Brand New or Well Loved?

Some readers keep their books looking brand new.

No bent pages. No cracked spine. No writing. No marks. The book looks almost untouched even after they finish it.

Then there are readers whose books look like they have been through life with them.

Folded corners. Notes in the margins. Highlighted lines. A cracked spine. Maybe a coffee stain or two. The kind of book that looks used, carried, loved, and returned to again.

I honestly understand both sides.

There is something beautiful about a clean bookshelf full of books that still look fresh. But there is also something special about a book that looks like it mattered to somebody.

Either way, the love is still there.

So what kind of reader are you: do you keep your books looking brand new, or do you like when they look loved and lived in?