Have any of you out there ever returned a book to a bookstore for any reason...and what was the excuse you gave the clerk when you returned it? I was unemployed in the Winter of 2008-09 and I read Bernhard Schlink's The Reader in, I kid you not, about 6 hours (a really good book if you haven't read it yet). I returned it to Target because 1) I knew I wouldn't read it again because it was super-sad, and 2) it was still in beautiful condition. They asked no questions. I returned Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth to Barnes and Noble last year after reading a grand total of 50 pages and deciding it was the most boring book I had ever read....and I was honest with the lady at the counter. And I know most people love that book with a devotion that borders on papal reverence, so I was super disappointed.What about you guys?
I haven't returned a book, although my hubby does if they are in good condition. Unfortunately, I am not a kind reader. For whatever reason, I rarely manage to go through a book without somehow marking that I was there, whether that means underlining quotes I like, or dog-earing pages that "speak" to me. As a result, I try to use the library when I can. That way I avoid ruining my own books.
ReplyDeleteI really do love the broken-in feel of a book, which is why I buy a lot of my books at second-hand book stores. That way I don't feel guilty about bending page corners, highlighting, spilling stuff and breaking spines. I do believe a book should look loved! :)
ReplyDeleteI've returned books only if someone gave me a gift and I already have the book. But it usually takes me so long to get around to reading a book after I buy it that I don't even remember where I bought it it I wanted to return it!
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