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40 Times Book Lovers Got So Triggered By The Things They Saw, They Had To Post Them Online
There are dozens of pet peeves that get on book readers’ nerves. Like Amazon shipping you every single book in its own separate box when order loads of them or when the bottom parts of 2 pages are still connected. Then there are the big no-no’s that will make any book lover mad. Like people burning books or tearing off the pages of the books that they’re reading. One. [Rip.] By. [Tear.] One. [Rip.]
We know that you enjoy books, dear readers, so we here at Bored Panda have collected a list of pictures that will infuriate any book lover and literature enthusiast. Scroll down, upvote your fave pics, and let us know in the comments what other book-related things get your blood boiling.
Bored Panda reached out to The Willoughby Book Club, the UK's leading personalized book subscription service, and spoke with Director Marianne Chala about the pet peeves that book-lovers have and the things that infuriate them the most. “Our staff are comprised of book obsessives, booksellers, and library assistants—I was a bookseller myself for 20 years before joining The Willoughby Book Club, so we have seen a lot of abominations towards books in our careers!” she said. Scroll down for our full interview with Marianne, as well as our chat with the founders of the Book Box Club.
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The Only Book In The Store That's Wrapped In Plastic Is This One
No God, Nooooo. God, Please No
Ordered 27 Books From Amazon On A Single Order. Got 27 Boxes With 1 Book Each Delivered
Marianne said that some of the pet peeves that she and The Willoughby Book Club have include artsy houses where people arrange their books with the spines facing inwards. “This is a crime against literature,” she told us.
Cracked spines also anger Marianne and her staff, especially when it’s done on purpose and in front of patient, long-suffering book lovers. The book club also hates film tie-in covers (“We’re all snobs, and loathe these!” Marianne exclaimed), as well as books bought just for show without any intention of reading them.“
Bored Panda also spoke to Marianne about the worst things that she’s ever seen somebody do to books. Among these was a beloved book lent to a family member that was mauled by a dog, a burst pipe that destroyed a whole collection of books and ‘might have’ made Marianne cry, and a large hardback that was sawn in half with a breadknife because it was “too big to read in bed.”
This Price Sticker That Ruined The Cover Of This 1908 Book
Instead Of Putting In A Bookshelf, This Coffee Shop Cut The Spines Of The Books And Glued Them To A Shelf
This Is The Last Page Of A Book In My School's Library. This Isn't The Only Time It Happened Either
“From working in bookshops, I have had books returned for a refund that have been dropped in the pool on holiday and are crunchy with sand… or when 50 Shades of Grey was the thing, we’d get copies returned with the spine cracked on the saucy bits. I have seen sandwiches, burgers and on one memorable day, a whole burrito tucked into the shelves with the books… and a large coffee upended on the Christmas display tables of bestsellers— ugh, it’s giving me hives to have to re-live it,” Marianne told us about all the horrible things she’s seen done to books. Poor books. They deserve better.
Marianne went into detail about book borrowing etiquette and how long it’s polite to hold onto them. “I’m cringing a little at this because I am a notorious book magpie and have ‘accumulated’ quite a few books that were lent to me in good faith. This is Not Okay and was the most frowned upon behavior from the Willoughby team,” she said.
Looking Through An Old Cookery Book I Just Found And There's A Squashed Frog As A Bookmark
This Hardcopy Ela Book Is Complete With Useless Hyperlinks And And Unwatchable Videos. Go American Education System
Got Bumped To First Class (Super Sweet) Only To Witness This Lady Tearing Off The Pages Of The Book She's Reading
“We’ve all fallen victim to it (but I’m the only one owning up to doing it myself!). It also raises the issue of hurt in the poor lender. As Alisha says, the lender can feel very let down that the book they love is not being cherished to the correct degree… ‘It’s like seeing a friend mistreated.’ None of us set deadlines, that’s just not how it goes, but I think if you don’t see it back in a few months, you can wave goodbye to it forever.”
