On the booktok there is this huge thing of "don't damage the books". And the whole "never break your spine" "no dog-eared page" thing pisses me off so much. Since I was a child I learned that the more the book is damaged the more we like it. And reading old books, I saw which page was read again and again. I want to see that the book had gone to the beach even if that means the page is crumpled. Books are literally a part of our lives, so it's only normal for them to look worn down from life.
I specifically remember this book when I was 8yo , Inkeart where the main character Meggie talk a lot about this and I think it has greatly influenced my way of being a reader (since I read this book I always keep my reading of the moment under my pillow)
Have I ever told you how much I love used book stores? I bought two works today; a history of the Siberian Husky, and an old hymnal for my mother.
How many lives have you lived before this? Did you sit on a dusty shelf, or rather a worn pew. How many hands have touched you? How many lives have you touched? Were you held, or did you hold? Perhaps both.
What led you here? Were you loved? Cherished by a grandmother, whom the earth has reclaimed. Or were you cast aside, clutter to be dealt with. Perhaps both.
You are with me know. Loved and safe in my home. My mother will love you, as I do. I hope your time with us is good. I hope you enjoy it. And one day, I hope you are returned to another used book store. I hope your journey continues. Keep touching lives.
$6 is nothing, but you are everything.