Monday, January 26, 2009

Musing Mondays

A few weeks back we had a question about borrowing books, this week I was wondering what your policy was on lending books. Do you lend books to anyone? Just friends? Only big readers? How long are they allowed to have them?


I used to be extremely cautious about lending my books- to the point that when my boyfriend (now my husband) wanted to read my favorite book, I basically made him buy his own copy rather than lend him mine. The reason for this was pure superstition- in high school and college it seemed like every time I lent a book, that person and I had a falling-out and I never got the book back. My high school prom date borrowed a really nice history textbook from me, and not only never gave it back after we broke up, but left it in his locker to be thrown away. A college girlfriend borrowed an Italian textbook and promptly stopped speaking to me. So when my then-boyfriend, now-husband wanted to borrow my copy of Possession I was like- no, because we'll break up!

Now I'm more relaxed and will happily lend out most things to friends and family, as long as I won't be heartbroken if I never get the books back. I lent out a stack of fiction to a family friend but didn't keep track of what I gave her, and I think I got it all back but I don't really know! And I lent a friend a galley last summer- Lord only knows if I'll ever see that again! What are you going to do? It's more important to be nice to people, and a lost book here and there is not the end of the world.

5 comments:

The Bookworm said...

I know what you mean, when I lend out a book, I'm afraid I wont get it back.
And I do agree, a lost book is not the end of the world.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

LorMil said...

I lend to family and good friends, and realize I might not get the books back. If they want to read it bad enough, then so be it.

Candy Schultz said...

I used to freely lend books to anyone. When I had to repurchase them for the sixth or seventh time because they were never returned I adopted a policy of absolutely not. I have stuck to that with few exceptions for the last fifteen years. It gets expensive.

Shana said...

I lend pretty frequently, to friends, my sister and sometimes to my mom. I borrow often too, so it all works out!

Shana
Literarily

Catholic Bibliophagist said...

I used to lend books, but not any more. Now that I am middle-aged, I just can't remember to whom I've lent them. And since my friends are mostly middle-aged, I don't trust them to remember that they've borrowed my book.