Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.
SEPTEMBER 10: PETS/CHILDREN & BOOKS (DANI)
Prompts: Having physical books can be fantastic, but it can also be scary to have them damaged. If you have pets or children what is your experience with them and your books? Has your child ever torn pages out of a treasured classic? Has your puppy ever chewed on a limited edition? Cat claws in a leather bound? How do you protect books from destruction?
Such an interesting topic today, talking about the actual physicality of books. I feel like most(?) book readers will relate to how I feel, since I am one of those must-keep-in-mint-condition kind of people with their beloved books.
Especially if the book is one of my favourite stories, or if the cover is super aesthetically pleasing – that’s when my anxiety for its perfection really peaks. If it’s a book that I don’t really care about, sure I won’t be damaging it (of course), but neither would I be as heartbroken if it were to be damaged. The ironic thing is because I like a book, I’ll tend to take it places with me to read, into danger zones such as the kitchen table.
Technically I haven’t really had problems with pets or children with my books, as I would tend to keep my prized possessions away from them. However, I do remember once lending a book (my favourite book!) to someone in grade 8 (so…children?), who proceded to go to the bahamas with it and absolutely wreck my book. It was in near perfect condition going in, and the spine was bent, the pages were wrinkled, the cover was absolutely destroyed upon getting it back. You can imagine how upset I was, or you may even be cringing from the second-hand shock!
So luckily I haven’t really had to endure destruction from those I can’t really blame. I myself barely try to crack open the spine and keep the pages as pristine as possible these days when reading books. Especially this day and age where the book is as much about the content as it is looking on my shelf (precious bookshelf real estate!).
I even prefer softcover books, which are definitely more susceptible to damage, so I definitely try to keep them safe. I usually try to keep my dust covers aside for my hardcovers (that’s how they’re supposed to be used right?), but for softcover it’s definitely more difficult to read comfortably yet keep the book in good condition.
But I’d like to hear what other crazy techniques people have to keep their books looking brand new. If you have any tips and tricks, please do let me know in the comments below!
Down the Rabbit Hole 
That would be so scary. We both have dogs and have never had a problem with it.
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