Chicks On Lit discussion

I buy alot of used books and so long as they are not buggy or too shabby I like the idea. I like wondering where a book has been and who has read it before me. But I LOVE it when I find little bits of ephemera in a book like photographs, airplane tickets (one to Paris, how romantic), a handpainted bookmark and a love note. Anyone else find something fun in a book?

Nothing so exciting, Leslie. But I was amused recently when I found the receipt for the book, dated 1994, and a book mark from the store.

I found an Amtrak ticket from NY to Baltimore in a book I got from Better World Books. com.
Can only assume it was being used as a book mark. :)

A $100 Bill!

Nah, just kidding. But wouldn't that be fun!

I found a library due date slip in a book.

Except for mundane stuff like receipts or due date slips, I only find disgusting stuff. You know how in library books they tape the cover so the interior flaps are like a pocket? I found rolling papers in the flap once. (I'm going to assume for tobacco.) I once found a toothpick and an emory board (both used). In a DVD case from the library I found part of a dried up quesedilla (partially eaten). It was a kid's DVD, but still. My library, obviously, doesn't check returned items really well.

I never found anything in a book. But I love when you buy a used book with a personal message in it. My copy of Lust for Life has a message written from one friend to another dated June 8, 1937!

Shay wrote: "Except for mundane stuff like receipts or due date slips, I only find disgusting stuff. You know how in library books they tape the cover so the interior flaps are like a pocket? I found rolling pa..."

LOl! I always find crumbs in library stuff. Had to stop checking out anything for my son from the library cos he's an Aspie and freaks out of anyone else's germy evidence-of-having-been-there is found!

Linda wrote: "I never found anything in a book. But I love when you buy a used book with a personal message in it. My copy of Lust for Life has a message written from one friend to another dated Jun..."

Wow! That's really cool. I once saw a note written right into the book from a mom to her daughter apologizing for "this morning". It was one of my Narnia books.

Leslie wrote: "Linda wrote: "I never found anything in a book. But I love when you buy a used book with a personal message in it. My copy of Lust for Life has a message written from one friend to ano..."

Hmmm.... wonder what happened? At least you didn't find it in a copy of The Exorcist!

Eeks, scariest movie ever! I can't believe I liked it so much when I was a kid, back when popular movies came on once a year and before vcr's. I don't know why, but I'm such a scaredy-cat about horror movies now.

Leslie wrote: "Shay wrote: "Except for mundane stuff like receipts or due date slips, I only find disgusting stuff. You know how in library books they tape the cover so the interior flaps are like a pocket? I fou..."

I have to do that too. And wipe the covers if they're dirty. I also can't check out "stinky" books or books with teeth marks.

Shay wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Shay wrote: "Except for mundane stuff like receipts or due date slips, I only find disgusting stuff. You know how in library books they tape the cover so the interior flaps are like ..."

Well, the copy of Shanghai Girls I read was from the library and was marked water damaged. Now that we're talking about the ick factor, I hope it didn't share a bubble bath with some one!

Linda wrote: "Shay wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Shay wrote: "Except for mundane stuff like receipts or due date slips, I only find disgusting stuff. You know how in library books they tape the cover so the interior fl..."

That tops my list of most disgusting- books that have been naked with people. I wish the library would just charge people and order another copy.

Shay wrote: "That tops my list of most disgusting- books that have been naked with people. I wish the library would just charge people and order another copy. "

How would you know? I mean, there are lots of us who don't waste money on pajamas and we read in bed.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Shay wrote: "That tops my list of most disgusting- books that have been naked with people. I wish the library would just charge people and order another copy. "

How would you know? I mean, there..."

LOL! :0))

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Shay wrote: "That tops my list of most disgusting- books that have been naked with people. I wish the library would just charge people and order another copy. "

How would you know? I mean, there..."

I guess if you don't know, it doesn't bother you. But a wet book with fingermarks just kind of puts it out there that you took the book in the tub. I don't think that damaging a library book, in any case, should be allowed. (In addition to it just being gross.) Plus, it's not as gross to just be in a bed with the book (while naked). Being in a bath- nakedness in water- water on book- nakedness on book. (My sons would say it's been in contact with coochie water. That's definitely worse than "dry" nakedness.)

Shay wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Shay wrote: "That tops my list of most disgusting- books that have been naked with people. I wish the library would just charge people and order another copy. "

How woul..."

Coochie water! Now that's funny! If I ever get a water damaged book from the library again, I'll have to ask the librarian if it's been in coochie water!

Shay wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Shay wrote: "That tops my list of most disgusting- books that have been naked with people. I wish the library would just charge people and order another copy. "

How woul..."

Lol, laughing coffee out my nose....