Marianne added: “Despite the risk of books not being returned, we all love books and will take that risk to pass the love on. It’s so great when someone loves a book you’ve recommended, and we’re really lucky to be able to do that for a job!”
Burned Down The "Take A Book, Leave A Book"
What an a*****e thing to do. Geez some people have zero respect.
This Hotel Doesn't Allow You To Use Books For Their Intended Purpose
Books should not be decor. They’re meant to be passports to other worlds.
I Don't Think I Should Read This Deign Chapter In My Book
The Willoughby Book Club offers personalized book subscriptions: they’ll provide you with a bespoke selection of books they think you’ll love and all you have to do is answer a few questions about your reading tastes and genre.
“Subscriptions are available for 3, 6, or 12 months in a variety of genres from Contemporary Fiction to Wellness and each month, one title arrives beautifully gift wrapped to your door,” Marianne explained what services the book club provides. “This makes the perfect gift for voracious readers, difficult to buy for relatives, and children building a lifelong relationship with reading alike. We also make the perfect gift for lockdown: let us take the stress out of choosing reading matter for yourself or your gift recipient, and as each subscription is selected with the reader in mind, no two subscriptions are ever the same.”
The Willoughby Book Club also donates a book to Book Aid International for every subscription purchased. They do this to “work toward their vision of a world where everybody has access to books that educate, inspire, and change lives.”
This Store Sells Books Wrapped In Packaging So Readers Can Pick A Book From Just A Sentence. Somebody Opened All Of Them
Only one shelf of the store sells books like these. People usually get these as gifts or when they want to explore new books without judging them by their cover. There are other books in the store so I don't know why the person felt that it was okay to do this.
The same person opens other people’s birthday presents.
Book Murderer
Who does this?! I carried around and read a 5 lb. paperback book and never did I feel the need to cut it in half.
Send them your thoughts and prayers. I'm sure that would cheer the books up.
Load More Replies...Excuse the rage. WHAT KIND OF F*****G MONSTER ATE YOU?!!!
the sickest type.. and yes, i wish a monster "Ate" him instead.
Load More Replies...I'm sure this is an April Fools prank by a book lover... No actual books were harmed in making the photo, they're stunt books... I'm sure... (huddles in corner)
Well, he kinda have a point thought. But next step is just a Kindle, mate. Anyway, they're not bad reads. :)
Is it just me who wants to smack some sense into this person? Give him an e-reader, because he's not worthy to read a real book.
"Mwahahahahahahaaaaaa!" Sorry I wanted to join in on your comment with some evil laughter 😀
Load More Replies...It's an abomination. Try lifting weights and get some strength so the books are more manageable.
Purge the heretic! (My husband is into warhammer so the word heretic made me think of it 🙂)
Load More Replies...At least it looks like there was an attempt at conservation with new "covers" put on.
Whaaaat?! I'm very surprised to - wait, you're joking, right?
Load More Replies...It makes you a stupid POS. The amount of money you spend turning books into garbage (because they cannot be recycled) would easily have covered the cost of a Kindle that would fit in a jacket pocket.
WHY! YOU ARE A BOOK MURDERER! IVE ONLY SEEN 3 PICTURES AND IM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MAD ALREADY! GAAAAH
I dont think it is wrong to create your own volume 1,2, 3.... Respect is in the act of reading.
I can't read books on screens...For some reason my attention starts to wander. I will read the same "page" about 10 times before I realize I wasn't reading it lol. I have to have a physical book in my hands to keep my attention. Have no idea why
Load More Replies...We're petitioning for the Death Penalty as this is an unrepentant Book Butcher.
I did this to my high school books, which were as thick as my index finger is long. It was not practical to carry such huge books to school everyday, especially in case of the math book.
what the f**k, why? how can you even read it, why would you destroy something for portable reasons? that’s like cutting a painting in half so it fits in your suit case. i had this super old book (to the lighthouse) and it was falling apart but i was super careful with it, and normally you read a book at an obtuse angle right? well i had to read this book at a 90 degree angle because the spine was ripping and the glue between the spine and pages was very thin (the book was SUPER old, it was an older model and my dad bought it when he was a kid, back when books cost like $4). anyways, there was one time i was reading it an obtuse like you do with a normal book and it was on my bed but i guess because of that some pressure was applied to the spine and it completely broke in half and OH MY GOD i freaked out! i texted my dad immediately and apologized because i felt so bad but he said it was fine and that it's super old so not to worry
Once I let someone borrow Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. They accidentally ripped it in half. Let's just say I'll spare you the gory details.
