March 24, 2009 | reading
I’ve just discovered a sure-fire way of telling whether I can be bothered to finish reading a book:
Get the said book from the library and read till about page 75, when I notice several short dark hairs caught between the pages. Brush the hairs off and read the rest of the page, turn the page, see more hairs. Look forward in the book; there are hairs everywhere. Gross.
Is the story worth de-hairing the book? Or do I put the book down with distaste, continue no further and take it back to the library?
In this case, it was the latter. I just didn’t care about the story enough to deal with someone else’s hair, and to think about why so much of it is in the book. Reading at the hairdressers? Alopecia? Or a (shudder) pubic trimming session?
So it’s going back.
Though I’ve just had a horrible thought: what if the librarians think that’s my hair in there?
Jan Jones says:
Ugh – shake it outside, Julie. Do it now. THEN take the book back.
Otoh, maybe they just used an elderly, furry bookmark.
liz says:
It boggles the mind!
lx
Julie says:
It was very definitely human hair. I think, from a human head. But you can never tell.
I have found cat hair inside books before but that doesn’t bother me, though when you think of it, it’s odd that hair from your own species is grosser.
Kate Hardy says:
Julie – only you
(And thank you for getting me out of a fit of the grumps.)
Ray-Anne says:
I confess I do have the squirms about reading library books in bed because of ..cough ‘debris’ cough left in the pages.
Hairs of various types, biscuit crumbs,bus tickets. In one case a receipt for some horse saddle repairs.
And stains.
No. Not for me. Too squeamish.
Gross indeed.
Julie says:
There really are books I’d happily de-hair to read the rest of. I can think of several I’ve read recently. But alas, for this one, it was the final strand—er, straw.
Phillipa Ashley says:
Yuk! Mind you, I just had a reader complian to me, saying they ‘managed to track down a *used* copy of Decent Exposure with a horrible stain*.
What is the polite response? I don’t know how to tactfully point out I got zilch asn they got a revolting copy of my book… only the dealer (and stain creator) got any real pleasure from it.
Julie Day says:
That is gross. If I’d noticed it before taking it out of the library I would have mentioned it to the assistants. I’d say, take it back like it is and tell them at the library.
Julie says:
IMO, Phillipa, the polite response is “Thank you for your interest in my work and for taking the trouble to find it.”
The more natural response is, “You can still get new copies on Amazon.co.uk for £3.99, cheapskate.”
The best response I can think of though is “What was the stain? Did you lick it?”
I’m sure you’ve chosen the correct one.
Julie says:
I don’t know, Julie, from Phillipa’s experience maybe it would be a good idea for me to contact the author and complain about the hair in her book!
Kate Johnson says:
Ewww! Am getting decidedly nervous about the stack of library books that have been sharing suitcase space with my clothes.
Phillipa Ashley says:
Julie. It’s a messageboard and at the moment, I have used a quivering mouth symbol to cover all eventualities. Were those hairs curly by the way?
One best selling author I know is regularly harangued about the rude words in stolen library copies of her books. Naming no names.
Fran says:
Have just caught up on last few days posts…loving it. my eldest used to go to the library van…I love books, I respect books…I do not like books with goo in, or books with pages stuck together, or books with texture on page which should not be there. once found a photo of a man making pasta sauce, being used as a bookmark…
Rachael Johns says:
Pubic trimming session? Eugh… at least you didn’t find lots of bits of dry skin! Picking feet??
Julie says:
See, now you’re just proving to me my suspicions that my blog readers are grosser than real life.
Nell Dixon says:
I remember reading somewhere about somebody finding a cooked rasher of bacon in a library book
Ehle says:
Dude, I just returned a book with that same affliction back to the library.
My first thought was, “Julie must’ve checked this book out last.”
Julie says:
Nell, I must try that bacon bookmark idea. Tasty!
Ehle, if it was 101 Home Pubic Topiary Projects, then I guess I’m guilty as charged.
Anna Louise Lucia says:
Hey – what if they were just reading the book while stroking the black cat that was sitting on their knee?
Having said that, I’m currently trying to avoid the manic beetle that is running backwards and forwards across my desk. *eyeroll*
Julie says:
It wasn’t cat hair. Very definitely wasn’t cat hair.
Doing a google search on strange things found in books, I learned that apparently there are a lot of squished bugs.