Note to readers: this is a 4 am unproofread ramble

Dear Book,

I’m sorry.

That first time I pulled you from the shelf, careful not to damage, my hands treated you with the cold respect of acquaintances. Looking you over, reading your blurb, I made a judgment: You are interesting enough.

You will remember I gently opened you that first time. Carefully pulling each page, spreading you wide, but only wide enough to read those words on the inside edge. Your spine held stiff and solid in my hand.

When was it that my reverence transformed to a carelessness? Which chapter, which page, which sentence tightened my grip and loosened my control? I don’t recall. I intended to maintain my dignity and treat you with care, because you are a book, a thing worthy of my highest respect. But you grabbed me, pulled me inside, and hijacked me.

Was it crumbs settling into your crease or a splash of coffee that first foretold my hunger? That peanut butter fingerprint tells me we breakfasted together. Did I use the jar to prop you open, or was this when your spine was carelessly cracked to splay you for my convenience?

I shoved you in my bag. Is this where your cover was torn? I dropped you. Saving myself instead, I allowed you to tumble down the stairs. But it was your fault I was walking and reading. I have no self-control.

However, I did not drop you into the bath. Yes, I see your bottom edge grazed the water, but I did save you that time. I should get points for that, even if I caught you with my wet hand.

I apologize for turning your corners down. This is an unforgivable transgression I know. I will try to not do this to others in the future. I will likely fail to keep this promise.

I only wrote a few notes. Your margins are mostly clear of my reactions, but when I opened you up again I remember our first time together. Have I have changed?

I’m sorry. I’m not sorry for the way I’ve treated you, but I am sorry that my attention has gone elsewhere. I’m sorry that so many sit unopened, uncracked, un-dropped, un-dogeared, pristine. Let’s meet again at breakfast and in all those random moments of opportunity. Let’s spend a day, a weekend even, together again. I will keep this promise.

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    💜 love Forgotten. For Now. 🤗

    I feel you! Been so long since a long weekend with good (non medical) book! Now it’s spend either sleeping…

    or kdrama. 😂

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    Thank you for the beautiful writing, @egads. I have similar feelings toward my sheet music….except perhaps with a slight sense of perverted pleasure. When seeing crumpled corners and pencil markings all over the page somehow that visually translates into evidence that I have worked hard! 😅

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    How lovely!

    Reading was my favorite pastime. My neglected love, hardly visited these days.

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    ~Love, love~
    Oh, this is so so so amazing and thank you for writing it. My math books are still treated like that and read with that passion.

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    The last books i can actually remember reading until the end were the Harry Potter books. I like buying books with the intention to read, but it usually ends up on my bookshelf, untouched 😥. Reading books was once my favourite past time before i got hooked with watching dramas and end up reading subtitles more than books. Huhu

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    What a beautiful post. I want to say the same to all the books lying unread, at home. 😊

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    But, I feel like writing notes in books give you good memories. Like how deeply you analyzed it, and loved certain passages. But turning corners down hurts my soul just thinking about it.

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    how nostalgic
    i used to not be able to live without books but at some point in time, i ceased reading anything not related to work and watch dramas instead..

    i think i’ve gotten lazier

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    ^_^ I feel the same towards my books ~ when I was in highschool, I used to eat doritos while reading, and many of my favorite books from that time can be identified by the cheesy fingerprints.

    But books are meant to be read and loved, I’ll never be a person able to have books that are just meant to be “looked” at. Our love for them seems much to passionate and volatile for that (are we the abusers in this relationship? or are they for getting us so obsessed? 😉 )

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      I actually deleted some lines as I was writing that sounded straight out of a domestic abusers mouth. I thought it might be a bit much for DB, but might go with it on a rewrite, because it is kind of an abusive relationship. But all in the name of love.

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    This is so eloquently written, Egads! Wish my unedited 4am rambles turned out like this. 😂 And oh, how I relate to your words. *caresses my nearby books fondly* I’m so neglectful, yet I want to spend more time with them, too.

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    Where do I even begin. What a tribute–to books and all those who love them! It’s probably too much to copy and paste the whole thing in here again and say “I love this part and this part and this part” right? Well, I MOST love that the “I’m sorry” at the end is not for the way you’ve treated Book. (And this: “However, I did not drop you into the bath. Yes, I see your bottom edge grazed the water, but I did save you that time. I should get points for that, even if I caught you with my wet hand.” Lololol so great.)

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    So great and lovely piece , all hail to books 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

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    Damn, I was also planning to open the month with a Love of Reading but was pre-empted! I blame the Polar Vortex.
    I actually miss reading. I miss opening a book and being sucked into its world but it seems to take time I don’t have. At least with TV I can do other things, when I read I just read.

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      You can still open with Love of Reading. It’s true, reading requires your full attention, and I’m rarely doing just one thing at a time. Thus, TV tends to win my entertainment attention.

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    “I’m sorry. I’m not sorry for the way I’ve treated you, but I am sorry that my attention has gone elsewhere. I’m sorry that so many sit unopened, uncracked, un-dropped, un-dogeared, pristine. Let’s meet again at breakfast and in all those random moments of opportunity. Let’s spend a day, a weekend even, together again. I will keep this promise.” Just gorgeous. 🌻

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