How would you feel if someone cut you in half to make you "more portable?" Huh? Huh? You heathen!
yes, ive done it too. A book is not a person, for God's sake!! its just paper with text on it--the ideas and story within are what's important and tearing the book in half, or even throwing it away doesnt change that.
BP forgot to hide the name of the a*s who did that. Alex has it coming.
It's definitely JUST YOU! And you certainly are a idiot! More portable? What are you so weak and feable that you can't carry a whole book at once.
Make them more portable? Alex, either get your priorities straight or get a Kindle!
Few people have the capacity to be this demented and uncaring. Oh, the humanity!
What the what? Are you insane? This is NOT how you treat a book, you wretched heathen!
Absofragginlutely not! If you don't like long books, don't buy them, or get them on an ebook so they aren't so heavy for your poor little hands
You are be beyond words!! Book killer - if you want portable buy an e-reader and leave books to those who appreciate them !!
It's like when a serial killer cuts a body in half to make it more portable. No. No, we don't all do this. It's just you. And serial killers.
NEVER in my life, that is just as bad as the lady who tears out the pages she has read.
You sir are a stupid jack a*s. Have you ever tried to write a book do you have any idea how much work goes into it? Not only that, but that’s a classic!
And no, kindle is not an alternative to some. I need to highlight, right on the margins, make the pages MINE.
I do it!!! My surgical text books are HUGE!!! It's too much weight in my bag and bad on my back. As long as you appreciate the content matter, you've done the book service (just no antiques or rare books)
You should start looking over your shoulder....Dostoievsky was Stephen King of his time..dark,so very dark..
You, sir, have no heart. Do you suffer from a psychological impairment? Sociopathy perhaps?
There might be some other psychopaths who does this, but I've never met one. I am really not fussy about books. Most of mine are stained and battered. But cutting them in half?? How does one even get this weird idea?
Once. The book was a paperback copy of The Talisman By Stephen King and Peter Straub. I couldn't put it down so it went everywhere with me. It joined me on city buses, bathtubs, river rafting, camping with my boyfriend, the works. Eventually, it just had to be split in two. I still feel bad 33 years later.
My dad liked to read in bed, and he did this with those 10 ton books explaining in 300+ chapters how simple it is to use, program or plug in the computer he just bought. He learned the hard way after being jolted awake and gasping for air because his 10 ton paperback tried to kill him. He'd fall asleep before he ever finished the table of contents. Those ten ton paperbacks back a whallop, blocking airways and normal breathing passages. I would have returned computer or looked for a much thinner book, but he just cut those 300+ chapters into less threatening chunks. Never got bast the first 7 or 8. I told him to wait till the movie came out.
You do this because you have no respect fro the work. And you are a guy, it weighs less than a pound, grow a pair.
My family did this as they travelled a lot and it frees space on carry on luggage and more than one person can read the story at a time.
I don't know which scenario is worse, that the OP did this seriously or did it as a joke
Honestly, this seems quite reasonable to me. I like my Kindle because I can have a lot of reading material in a compact size, but I'd hate to try to drag a copy of War & Peace to the doctor's office otherwise. Don't worship the book - it's just paper - but be glad that someone is actually reading!
MURDERER! OFF WITH HIS HEAD... There is a special place in hell for you and that woman who rips the pages off her books. Both of you will be chained to a flaming hot boulder. On one side will be a man learning to play a bagpipe and on the other will be a Wagnerian opera singer -- who is not only tone deaf but has no sense of rhythm.
I confess I did this to a book once that enraged me, the main character groomed and raped a child repeatedly. And just walked away. I ripped it into several sections and put it in paper recycle. Still feel a bit guilty and a lot more enraged.
