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Original poster

Book issue “spine broken”

61 replies

LoserWinner · 12/08/2024 14:24

An acquaintance lent me a book she very much wanted me to read - a well-used paperback which was subsequently going to the neighbourhood free book exchange.

I read it and returned it.

Within hours she posted a passive-aggressive message to the group WhatsApp apologising for the broken spine. Apparently, by opening it fully to read it and leaving a crease down the spine, I have damaged it.

YABU —> it’s vandalism to bend the spine of a paperback
YANBU —> paperback spines are meant to be bent when you read

OP posts:
K0OLA1D · 12/08/2024 14:34

I am a massive bookworm and the first thing I do is crack the spine. I can't read them properly otherwise. I like the pages open! Not partially closed.

purplecorkheart · 12/08/2024 14:33

Most book spines are now made with very cheap glue. Opening the book out flat crack the spine/glue and cause pages to fall out. I would not crack the spine on a borrowed book tbh.

MonsteraMama · 12/08/2024 14:33

There are two types of people in the world.

Fastidious idiots like me who go through the painstaking process of softening the spines of every book we read so we don't crack them.

And Godless heathens like my daughter who immediately crack the spine of every new book like a goddamn demon chiropractor.

If you are type two I think it's only fair to warn any type ones before borrowing their books 😆

(In all seriousness though, she's being very precious about a battered old paperback she was getting rid of anyway)

Memba · 12/08/2024 14:33

There are spine crackers and non-spine crackers (who can read a 500 page novel without so much as a crease).

These two groups should never share books.

I am a spine cracker.

Boopbeepbeepboop · 12/08/2024 14:32

So is it just creased or what does she mean by broken?

DrRiverSong · 12/08/2024 14:32

I don’t lend books for this reason. But I’m a re reader and the broken spine tends to leads to books falling apart more quickly. She’s wrong to publicly complain about it though as it is o e of those things that, if it does bother you, you know full well just isn’t a big deal to others so you keep the weird bit hidden.

Dragonsandcats · 12/08/2024 14:31

I hate it when I break the spine of my books!

Breadcat24 · 12/08/2024 14:31

To be honest that is not a good way to treat a book, usually means you have laid it flat facedown open. It causes the glue to break up in the spine and then pages can fall out.
So it would mean the book was knackered even if it was going to be donated.
Maybe do not do this with borrowed books?

EternallyIrked · 12/08/2024 14:31

If she's that precious about her books, she shouldn't loan them out to anyone.
I know some people get very pernickety about books.

I take more care with library books as they don't belong to me and I suppose I'd be careful if it was a rare book, if I owned such a thing.

In my opinion, most books that are available for purchase these days exist to be consumed and enjoyed. With my own books that I purchase myself, I bend the spine, I dog-ear pages, I leave open and face down, I spill crumbs down the pages...I can't get worked up about it.

Wishimaywishimight · 12/08/2024 14:30

Anyone reading her Whatsapp will just think she's bonkers!

AmazingBouncingFerret · 12/08/2024 14:29

It’s absolute bollocks is what it is.

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