"Neither a borrower nor a lender be." --William Shakespeare
I sometimes feel this way when it comes to loaning out my books. Especially when the book loaned out comes back torn, bent, or damaged; or worse, doesn't come back at all. (Which has happened to me more than once.) So, the question is, to loan or not to loan. But, what is the answer? It's a bookish dilemma.
I love sharing the books I've read and love with others, I really do, but I don't always trust them to handle my favorite books the way I would. (Especially when those books are out-of-print and hard to replace.) Luckily, my sisters and closest friends love books as much as I do, so I know I can trust my books with them. Which is good, because they own a lot of books that I want to borrow in return.
So what about you? Do you keep your favorite books under lock and key? Loan them out to friends and hope they come back safe and sound? Or are you one of those people who, once they're done reading a book, can't wait to give it away?
