is that the book's spine not only gets creased, but also tilted.  No, no, no!!  I can't stand seeing that!! 

Another reason I dislike the idea of swapping books is because, if I really like a book, I feel a very strong bond with it.  Thus, I just can't bear to let it go!  It has become part of me.  I would have to tear a chunk of me off, if I were to swap it with someone else.

So it's either keep it or get rid of it for me!  And, if I decide to keep a book, I give it a lot of TLC!  I laminate paperbacks, for example.  Yes, I buy rolls of clear plastic on Amazon, and cover my paperbacks with it.  First I write my full name, as well as the year I bought the book, on the inside front cover.  Then I proceed with the plastic.   With hardcovers, I will laminate the dust jacket, and either write my name and year of purchase inside the front cover, or paste a book plate on the very first page, with the same information.

Last but most definitely not least, I never, ever lend my books to anyone.  That's bibliophile's heresy for me! 

What do you all like

to do with

the books you've read?