Lending and Borrowing Books
 

Other than from the library, I have learned it is better to neither lend nor borrow a book from a friend or acquaintance.

I have often been tempted to have the borrower leave "a deposit" to cover the cost of the book, to be returned to the borrower when the book is returned in the same condition that it was lent out in.

How do you feel about borrowing and lending books?

Or about lending/borrowing in general?

I also can't "borrow" a cup of sugar. I can "replace" a cup of sugar - but I cannot "return" the same cup of sugar. So why do we say "May/Can I borrow a cup of sugar?"

My own mom cured me of ( lending) books….she would borrow a couple books from me then sometime later we would be at her house for a family gathering and she would say- there’s a box of books downstairs im taking to Goodwill- everybody look through the box- see if there are any you want…
i would go flying down the stairs to rescue half a dozen of My books. And, be pretty put out with her- she never remembered where books came from- even if our name was in them. I give books away - but seldom lend them.

I agree so much with not loaning out my books or anything really. I have lost so many things that way.

Everyone knows what is meant by May I borrow a cup of sugar. Nitpicking the details is too boring for everyday life. LOL

The person who asks to borrow anything of mine goes down a few notches. I won't lend my books especially my old cookbooks. I say matter of factly, I don't loan my books. Anyone that has the gall to ask to borrow doesn't require a sugar coated response.

I don't lend anything (books, tools, money) because I do not expect to see again. :) So they stay safely here at home.

I don't lend books or patterns. My problem is that I never remember who I loaned it too. I have have had to repurchase books. I just tell people where I got the book and they can find it for themselves. I do however give away books I don't want.

Me, too. I loaned a book to a good friend and, when I asked for it back, she was adamant that she'd returned it. I know she didn't, but I had to let it go. Now I am really careful and usually don't loan.

I had a the whole set of a series of books from an author I liked and I loaned them to an older lady at guild who loved the author and asked to read them. After a few months I asked her about the books and she said Oh I loaned them to my friend who wanted to read them, also a guild member. I asked this person about the books and she said never got the books. The original one who I loaned them to said I'm sure it was her. They both simply dropped the subject like no big deal. I never got the books back and of course out of print. Being nice is not all it's cracked up to be in some situations. LOL

I don't like to loan out anything. I don't keep things that are "not valuable" to me, not monetarily, just sentimentally, and would hate not getting them back, or back in bad condition. A long time ago Mr Stitchnripper lent out our big Bissell carpet cleaner against my better judgement. We had to ask for it back, and then it was missing a part, that the person found, but, I said to him, No More. And that's how it has been. I did give a book to a friend who said she wanted to read it, and I didn't want it anymore, and then later I asked how she liked the book and she said "what book?" and I told her the title and she said she never read it. But, in that case I didn't care about the book.

Sticky situation... I only lend books to very good friends that I see often. That way I can bug them to get the book back to me when I see them. But I'd rather not lend. There's always the chance you will never see it again.