I had lunch with a friend today at a new business in town – a book café. I know these places are common in other towns, but around here it’s a new and wonderful thing. Even more wonderful is that the local council has actually given them permission to open on a Sunday! At last, there is somewhere for visitors to go for a coffee when they’re passing through town.
The soup was delicious, the coffee small, but pleasant. Then, of course, we had to browse. I can’t possibly sit amongst all those books and not at least look at some of them. I had the usual problem though – too many books to choose from. At last I settled on a Thomas Hardy novel I hadn’t read (yes, I finished Les Mis, but I’m still on a classics binge) and a book of Hardy’s poetry.
Now my gripe. I didn’t look too closely at the poetry book. I just thought –ooh, Hardy’s poetry, I must get it. Only when I got home did I give it a closer look. Someone has scribbled study notes all over it. Grrrrr. Why do people do that? Yes, I wrote study notes on poetry books when I was it University – but I didn’t then sell them to second-hand bookshops. They’re still on my shelf. And the notes are in pencil, not biro as these ones are. It’s really annoying.
Okay, gripe over. I’ll try to immerse myself in the music of Hardy’s words and ignore the bright blue scrawls and scorings. I’ll try. I will. Mumble, mutter, grumble...
3 comments:
Yeah, I would never let go of a book I took notes in for fear someone would read them and think I was a lunatic.
However, I have often found notes left in second hand books, from gifts or bookmarks, probably. Some of them are really funny, or charming.
LOL Lily Cate, I hate to think what people would think of my notes, too.
Perversely, I love it when a book has the name of the previous owner and a date in the front. And I have an extremely old postcard that someone left in a book. That's history. But I don't like notes that can't be removed.
That's too bad. I've always been a nag about my kids writing in books. They've done it, but it's always bothered me to a degree, so they've learned it's a big no-no.
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