Do you lend your books?

I used to but so many from my collections weren’t returned so I don’t anymore. I read lots of books on kindle which are non transferable. Those books I don’t want to keep I send to charity shops, give away, or put in our village kiosk for others to read.

Given my previous career, I never buy books - I use the library. Saved me an absolute fortune over the years.

Yes of course! It’s part of the pleasure, sharing. And the main difference from reading them on my Kindle. I write the ones I’ve loaned in a tiny notebook with the date & ‘who to’ then cross them out when I get them back. I often then loan them out to someone else!
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My SiL and her friends have a little group where they each take turns to buy a few books every month, usually thrillers, which are then passed between them. When 5 sets of initials are in the back that means they’ve all read them and they are passed onto me (I’m 200 miles away) and I then donate them after I’ve read them.

i used to leave books i'd finished with on park benches/bus seats with a card inside asking the reader to do likewise.

no, I used to but they never got returned

No, I give them away either to friends or to the charity shop. I also buy most of my paperbacks from the charity shop and new ones go onto my kindle which i share with my daughter so I get access to what she buys and vice versa.

Except for maybe close family, I haven’t lent any for ages.
I do sometimes give books that aren’t (to me) keepers.

I only ever buy (or borrow) paperback novels - I find hardbacks far too heavy to read in bed.
Most of my paperback buys do end up in a charity shop, which is where I buy quite a few of mine, too.

Maybe stick a label on the front saying 'please return to xxx' so they can't miss it! It all depends on whether you actually want the book back or are happy for it to keep circulating.

The same applies to DVDs which are not returned. I tend to collect movies and dramas which are not on TV and slightly rare so I do want them back.

At Probus we all bring books we have read and swap them for another. There are always more books, people bring 2 or 3 and take home one. Some of them are lovely books but I guess we are all of the age to realise we can’t take them with us ! I still keep those I have a sentimental attachment to, though - they don’t hit the Probus shelf.

There is a little scheme run locally that leaves a book in a public space, inviting you to read it and then pass it on. I’ve just finished the one I found and will take it out tomorrow and leave it for someone else. It”s called “The Book Fairy Scheme” ?

But yes I do lend out books.

Those I want back, I stipulate so, and they are generally returned to me. But I don’t mind too much if they don’t get returned. I like to think people have read a good book (well in my view?)

No. I stopped lending books out years ago, due to the trouble getting them back again, including those the borrower denied ever having borrowed.

I have basically stopped lending anyone anything for the same reasons.

If I want, and feel I can afford to do so, I give whatever was requested. That way I do not feel disappointed over not having a borrowed object (or money) returned.

If I have no desire to part with the object in question, I just say I am sorry, but I cannot do without it.

No, it used to drive me mad I was finding it was me that was buying the books lending them out and either friends would say oh I lent it to my sister friend etc etc and another said oh I can’t find it, so I put a stop to it, I wasn’t going to be a mug anymore

I tell them now to use the library where if they lose them they will have to buy another as replacement

Cheap paperbacks yes. Classics in hardback no.

Only to close friends from a non smoking household. I put a name plate inside the book as well.

I love my books and hate lending them out. I will, but only to trusted friends and even then I feel itchy until the book is returned to me.

I would say don't lend books you are attached to and really want back. Some books are precious to the owner, or rare maybe. Don't lend them. Sharing schemes are a different matter, the idea is to share them round. The two things are completely different.

I was disappointed because I thought my friend would love the series as we have similar tastes.She only read a few pages and didn't like it but when I asked for it back she denied ever having it. I can order it in the library anyway or buy a new one. I think she is getting forgetful.

I’d happily give away a book from my ‘to be read’ pile, but once I’ve read it, it’s all mine.

Would have to think about it as I let a friend borrow a hardback and didnt get it back.

Callistemon21

My friend used to say that paperbacks were meant to be read and passed on.
I do that but put my initials in if I want the book back.

Hardbacks I tend to keep and also some paperbacks I might re-read.

However, there's a limit to just how many books we can house!
We still have books from our childhood, books from our parents, reference books, books about hobbies.
We'll never be able to downsize.

I only read novels in paperback, though - hardbacks are too heavy to hold in bed - for me, anyway. I do find it annoying when a new novel is available only for quite a while in hardback or the larger, heavier, PB format.
Happens a lot in the run up to Christmas!

Whether I keep or pass PBs on, will depend on whether I know I’ll want to read them again at some point.

I’ve just given away most of DH’s books - those bought as gifts were returned to the givers, those connected to his hobby passed on to his friends with the same hobby. The rest have gone to Charity Shop and most of mine have gone to a friend and she’ll donate them after she’s read them. I didn’t want to keep DH’s books out of sentimentality, to then have DDs to deal with them after I’m gone.

Not anymore .

I've rebought a book by Madhur Jaffery three times .
It's my essential curry book .
And worse of all ,a signed copy of a botanical book .
I've bought it again , but it's unsigned .
The book meant a great deal to me .

I have cookery and gardening books that are not for loan, but others are welcome to anything else as long as I've read it!
Mostly use library now though.

Our 'books to keep' are still in cardboard boxes waiting for us to find a bookcase we both like. I do wonder what we'll do with them when we finally get them out.

Love the idea of the book fairy.