Never lend books you like
News entry for Monday, 8th February, 2010

I learned over the last few years that if you really really enjoy a book, then you should never lend it to a friend, no matter how close that friend may be. Over the years, I've lent favorite books to different friends over the years who I've now grown out of touch with, and I years later, I still haven't gotten them back. I was at the book store buying a book for research and came across my absolute favorite book of all time on the shelf, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I lent my original copy of that book almost four years ago now and realized I never got it back, after having made several attempts. If there's a book you feel someone should absolutely read, don't lend it to them. Buy them a copy and give it as a gift. Your friend will appreciate it more and the author gets money, and you won't feel a sense of grief every time you look at your bookshelf every time you look at the shelf and see that empty spot on the shelf. I alphabetize my shelf by author and it always bothers me to see something missing there, but I always leave the space of where it should be. It always nags me. Well, there you have my pearls of wisdom for the week.