Hello Pals! Welcome to this video where I share my favourite cracked spines and crack some spines along the way! Are you a spine breaker? SPINE BREAKER SHIRTS/SWEATERS: booksaresick.myshopify.com/ Appreciate you dudes
I always do the library method of breaking in books, which is where you flex the same spot in the front and back at the same time from the ends to the middle, little by little - the book lays flat after, and there are no breaks in the spine! I have had too many books fall apart on me from spine cracks!
I used to keep my paperbacks pristine when reading them, but now I prefer bending/creasing their spines-it's a sign of a well read book (although not necessarily loved!). But leave it too long (10+ years?) before creasing and the glue will dry out, the spines will break and the pages will fall out where you snapped it. I'm not a fan of completely broken spines, but love the gentle curve of a carefully creased spine. Mmmm.
I didn't realize how much people cared about book spines till I started watching booktube 😅 I was more aware of the bookmark/dogear/annotating conversations, but I've always had enough used books in my collection that my opinions were a bit more muted, I guess. Like I didn't want lumps, rips, or water stains on my books, especially for paperbacks, but as long as the spines were legible I didn't have much concern. That said, I've never gone out of my way to break a spine, but I appreciate when a book I love is worn down.
I love a worn paperback. I took the blade itself by JA everywhere with me including the beach, the book shows some love marks and just seeing the book reminds me of both the story and my memories of where I was when I read it. I’m also a massive fan of crazy flop in a book and have to say, that design of penguin classics has amazing floppiness, I have 1984 and Treasure Island in that design and the feel of reading those books just brings me joy!
I am not a deliberate spine breaker, but as someone who grew up reading mostly those stiff mass market paperbacks, most of my old copies are pretty creased up! It’s a sign of love!
You...are...a....monster!!! 😂 Honestly though, you do you but I hate it when my spines even crease. I do love a floppy book though, helps not break the spine.
at church bible study one day back in middle school we were all given bibles. this little old man was our teacher and he taught us how to lay them on the table and open them and crease them to "break them in" without breaking the spines or messing them up. now i do it with every new book i get and it makes them so much easier and feel more natural to hold.
when you broke the spine in the intro, i literally heard a million book people gasp lol. I have no problems breaking spines. I do prefer really floppy books that lay flat on their own, but if there is one that needs spine breaking i do it ! i also dog-ear, underline, draw pictures, make notes , etc. You can easily tell which books i loved the most by just picking them up .
p.s. i love your sun burnt copy of the count of monte cristo! :) . I have that edition too and I love how floppy it is. Now, i want to give it a sun burn too though lol
The first time I read the first ASOIAF, I was on a roadtrip with the paperback copy I bought for a quarter at a random library sale we stopped at, and when I got about 3/4 of the way through (whenever the drama was REALLY hitting the fan), the entire ending fell out in chunks of bound paper onto my lap and proceeded to become even more of a mess every time I handled them, and I had to finish the book holding the loose papers in the passenger seat while my bf drove. it’s a good memory lol. I glued it back together and still use that copy. I read the whole series after
I loooove beating up my books lmao the best thing is when you read a super beefy book and you can tell what parts were your favorite based on where the spine creases are!! I also use my books as little keepsake holders lol i like tucking little mementos in the pages when i bring a book traveling so when i reread it or flip through theres also memories of my trip ☺️
I like the freedom of making a book mine: breaking the spine if a thick book or too tightly bound, underlining, folding a corner to remember something I want to look up.
You’ve gotta finish The Count of Monte Cristo, once you get to the point where all the build up starts paying off, it’s so hard to put down. Definitely my favorite book I’ve ever read.
As someone who struggles to read full books, breaking the spine in represents an accomplishment. Its nice seeing the spine progressively get damaged over time, since it means that I actually am reading the book.
Ok this is my third comment oops but this video makes me so happy, I love when you showed the lines on Needful Things and said “gorgeous”-it is!! So clearly loved
yes! i am dumbfounded by how many people are so adamantly against breaking spines of books. i think it’s more of the “collector” side of booktube, more about the aesthetic of having “beautiful books”. they forget that books are meant to be READ, and while reading, usually it’s more comfortable to crease the spine, at least a little. at the end of the day, i buy and keep books to read, and re read. and sometimes that includes creasing or breaking a spine, and that’s ok. and like you mentioned, it shows the book was actually read. it’s like a visual representation of your time with the book and your memories with it, and i think that’s great. i’d rather my collection look like an old, loved, used library, rather than a stiff, boring barnes and noble.
