This post is going to offend people that consider themselves true book lovers. And I don;t mean readers, or lovers of the written word. I mean people who love books-the pages, the covers, the binding, the printing. I am about to say something that will make these people gasp.

I break the spines of my books.

It doesn't matter, paperbacks, hardcovers, first editions, signed, I break them all(sometimes even borrowed but that is out of habit. I replace them when that happens). If I thought a book was boring or poorly written and didn't finish it you can tell because the book will fall open right to the last page that I read.

The thing is that I, too, am a book lover. When I have time I can read 3-5 books a week, and when I don't have time I still manage to get 1-2. And yes, I consider myself a book lover, not just a reader. I love the printed word. I love the smell of the pages, the feel of a glossy dust jacket and the pure feel of the less smooth cover once I have taken the dust jacket off. I love the way the books look on my shelves. I love the feel of the rougher pages, and yes, I love the feel of the spine cracking under my fingers.

I worship the books, and cracking the spine is my way of doing so. People who profess to love books but don't want them to appear "used" have lost site of a books purpose. Why have a book sitting around looking as if it were new?