Linda wrote: "Shay wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Shay wrote: "That tops my list of most disgusting- books that have been naked with people. I wish the library would just charge people and order another copy..."

omg thats funny.. come to think of it my Lost Recipe for Happiness book was water damaged... I read it anyway but never thought anymore about it..

Oh, and I found pubic hair in a library book once. It was in a rather odd and gross book for pubic hair- a cookbook. Needless to say I returned it. See what I mean about only finding disgusting things in books?

Shay wrote: "Oh, and I found pubic hair in a library book once. It was in a rather odd and gross book for pubic hair- a cookbook. Needless to say I returned it. See what I mean about only finding disgusting thi..."

Noooooo..... super ick... The movie Stripes popped into my head when I read that.. ( the men/women playing in the kitchen )

Shay wrote: "Oh, and I found pubic hair in a library book once. It was in a rather odd and gross book for pubic hair- a cookbook. Needless to say I returned it. See what I mean about only finding disgusting thi..."

Well, ahem, maybe, just maybe it was just someone's perfectly innocent, every day ordinary, extremeley curly head hair. Or a man's beard hair? Oh, lol!Rofl!

Leslie wrote: "Shay wrote: "Oh, and I found pubic hair in a library book once. It was in a rather odd and gross book for pubic hair- a cookbook. Needless to say I returned it. See what I mean about only finding d..."

No, it was pubic hair. I can't convince myself it was "family" pubic hair- wrong color. I think I'm owed finding something good in a library book- money, a cute baby picture (my 2 year old loves baby pictures).

Shay wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Shay wrote: "Oh, and I found pubic hair in a library book once. It was in a rather odd and gross book for pubic hair- a cookbook. Needless to say I returned it. See what I mean about..."

Bless your heart, here's a wish coming for you to find something totally cool and completely interesting in a book in the coming year!

You guys are crackin me up! I hate to say, but I have always had EXTREMELY natural curly hair especially for a caucasian... so what you found still may not be what you think! Don't forget, kinky curly hair obviously is common to some ethnicities. What falls out on the bathroom counter, particularly as I get older and lose more hair, ... could easily have been mistaken... my family is used to it poor things.

Nancy wrote: "You guys are crackin me up! I hate to say, but I have always had EXTREMELY natural curly hair especially for a caucasian... so what you found still may not be what you think! Don't forget, kinky cu..."

It was blond and of a "certain" length. Only my 7 year old is blond, so I'm under no delusion it was his.

Tee hee hee hee hee hee

I live in Waikiki and always find white beach sand falling out from inside the bookcover. Airplane ticket receipts from the mainland. Bookstore receipts from London, Australia, or from Maui. When the book has water damage, I figure it was the ocean or a swimming pool!

I buy a lot of used books and I'm always finding things in them. Usually it's a receipt, often for the very book I'm holding. Among other things, I've found a fortune from a fortune cookie, movie ticket stubs, a school photo, and most recently, an uncashed check from 2007.

An uncashed check? Wow!

I'm holding out for a winning lottery ticket! :-)

Funny you should say that Linda... About a week ago I returned a book that I'd been reading for some time. As it was a book I'd been carting around for a while, I stuck a $10 scratch off winner in it, thinking I'd turn it in at some point in my wanderings. Sufffice it to say, I forgot about it until the day *after* I returned the book. I went to the library and groveled and the librarian went and found the book on the return cart and my winner was inside! I love my librarians!

I was in a Barns and Noble once and I was looking the occult/metaphysical seciton. I pulled out a wicca book and was flipping through it and a note card fell out. It had a message on it that said something like "You are not the only one" and it had a url on it. Well needless to say I was intrigued so I went to the url and it said to send an email with the message on the card to this address. I did that and about a week later someone emailed me back and said thanks for emailing me. I asked what this was all about but I never heard back. One of the greatest mysteries of my life.

Amanda, now that's just weird.

I found an old picture in one.

My favorite though was a copy of "Little Chapel on the River: A Pub, a Town and the Search for What Matters Most" that I got through Paperback Swap. It was signed by the Author to...dum, dum, dum--Barbara Walters! Yes, THE Barbara Walters. It said something about thanks for being a great role model. And the Author was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Obviously Babs didn't cherish it enough to keep it. LOL!

I started to keep it because it was so neat, but then decided to send it on to the next reader and let them have a thrill too.

A few weeks ago, I was happy because I was #1 on the hold list at the library for a book. So, theoretically, I was the first person who had the book. Every 50 or so pages, cigarette ashes would come fluttering out. The book looked absolutely pristine and unread, except for the cigarette ashes.

I just read a YA book from the library, and I found tickets to the Vegas Criss Angel show. Hilarious!

I really love finding notes written in secondhand books, though. It always makes me wonder what happened to the giver and recipient.

I found a one dollar bill in a clear plastic wallet, it really made my day :)