8 Things That Push A Book Lover’s Buttons

Loud chewing, nails on a chalkboard, slow walkers—everyone has something they find bothersome. And, just like ordinary humans, bookworms have their own set of pet peeves.

Here is a list of common (and, for some, not so common) things that annoy book lovers. Readers, if you find yourselves relating to some of these, now is a good time to end your suffering by sharing this article with your friends and family. If you don’t read, but know people who do, take some notes.

If you have ever wondered what presses a bibliophile’s buttons, this is your chance to learn.

1. Book “borrowers”.

I love when people read.

If someone asks to borrow one of my books, I have no sound reason to refuse them. However, there are certain…guidelines.

1. If you borrow someone’s book, especially a bookworm’s, please treat it with respect and care…
2. …especially if it’s a paperback! Every time someone borrows a paperback of mine, it comes back to me with one of the covers folded over, or worse—ripped. It really makes me want to go into angry librarian mode. Don’t get me started on dog-eared pages.
3. Don’t leave the book within reach of unfriendly hands. It’s safe to bet that young children do not know the difference between a Dickens and a coloring canvas.
4. Return the book(s) in a timely fashion. This may sound silly, but our books are basically our children. We will get anxiety if they don’t come home after a while!

2. This.

Whenever I see someone doing this, it just makes me want to:

What is the reasoning behind bending books so mercilessly like this? Does it enhance the reading experience? Someone, please, tell me, because I am unable to justify this senseless action. You’re hurting the book, not to mention leaving an ugly crack in the spine.

3. Movie covers.

I get it. If you’re producing a film adaptation of a book, you want to promote it as much as possible. For publishers, releasing a book with its film’s poster on the cover and attaching tags like “now a major motion picture” is a huge money grab. Everyone loves movies, and advertising one on a book will grab the attention of readers and non-readers alike.

But just as separation of church and state exists, separation of the book and its film adaptation should, too. It does not matter how good said movie is—I don’t want the face of an actor or a collage of awkwardly posed characters on my book. Someone worked hard on that book’s cover art, too hard to have it replaced by a garish poster. Let the book tell its original story and promote the film somewhere else.

4. When the publisher decides to change the size of a sequel.

I’m not quite sure why book publishers do this, but I do know that it has to stop. These books will end up on someone’s bookshelf, so make them look presentable and not out of place.

5. Dust jackets.

What is the purpose of these extra wrappings? Really.

Rarely do I find a dust jacket that has actual dust on it. Often do I find a dust jacket that’s been torn, mutilated, and is barely hanging onto the book. It takes a lot to really damage a hardcover, so why cover it in a thin piece of paper that’s going to get destroyed anyway? It’s become a habit for me to take the dust jacket off a book before reading it, unless, of course, the design on the jacket is prettier than the actual book cover (it’s all about the aesthetics).

6. Blank pages.

Maybe it’s just me, but I absolutely cannot stand the blank pages sometimes found at the front and back of books. It bothers my OCD brain to no end. Of course, there is a method to the madness, but it still seems like a waste. There should be, you know, words on those pages and not just space. It may not cost publishing houses anything, but it’s still wasting trees!

7. Paperbacks.

I’m not hating on paperbacks. They’re cheap, light, and make up the majority of my personal library.

But they’re annoying as heck.

The covers of a paperback can easily be folded, ripped, and—*gulp*—torn off. Extra measures must be taken to ensure their safety. Too often have I put one in my bag and take it out to find that one of the covers got caught on something and bent. Over time, no matter how hard you try to protect them, the cover wears down and the spines crack.

Let’s put it this way—hardback editions make excellent gifts.

8. When people are openly proud of the fact that they don’t read.

One question for these people: are you okay with being ignorant, too?

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What are your biggest bookish pet peeves?