No, man! You are not the only one! There are few other... like you in the world, I am shore 🙃
If only there were some kind of electronic device that could be used to carry thousands of books within its light frame ... oh, wait.
If you did this in front of me I would start chopping off bits of you and let you see who much easier it is to get around then
I DO THIS. and it's because I am LOVING the book so much that I want to make it the most enjoyable experience I can. You're not a book murderer, you're an enthusiast trying to make the most of your experience. I can't believe all these people criticizing you.
Hey, if he is the only one who reads those books, who cares what he does with them? At least he saves space. If you think about it, It might be easier for some who are a bit intimidated by large, long books. Reading one half at a time maybe a good trick. Would I ever do this myself? Uhh... no. Should I judge the guy? Heck no. But who knows, he might be genius. Modern problems require modern solutions
Hey, if he is the only one who reads those books, who cares what he does with them? At least he saves space. If you think about it, It might be easier for some who are a bit intimidated by large, long books. Reading one half at a time maybe a good trick. Would I ever do this myself? Uhh... no. Should I judge the guy? Heck no. But who knows, he might be genius. "Modern problems require modern solutions"
You're all ridiculous. It's impossible to enjoy a book that's 500 pages when you can't lie down to read it. It's a story, not a life.
...if the book is cut in half...and the guy “ordered not to carry anything” carries both halves...it weighs precisely the same amount
Load More Replies...Three Books In The Same Series Produced By The Same Company
Bored Panda also spoke with Kate Morris-Double who founded the Book Box Club together with Libby Harris. “We're both a bit laid back when it comes to books,” Kate told us. “Of course, we love beautiful books and we've got lovely editions and signed copies of things that we like to keep pristine, but generally if someone is enjoying a book (even if that means folding down the pages, eating their lunch and crumbling over it!) we don't like to criticize! The worst thing someone could do to a book in my opinion is buy it, put it on the shelf and never read it!”
Neither Kate nor Libby are worried about people who borrow books keeping them for a long time. “If I've lent someone a book it's because I want them to read it, and I know that everyone is busy and that might take time. I wouldn't loan a book that I was worried about getting back,” Kate said.
The Book Box Club is a subscription box and online book group for fans of young adult fiction. “Every month, we send our members a brand new, beautifully wrapped YA book and an invitation to an online book group, where they can meet (virtually) the author of our featured read, ask their questions and chat to our other members,” Kate explained. “We choose books of all different genres, the only criteria is that they have to be completely brilliant! Books are often signed or accompanied by signed bookplates and we have an option that also includes lots of themed exclusive goodies made by small businesses (Book Box Club) and an option for just the book and book group membership (Purely Books).”
Folding A Page In A Library Book When It Has A Built-In Bookmark
About Finishing The Book Only To Discover That 10 Pages Are Missing
Polish Catholic Priest And Kids Burning Stuff Such As Harry Potter Books, Lord Of The Rings, Buddhist Figurines
As it turns out, there are lots and lots of things that get on people’s nerves if they’re big fans of books. Like “borrowers” who fold up or even rip your books. Not to mention folks who borrow a book and hold on to it for months or even years without finishing it (most of us are guilty of having done this at least once in our lives, so let’s cut each other some slack).
Some literature fans are also merciless when they see somebody folding the book to make it easier to hold while reading. While books should be shown the proper respect that they deserve, we should also ask ourselves if the point of a book is to look pretty or to show that it’s been read. Time and time again. Passionately. Enthusiastically. In our opinion, a bit of wear and tear gives a book character. (You should see our Harry Potter sets!) Not too much wear, though. There’s always a limit!
Books That Have This Much Paper Before Chapter 1 Even Starts
Dammit USPS. Go Ahead And Stuff A Hardcover Book In My Mailbox
The Downside To Checking Out Books From The Public Library
Another thing that annoys us is when the publisher decides to completely change the book format for sequels in a series. There you were, putting those books nicely on your shelf and out comes the long-awaited sequel. But there’s something wrong: it’s way bigger/smaller than the other books. And the cover art! Ugh! They completely changed the art style. It’s not like you’re not gonna read the sequel, right? (It’s still a book after all.) But the fact that the set isn’t uniform anymore is going to be like a thorn in your mind for a long, long time.