I‘m actually a spine breaker myself (sadly I didn‘t see the open shop and didn‘t get a shirt 🙁)! But I did that always… as a young man and now that I‘m older I still do it! It is not so much about holding it open but I just fold my books in half while reading and therefore they look like this… and of course my books are always with me… so they really had a life! 😉 Love your channel, love your videos and love the spine breaking club (could be a great book club title… 😉) keep up the amazing work! 👍🏻
Okay, SAME. I have been reading since I was 2 years old - I’m autistic (so it’s my savant skill) and I have a son just like me - he was never taught to read but I have him on video reading whole books at 2. All this to say that I have always been a voracious reader and I BREAK MY BOOK SPINES immediately when I buy them. It’s beyond satisfying and I love the sound and the way they feel in hand afterwards. I NEED the book to lay flat because they’re usually too large to lay flat. I can’t stand it when the book pops closed on me. I love floppy books. I don’t dog-ear pages but I had no clue there was such a visceral feeling in the reading community about bind breaking. 😂 I need my books worn. I’ll buy used books over new just for the worn spine that makes the reading experience even more enjoyable. Subscribed immediately. You’re my people. 😅😂😂😂
All depends on the book for me. If the pages lay freely without persuasion, that’s the best. Some books cracking cannot be avoided if read. Most often, though, I take about 10 minutes to turn single page by single page in from each cover, creasing as I go. The result is a smoothly curved spine, and floppy pages.
I gave my fiancé a book to read and I was appalled at the condition of the spine when she was done. She no longer takes my book recs because she cant not break spines lol
As soon as I start reading a new book I have to break the spine! Depending on the length of the book it may require three breaks before diving in full force. I'm so happy to have found my people here 🤙
I love a good book spine that has experienced some yoga! I tend to fold back as far as I can in order to focus on one page at a time. Enjoyed seeing my books complete with creases on their spines especially when I finish them! 🥰 I get that it is not a popular sentiment shared among the booktube community though.
I've been an enthusiastic reader my whole life and still only came across this idea of breaking of spines within the last few years. How do I read it if I don't OPEN it?!? I thought that's what everyone did. Of course, I also dog-ear pages and fold the occasional book...
I like booth types of breaking in a book but I do love a good mass market paperback book that you can just fold and read with one hand and you can stuff it in ur purse back pack or glove box in ur car. And my favorite place to carry one is in my back pocket. I have many of those and I say this about them there built to with stand anything. Tough little booger books they are. Perfect size to carry with you and not have to worry about it being fragile.
I love breaking spines! I love to see a beat up paperback on my shelves. I have also gone too far. I bought a bottle of book glue on Amazon that was pretty cheap and works great.
I bought Jurassic Park on your recommendation (love it btw!). I literally couldn't figure out how to hold it right and then broke the spine. I didn't know it was okay until I saw this video 😂
I'd like to formally petition for the making a "spine saver" shirt. I love the design and want to support you but...my personal sense of morality won't let me buy the "spine breaker" version lol
Thank you! A broken spine is a sign of a book well loved! Why would you ever want your books to be pristine if it means you're just squinting trying to read the margins?
Nothing to do with the topic but picked up the first two books in the "Beartown" trilogy based on your recommendation and am really looking forward to reading them.
You are so brave to post this. 😂 I predominantly buy used books and read a lot from the library, so I don't usually have to worry about this. But, I am NOT a spine breaker... I used to be when I was younger, though.
I don't understand how people read without breaking spines. Drives me crazy to have the pages fluttering back and forth constantly. I didn't even know this was an issue for some people until I got involved with the book community online 😂 I mean, like you said, you can go too far, but just breaking the spine to make reading easier really isn't an issue.
most of my paperbacks are from secondhand bookstores so broken spines are a given. my only issue is when the pages start falling out, but that's mostly in very old copies. floppy books are stil the best tho
I'm a professional spine breaker 😂 Love this video, man. Btw, the penguin book modern classic edition of One flew over the cuckoo's nest is amazing 'cause it's naturally pretty floppy 😉
I like my books to have a “natural broken spine”, while I read it and if it breaks good, no problem. But I haven’t tried breaking the spine before reading the book haha 😂
I really love your videos. They are honest and not many on YT are. There is one question I have to ask though. Where do you live? Your apartment looks like something straight from Brooklyn (which is a good thing) :)
Found this because I genuinely didn't know what a cracked book spine looked like 😂😅 It does have it's appeal, but I'm in the habit of messaging the pages before I read 😅 so I likely won't have this experience ❤🥺
It is so stressful to care so much about keeping things pristine. It is like a rage room, cathartic / therapeutic to just get it over with and break the spine
I don't really think about it. It just happens, or not. My books are with me at lunch and dinner, in the bathtub, in bed., at the beach, in a kayak ...
Dang right! I'm also a spine breaker. My friends think I'm insane, but genuinely how do you read a book when you're fighting to keep it open 😂 I'd love to get a sweatshirt, but the shipping to Belgium is a little steep. Amazing design though!!
Love your videos man, you got me into reading again. I got a questions for you, if you don‘t mind. How long do you read per day, cause you seem to crack threw these books so quick. Greetings from Germany :)
I would pick up a second hand book that looks read and loved, over a second hand pristine book that looks like it had only been purchased for aesthetic purposes and never read. I have really never understood all this online hatred for broken spines or corner folding to mark a page. I want a book that looks read, not an ornamental book! 😁
I'm a firm spine "trainer", mostly because I've had some books where the spine was already broken (probably in high school) and chunks of pages started falling out :(
I'm not particularly attracted to the idea of spine-breaking my books, but if some day my curiosity wins, I'll come back to this video and re-watch it so I can fully share the joy that you spread while mutilating yours hahahaha. p.s. Currently reading 'Lisey's story' by Stephen King, I cannot stress how much I'm loving this book, please go and devour it as soon as you finish your current read. xx
