John Y’s Musings from the Middle: Weird Habits

Weird habits I have.

Whenever I buy a hardback book I always–always-pull off the book’s glossy jacket. The book dust jacket feels funny like its something to look at only —not read. More for show.

But after ripping it off and throwing in the wastebasket, it now looks like a book ready to be read. For the substantive and thoughtful person….like me.

And for about 3 days the jacket-less hardback book sits on my desk at the ready–for some real reading.

But about the third day I realize I’m not going to really read the book and check my wastebasket to see if the crumpled dust-jacket is still there. I pull it out and un-crumple it and read the book synopsis. There’s always a great synopsis on the book on the book jacket.

I read it carefully until I know enough to have something intelligent to say about the book if ever asked.

And then put it away on my bookshelf…without the jacket. And crumple and throw it away one more time.

And the oddest thing of all is I still feel like I am a little deeper and more serious –in other words, slightly superior–than people who leave on the jacket and just place the book on their bookshelf. Without ever even reading the dust jacket.