Dust jackets also really infuriate us. They’re supposed to protect hardcover books from dust, damage, and sunlight, but what they really do is annoy the heck out of us! They get in the way, they rip easily, and they end up cluttering our homes when we take them off to read without distractions. When you look at all the things that we book lovers get mad about, it’s surprising we manage to get any reading done at all!
The Perfect Book For A Price Sticker That Won't Come Off
Use a wet kitchen sponge. This book wouldn't get damaged and the sticker comes off within seconds.
This Harry Potter Box Set Doesn't Fit All Of The Books If Any Of Them Have Actually Been Read Or Taken Out
What A Kid At My School Did To A Library Book
This Bookshelf Containing Books Placed With Their Spines Facing The Wall. Why?
This looks like an installation with a Message about censorship. See the artwork on the walls.
Every Book Was Blocked Like This
So irritating. If I can't read the summary then I won't be able to buy the book, Karen - I mean, Bookstore!
Occasionally A Book Will Arrive Damaged - Never Had One That Looks Like It Was Run Over
It's A Library Book. Don't Be That Person
This Bookshelf
Opened The Wrapping On A Fancy New Book With A Pen. I Hate Myself
When You Borrow A Library Book And Someone Else Has Annotated All Over It In Pen
Lent My Friend This Book In Perfect Condition And Get It Back Like This
Really, Used Book Distributor? Was This Really Necessary?
Found In A Dumpster Behind NYC High School. Donating Books Is So Over Rated
Paperback Books
Check ventilation and sprinkler systems. The air humidity is way too high. When you get the humidity down to a reasonable (i.e. really too dry for humans) level, the book will flatten out again.
Who The Frigg Wrote This Book?
My Friend Found This Inside A Math Book
These Book Covers
Paid $18 For This From A Used Book Seller On Amazon. They Left Their Price Tag On It
The Bottom Of These Two Pages In My Book Were Connected
As a book lover, I find this cruelty unnecessary. My eyes are bleeding.
At least Lord of the Rings was only destroyed in one of them
Load More Replies...I love books but I want them to be loved and read and used. There is no intrinsic value in keeping them pristine. But it's not ok to deface and abuse public library books.
The person who cuts books in half is an insult to this planet. This article was incredibly painful.
I think I need to go lie down..this was truly awful..Gonna go hug my books now
Load More Replies...When I started college I was against marking in books, by the time I was in graduate school I was writing all over them and bending pages left and right. I even breaking in the binding before I even start reading. I only do this to my own books, not any library books, but when you constantly need to refer back to certain books and you build your own library that you use when writing research papers, it is just far faster to bang that book up and put tons of notes in it. Sorry not sorry. My personal library has some rough looking reference books.
I have a habit of smelling new books, and I recently bought a new comic book and forgot you aren't supposed to smell that kind of book. Do not recommend
I love a new book smell. Did the ink give you a head rush? :-)
Load More Replies...I used to go to a library in Texas that had numerous galley proofs in their collection, including some with JACK KEROUAC's own notes in them. They were checking them out to people! I asked to talk with the library director to tell him what they had, and he said, "We know that they are very valuable, but this is a circulating library and we don't collect antiques but check out books." Point taken, but it seems that they should have sold them or donated them before somebody ruined them. PS - I checked online and believe that these have now been donated to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas.
"Triggering" is the wrong word. "Upsetting" would be better. Triggering is more about PTSD
I'm not a bookworm but i found it offensive to ruin the books and the public property generally.
Sorry, that was the noise I was making as I ran away in terror of the MONSTER who CUTS BOOKS IN HALF. I bet he does it in the middle of chapters too!!!!
I hope he loses about 50 pages from the middle of the book. Serve him right.
