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How wide do you open your book?

I like to open the book pretty wide, and husband winces on occasion when a spine goes. :) However, I try not to crack the spine.
No corners are bent, no pages creased, although I do make pencil notes and references to other pages.

No wonder it cracks if you open it too wide!

TRY: to make an effort to do something : to attempt to accomplish or complete something; to do or use (something) in order to see if it works or will be successful.

Oh, what the heck!?

 
It depends on the book. I buy used books a lot from eBay and a local used book store. So often I take them as they come. If I bought them new or if the used ones are in almost new condition, I try to keep them looking nice. I don't mind books looking as though they've been read. I actually think books they look better than books that look as though they've never been opened. Paperbacks, especially small ones like romance novels generally will see some wear as I tend to carry them around with me.

I do not write in novels or works of fiction. However, many of the non-fiction books I read are marked up as I sometimes "study" what I am reading. Marking them helps me retain what I've read. It is a price I am willing to pay to retain the knowledge I seek.
 
Some of the more suspenseful books I read, I only open the book a crack (I never thought to employ a protractor; I'm guesstimating the angle at 41 degrees (one of CB's acute takes) or, if I have the book completely open, I close one eye or peek through the fingers of my hands, held over my face. Whether I do this so as not to absorb too much suspense at once, or to increase the suspense, I dunno for sure, but it works for me. :rolleyes:

Sometimes there's no getting around setting a book down on the kitchen counter (clean), and reading while eating a plate of spaghetti or a dripping ice cream cone over the kitchen sink (messy but okay).

Regarding writing in a book, I rarely do that if I'm reading for pleasure. I like to write on post-it notes, and then I stick them hanging off the edge of the page, so when I'm looking for a certain page, I can read the post-its and find it.

I live in a college town, and the books at the local used bookstore can be a real find. I love reading a paperback that's been written in by a professor who taught it in a class or a student who read the book for a class. It can be either enlightening or make me laugh out loud.
 
I prefer to keep my books in brand-new condition - barely opened (but just enough for comfortable reading), no creased pages, marks, notes. I don't offer to lend my books out to friends because I know they eat and read/go on their laptop and I definitely don't want food in my books! The only time I never kept my books in good condition was when I was eleven. I didn't give much care for taking care of my Harry Potter books - which I totally regret now - but other than that, I keep my books as perfect as possible.
 
I didn't give much care for taking care of my Harry Potter books - which I totally regret now - but other than that, I keep my books as perfect as possible.
My original paperback copy of the first Harry Potter book started to come away at the spine after I'd read it so many times so I actually bought a second complete set. The original set is the one I read whenever it takes my fancy, while the newer versions sole purpose in life is to sit on the shelf looking pretty!
 
I love my new books and am very careful with them. But the books I really enjoy are the decades-old ones I buy second hand. Sometimes they're like bottles with a message inside that have been washed up on the beach. They contain bookmarks such as old train travel receipts or movie tickets. Maybe these books' previous owners know people like me enjoy seeing these old souvenirs.
 
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