I agree. Thank goodness for libraries. #LitsyLovesLibraries. Problem is, the vast majority of books @BookBabe & I have lent out have never returned, returned ignored and unread, or have been damaged carelessly 😔. What's your experience with doing so? Thank goodness for #LitsyGoesPostal to reinvigorate that aspect of my faith in humanity.
Ilirwen I no longer lend people books after a relative returned a paperback in a terrible condition. Books mean too much to me. 7y
Librarianaut I resigned myself to considering any books I lent out to really be given out. If they come home, great! If not...perhaps they were more needed where they landed than with me 😀 7y
TheWordJar Whenever I lend a book, I usually lead with "No pressure...." meaning to read, return, etc. I never expect it to come back. But, when books have come back, they are usually in good condition. If the person doesn't have much to say about the book, I figure they didn't read it. I just politely take the book back and return it to my bookshelf, where it's safe! 7y
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rubyslippersreads Due to similar unhappy experiences loaning books, now there is only a very small list of people I loan to. However, I do buy extras of favorites when I see cheap copies, so I can just give them to people to read or pass on. 7y
BarbaraTheBibliophage I never loan, but just give. If my copy is special to me, I buy them one. Hard won lesson. 7y
8little_paws Once someone doesn't return a book of mine, they don't get to borrow any more 7y
Chachic Same! I've lost so many books that were borrowed by friends, that's why I've learned that I should have lending copies of favorites to avoid losing them. 7y
minkyb I like these strategies @rubyslippersreads and @BarbaraTheBibliophage 7y
Suzze I give away all my books after I read them. Let someone else enjoy, and if they want to keep it, lend it or donate it, so be it. 7y
andreadmw Yes! The worst. When I moved more solidly kindle the book borrowing ceased. I don't miss it for this reason, I miss it for those amazing people who would never dare treat a book recon in such a ghastly manner ❤📚😂 7y
andreadmw Spell check fail!! 7y
Lindy @suzze I follow your strategy. Keeps me from being buried in books. 7y
Suzze @Lindy Exactly! It would be a hoarding situation here otherwise! 7y
jessberk13 I always loan my books, along with a bookmark that the recipient has to sign and date (I have one for each book I lend out over and over). Mostly to family whom I see often, so I never have trouble getting them back. Although I have NO problem whatsoever with reminding people they have my books!! 7y
JSW I only give away or keep. I don't loan. With one exception- my mom. She treats my books with respect, and taught me to read, so she's earned the privilege. 7y
lauralovesbooks1 I loan them out all the time --it helps me justify my decision to buy so many. I tell myself that if it doesn't come back, it must have meant a lot to the person who kept it 7y
Yournewfriendsams If I want someone to read a book, I just buy them a copy. No lending! #onlychild #badsharer 7y
Donna_sBookMinute The key word here is "share" which I do when I GIVE someone a book. I'm done with loaning books. If I don't want to release it forever, it stays on my shelves. I don't like asking for a book to be returned -- especially when the response is, "Didn't I give it back to you already?" If a person holds on to a book for a long time, it's a sure indicator that they haven't read it and they have no intention of reading it. Otherwise, they'd comment. (edited) 7y
Lizpixie I've had a third of my library stolen over thirty years of book buying. Now I have a personal library system, when they borrow a book it gets a library card, like the old school library system with a pocket in the book, stamped with the date is has to be returned, and I keep the white card with the name of the borrower, the date & their phone number. And I only lend to certain people as well, which helps. 7y
Lizpixie If they don't understand why I'm doing it, they don't get to borrow my books. Simple. 7y
MyNamesParadise Omg I don't lend out books except to my next door neighbor who has known me literally my whole life and she knows how OCD I am with my books. Still I specifically told her "no dog earring pages." I want to cry when I see that!! And the couple times i lent (proper grammar? Oops ?) books out in high school or college, they came back safely! ?? I'm sorry yalls' experience has been bad. Shame on them! ? 7y
BookBabe @Yournewfriendsams Haaaaaa! That is me to a T! 😁😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
drokka I would loan to two people still (if they would ask, but they don't) as all others have lost my faith in their ability to treat my books as something worth more than the value of the pages. 7y
SaintUrsula When my now-husband and I were first dating, I loaned him a book. Shortly thereafter, he told me his puppy had nibbled on the cover of my book. I said "no, she nibbled on the cover of *your* book." 7y
Joybishoptx @SaintUrsula that's adorable! 7y
Joybishoptx I just give them out. If they're important to me they don't go anywhere. But I teach and have given out many many books I frankly never wanted back. I always tell people to just pass them on. I like releasing them out to the wild. 7y
Tanner I used to hate loaning books out to others, because too many times@I wouldn't get them back. I'm much better about it now - I figure if I don't get it back but I really want it on my shelf, I'll buy it again. Although I won't loan out books that are special to me. 7y
BookishMarginalia @joybishop That's exactly my thinking too! 7y
Weaponxgirl I have a few people I trust to loan book to but mostly I just assume I'm not getting them back. I tell people now, this one borrow and if you love pass on. this one I want back! If they know me they know not to mess with the books I say are important 7y
Gissy What I do, is that I will buy the book and give it to that person as a gift! In a pretty wrap and with a bookmark! That's what I have to do this week with the book The Time In Between but in Spanish. Someone posted in Litsy a comical comment about this situation. 7y
Olivia306 Honestly, I lend books only to people that I know they'll return them (I don't care about the time frame though). Most of them have been returned damaged but only because the person really read it. And I don't mind that. I even lend them with a bookmark just so they don't bend the pages but unfortunately that's not always the case. 🤓 7y
clutteredbooks Can someone explain what's Litsygoespostal? Ive been trying to follow the hashtag but I dont have any concrete picture of how it goes 😊 7y
Gleefulreader I don't loan a lot of books for this reason - I just get to squirrelly about it. I also have a real thing for knowing where any given book is at any moment. I once lent a bunch of first books in a mystery series to my MIL (in early days) who promptly broke all the spines. No more loaning to her! She gets a new copy now or I buy for her kindle. 7y
gatogirl5 I don't lend anymore unless I don't feel strongly about getting the book back. Once, I lent a book to a coworker, who lent it to her roommate, who took it with her to Trinidad, where it got decorated by partygoers at Carnival. When my coworker returned the book, she brought me a bunch of souvenirs from Trinidad too. 7y
LauraBeth I love to lend books and I don't care if I get them back or not. To me, books are meant to be shared. What good is a book doing me if I've read it and it's just sitting there looking pretty? Someone else could be enjoying it 😀 7y
ATB I don't borrow physical books. I know I am not a good returner. eBooks from the library only. 7y
tpixie @LauraBeth I love looking at everyone's bookshelves on Litsy, and I REALLY want the Penguin DropCaps, but as I'm getting older (50's) I'm trying to minimize my footprint in my house. I leave my books around town - inside reads 'take me home, I'm yours'. 7y
tpixie @gatogirl5 that is a crazy book lending story!! 7y
tpixie @Joybishoptx yes. Pay it Forward 7y
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