Load More Replies...I have literally yelled at my father when he borrows my books.. he has a habit of bending the covers back... drives me nuts... it's like do it with your books not mine! I've even made him replace ones he's broken too badly.
This is just further proof (it turns up daily) of my theory that 80% of the world's population are not the sharpest pencils in the box.
Yeah, for those who don't know, but want a strong dose of nerd-rage, Google what happened to the Ancient Egyptian Library of Alexandria. Of the serious book abuse out there (like the folks destroying them so they can be used for decoration), its a reminder of a basic fact that's always been true in every time and place of human history: many, people are really, really, really f***ing stupid. The stupidity is forgivable until it combines w/ hostility.
I’ve surprisingly never found anything horrible in a library book, however the most memorable thing was a miniature string of Navajo prayer flags in a book of poetry. Quite mysterious and whimsical.
I had some books in my bathroom and I had to get rid of them because my little brother and his friend peed on them. One of the books was a first edition.
I once lost an uncorrected proof because my sister decided it looked scrappy and I wouldn't miss it, so took it to prop up the cat litter tray. I understand the pain.
Load More Replies...As a book lover, I find this cruelty unnecessary. My eyes are bleeding.
At least Lord of the Rings was only destroyed in one of them
Load More Replies...I love books but I want them to be loved and read and used. There is no intrinsic value in keeping them pristine. But it's not ok to deface and abuse public library books.
The person who cuts books in half is an insult to this planet. This article was incredibly painful.
I think I need to go lie down..this was truly awful..Gonna go hug my books now
Load More Replies...When I started college I was against marking in books, by the time I was in graduate school I was writing all over them and bending pages left and right. I even breaking in the binding before I even start reading. I only do this to my own books, not any library books, but when you constantly need to refer back to certain books and you build your own library that you use when writing research papers, it is just far faster to bang that book up and put tons of notes in it. Sorry not sorry. My personal library has some rough looking reference books.
I have a habit of smelling new books, and I recently bought a new comic book and forgot you aren't supposed to smell that kind of book. Do not recommend
I love a new book smell. Did the ink give you a head rush? :-)
Load More Replies...I used to go to a library in Texas that had numerous galley proofs in their collection, including some with JACK KEROUAC's own notes in them. They were checking them out to people! I asked to talk with the library director to tell him what they had, and he said, "We know that they are very valuable, but this is a circulating library and we don't collect antiques but check out books." Point taken, but it seems that they should have sold them or donated them before somebody ruined them. PS - I checked online and believe that these have now been donated to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas.
"Triggering" is the wrong word. "Upsetting" would be better. Triggering is more about PTSD
I'm not a bookworm but i found it offensive to ruin the books and the public property generally.
Sorry, that was the noise I was making as I ran away in terror of the MONSTER who CUTS BOOKS IN HALF. I bet he does it in the middle of chapters too!!!!
I hope he loses about 50 pages from the middle of the book. Serve him right.
Load More Replies...I have literally yelled at my father when he borrows my books.. he has a habit of bending the covers back... drives me nuts... it's like do it with your books not mine! I've even made him replace ones he's broken too badly.
This is just further proof (it turns up daily) of my theory that 80% of the world's population are not the sharpest pencils in the box.
Yeah, for those who don't know, but want a strong dose of nerd-rage, Google what happened to the Ancient Egyptian Library of Alexandria. Of the serious book abuse out there (like the folks destroying them so they can be used for decoration), its a reminder of a basic fact that's always been true in every time and place of human history: many, people are really, really, really f***ing stupid. The stupidity is forgivable until it combines w/ hostility.
I’ve surprisingly never found anything horrible in a library book, however the most memorable thing was a miniature string of Navajo prayer flags in a book of poetry. Quite mysterious and whimsical.
I had some books in my bathroom and I had to get rid of them because my little brother and his friend peed on them. One of the books was a first edition.
I once lost an uncorrected proof because my sister decided it looked scrappy and I wouldn't miss it, so took it to prop up the cat litter tray. I understand the pain.
Load More Replies...