A couple weeks ago, I decided to re-read the entire Harry Potter series, back to back. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually read the books, and so far it’s been an eye-opening experience. (Dude. The movies have TOTALLY ruined the reading for me. I can’t help but hear the dialogue as inflected by the actors, and my mind defaults to the descriptions of people and places as imagined by the various directors. It’s kind of annoying, honestly).
Anyway, I finished HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S SORCERER’S STONE in a day, took CHAMBER OF SECRETS off the shelf, and BAM! I was whisked right back to the Summer of 2001. Because my copy of CoS has a very large, very noticeable scar.
That would be chocolate Slim-Fast spilled on the spine. It happened during this period in my life, naturally. Every time I pick up my copy of CoS, I remember plopping on a bench in front of Boston’s City Hall during my lunch break, trying to balance my liquid lunch on my knee while reaching into my purse for Chapstick, and then of course spilling the damn drink all over my book (as well as my lap). And so there it shall remain–a reminder of a dark day, permanently etched into the spine of a pretty great book.
Not all scars harbor ill memories, of course. Take this one, from George R.R. Martin’s A CLASH OF KINGS.
After the HBO series got huge, I lent my copy to so many people that the spine cracked and the glue strained to keep the pages in line. Every time I open the book, I fear it might be the end, but still it makes me smile, knowing all the people who read and loved the book after me.
What about you? Do any of your books have scars?
Follow
5 Responses