Terminalcoffee discussion

I've been haunting our local secondhand bookshop a lot lately, and this is sparking frequent debates with my partner. He refuses to buy (or even handle) secondhand books, because he firmly believes that most people read books in the bog. [Toilet, loo, crapper....whatever]

Now, I've lived in a house that actually had a fully stocked Toilet Library, bookshelf and all, but..well....that was a house full of a fairly odd assortment of characters, and owned by a guy who ran a rubbish collection business who "salvaged" anything vaguely useful. I really don't believe that THAT many people read whole novels in the crapper.

So....do you?
For the record, I do NOT read on the toilet. EVER.

If I did read books on the john I would be in there WAAAAAY too long. Occasionally the comics from the newspaper will accompany me, or even a crossword.

Nope. Never read a book in the toilet, I do on rare occasions read books in the bath.

The thought of leaving books/magazines in the bathroom squicks me out. I always talk about that 6 ft. radius of spray germs every time you flush (which is why I keep my toothbrush in a kitchen cabinet), but the thought of picking up a mag that's been sitting in the same dusty wicker basket for who knows how long just seems icky.

Although, I had a friend who kept his Playboys and Maxims in the bathroom, so it wasn't hard to see what was going on with that scenario...and I think it involved a different type of bodily function.

Stacia ~ twisted wrote: "The thought of leaving books/magazines in the bathroom squicks me out. I always talk about that 6 ft. radius of spray germs every time you flush (which is why I keep my toothbrush in a kitchen cabi..."




Squicky! I love this post.

I am way to germ phobic to post anything, but this is hilarious.

My delicacy prevents me from commenting. But if you refuse to buy used books because they've been in the "bog," I guess you can't check out any library books.

BunWat wrote: "Meh. I suppose its best not to explain to your partner that the world is an unavoidably germy place. Otherwise I'd enquire how it is that new books get from the printer to the warehouse to the shi..."

Actually, I take every opportunity I can to "squick him out"! It's just far too easy. I make him watch every show on tv involving bacteria and parasites. Just for fun :)

Oh I agree that germs are everywhere. Door handles, kitchen sinks, the carpet that hasn't been steam cleaned in months...

But when I don't think about it, I don't worry. If I'm in a bathroom it forces me to think about it.

Stacia ~ twisted wrote: "But when I don't think about it, I don't worry. If I'm in a bathroom it forces me to think about it."

Perhaps it would help if you had something with you in the bathroom to distract you from thinking about such things. Hey, you could take a book with you and think about that instead!

When I was a kid and desperately needed privacy to read, I'd do it. But now, I'm really not in there long enough to need anything. I eat a lot of fiber.

p.s. another instance of Lobsergirl cracking me up!

Someone should invent toilet paper books. You could read as much as you can, and then use the pages to clean. You could then pick up where you left off the next time and never have to worry about germs.

I'm filing the patent right now.

So, even if there are an unimaginable number of germs of secondhand books (as I'm sure there are as well as everywhere else), what is he afraid these germs are going to do to him? The whole point of avoiding germs is avoiding disease. Avoidance beyond that is irrational. I could understand if there were a rash of deaths involving used books, but there has not been one, at least that I know of. This is the same mentality that keeps real brie and camembert out of our country (don't get me started on government interfering with my food). Since I have yet to hear about entire villages being wiped out by soft, unripened cheese, I chock these laws up the germaphobic American culture.

I would think people would stop reading when they're finished, and put the book down until they'd washed their hands = no germs?
We have two piles of reading material in our guest bathroom, one for grown ups, and one with picture books, that my daughter takes great care to change regularly, so she always has something to read. My husband keeps a lot of science magazines out there, so guest will often emerge saying "Hey, did you know that...."

I just try not to think about it. As long as there are no obvious stains I'm okay.

There is, however, a second-hand book I'd really like to buy from over the road, but it has drink stains on the cover that are actually still sticky. I'm sure I could wipe it off, except I can't bring myself to touch it...

Wear gloves!

janine wrote: "Wear gloves!"

I don't need to read it that badly and I'd never pay $10 for a book I had to clean myself!

Lobstergirl wrote: "My delicacy prevents me from commenting. But if you refuse to buy used books because they've been in the "bog," I guess you can't check out any library books."

LG You are SO delicate. That is the perfect word for you.

I guess I'm more icked out by bus/cab/airplane travel than I am by a book someone may have read while on the toilet.

Ditto. Half the people you shake hands with haven't washed their hands after coughing or picking up after their dog or using the bathroom. Not to mention the people who stocked your new book on the shelf, and the person who hands you your change or your receipt. You can choose to be paranoid about it, or you can accept it as part of life and buy the book.

Having said that, I'll admit that I have a cookbook I bought used that I'm thinking of dumping soon. It has some great recipes but it smells AWFUL.

Cyril wrote: "Someone should invent toilet paper books. You could read as much as you can, and then use the pages to clean. You could then pick up where you left off the next time and never have to worry about g..."

That would only work for bachelors or someone who didn't share a bathroom. Otherwise, you'd pick up in the middle of someone else's story!

I have boys - cleanliness and toilets don't go together so I don't encourage books going in there. I do have pictures that provide reading material/imagination.

I'm much more icked out by books that stink of mildew or cigarette smoke.

Cynthia wrote: "I'm much more icked out by books that stink of mildew or cigarette smoke."

That's my entire house you're talking about.

I don't have books in my bathroom - partly for the 'ickyness' and partly for the fact that I'm not in there long enough to really begin to enjoy a book :P

On the subject of books smelling like mildew -I did buy from a second hand shop that knocked the price down to £3 because previous owner had left it somewhere damp - and the only thing wrong with it is the smell, pages are fine :)

Ruby wrote: "Cynthia wrote: "I'm much more icked out by books that stink of mildew or cigarette smoke."

That's my entire house you're talking about."

Sorry, Ruby. I've got a snob's nose. But I'm not a snob at heart.

I read in the bathtub all the time, but otherwise don't read in the bathroom.

I just purchased 22 used books. No idea where they've been and I don't care to ponder it because I am a bit of a germ phobe. But used books are my friends. I don't read them in the bathroom but I do have a 'bathroom tome'. An Underground Education. Short sections imparting little known, sometimes better not known, facts. I also leave the newest Cosmo and Glamour in there after I've finished them. My guests must be entertained at all times. ;)

Ha! What a total coincidence. I just rounded up about 25 books from my john and took them to the used book store.

I hope you like them!

Phil wrote: "Ha! What a total coincidence. I just rounded up about 25 books from my john and took them to the used book store.

I hope you like them!"

Bahaha! At least I know the 2 I got today didn't come from you.

....and my cat just threw up on my copy of The Passage. And I'm about 820 pages in. Sigh.