To hate those book sculpture things?

[MyGastIsFlabbered]

This sort of thing. I accept that the majority are well done and take a lot of effort, but to me it's just desecrating books...I'm a bit of a bibliophile.

I work in the book industry, and I can't hrlp but cringe when I hear people talk about 'desecrating' books. Same with people who get precious about their paperbacks and exclaim that they could NEVER in a million years read on a Kindle! Reading is valuable because of the words and the ideas and the stories, not the paper. Artwork made out of books is nothing more or less than a fun way to recycle.

*help

Its only a book. Are all books truly sacred? I wouldn't have one in my house but i don't think books are something to be revered.

They aren't sacred neon but I'd rather read the words.

I have a real issue with those things. I come from a religion where books are revered - we weren't even allowed to put them on the floor, or touch them with our feet or dirty hands. They represent knowledge and steer us from ignorance.

My grandmother would be genuinely be appalled, and I am too to be honest.

I can see the recycling point of view, if the book was going to be binned then. I would find it acceptable. But it's just tat and i can imagine the sculpture thing getting really dusty and full of spiders.

I get the heebie jeebies thinking about the dust collecting in them.

I got married 2 years ago and went abroad to do so. On returning to work my colleague said she was really sorry that I didn't get my present before I left but it hadn't been made in time. She said they decided to get something else instead. Im sure you can guess what it should have been! I was so grateful to the person who didn't make it in time!

I got one for Christmas from DD1. I put it in a box under my bed so I don't have to look at it. It is so not my thing at all.

I actually have one in my living room. It's a family tree and it really is lovely. A friend made me it and I know a lot of work went into it.

I love books with a passion but I can't get wound up over book folding.

The books she uses are charity shop books which have seen better days and would be thrown out sooner or later.

Surely it's better than them going in the bin? I find it weird that books, amongst all objects, are so revered... it's not like we're pre Gutenberg for christs sake!

I think its a lot of work for something so crap and useless.

Sweet why would a book be going in the bin

look like dust collectors to me!

YANBU. They're hideous!

The only time books go in the bin here is when they've been read so many times they've literally fallen apart, and a replacement has been purchased. For me they represent a form of escapism far superior to the screen. It's hard for me to explain how much I love books.

I can't see myself ever binning a book - there's always somewhere you can donate them unless it's a copy of The Da Vinci Code

Some books are crap .I'm not precious about book though.

I'm a writer and voracious reader and I hate them.

But I roll my eyes when people are all, "GASP! You fold the corners of a book over to mark your place? Heathen! Desecration!" so I suppose I'm a hypocrite.

For me the difference is that folding corners doesn't render the book unreadable. Using a book as an ornament seems very sad.

Not every book ever written is a good book though. It happily bin or let someone fold some of the rubbish books I've read.

I was given one and I love it. It has the word 'teacher' and has been folded from a Readers Digest encyclopedia of flowers. [I'm outed if anyone here does know me IRL]. The illustrations give bands of colour to the lettering. A parent of a pupil made it. I wouldn't normally be one for decorative tat at all. I have nothing else like it... but I love what this one represents because it was made FOR ME, with care and time, because that's what a parent felt I'd given to their child. Taking any old paperback and folding a heart to sell isn't the same.

Why would you put a book in the bin? If you won't read it again and it's too tatty for the charity shop.

I got rid of a million books one day when I realised that the reason I kept books was that they fitted in with some kind of self image as an intelligent, interested, interesting sort of a person. Pretension, in other words.

I've never seen one of these in my whole life... Until now! Bet they'll start cropping up everywhere I go!

Did you just call me pretentious Sweet?

I made one once out of a filthy old cook book as I thought it looked clever. Then I threw it away as I didn't know what to do with it.

I work in the book industry, and I can't hrlp but cringe when I hear people talk about 'desecrating' books. Same with people who get precious about their paperbacks and exclaim that they could NEVER in a million years read on a Kindle! Reading is valuable because of the words and the ideas and the stories, not the paper. Artwork made out of books is nothing more or less than a fun way to recycle.

As a retired librarian, I couldn't agree with you more. It's the content that counts, not the actual physical item.

This is beside the point, but the real charm of my ereader is that I am easily able to get books that have long been out of print or are difficult to find, but are readily available in digital format.