Monday, 24 February 2025

Books ... and Their Additions


I'm currently reading this book, and really enjoying it actually.  I picked it up from the charity book table in Booths sometime last year and just popped it onto the cookbook shelf in the kitchen ... and promptly forgot all about it.

Now, the downside to having books as the colourful decorations in my small home instead of ornaments or knick-knacks, is that occasionally I become 'blind' to their existence as individuals.  They even occasionally get dusted instead of read, if of course I ever get around to dusting. 😄
 

Anyway after reading my way through another cookbook over the weekend, I decided this morning to carry on in the same vein and spotted this one, with it's glorious green coloured spine jumping out at me.  This is the page I am up to, and for the second time I have come across a lot of orange highlighting.  

Years ago this would have really bugged me, now I really love it and I mean really love it. 

It shows that someone before me went through this book seriously absorbing what the words say and perhaps relating it to something they either wanted to implement into their life, or maybe something that helped with studying or their research into food and nutrition.  It means that someone cared about the words.

It's like finding an old family recipe book with annotations in the margins for better additions to the recipe, or saying how much the family loved it, or perhaps didn't.  It brings the flat written words to life by showing that they touched on someone's life in some way.

Words are important. Books are important.  We are important.


Sue xx



30 comments:

  1. Is it good? Worth getting, I mean? xx

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    1. I'm still at the beginning, but I'll let you know as soon as I can. Up to now the nutritional information seems very good.

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  2. O love coming across annotations in a second hand book provided that they are not too overwhelming.

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    1. Yes, if every page had been highlighted I might not have loved it quite as much. 🙂

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  3. Easy steps for losing weight - that sounds very good - if only!

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    1. Yes, if only. I'll let you know. 😄

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  4. I wonder why the first owner has highlighted ' bin all your cans' - is that because we should, or because such a comment is rather OTT [my cans of veg contain nothing more than veg, water and a little salt] ?? But I do generally like annotations in a second hand book, definitely adds to the reading pleasure, most of the time,

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    1. No it seems to fit in with the context of other things that they have highlighted. On the next page of the book it does say that some single ingredient cans are fine, but that where possible glass is better. So don't go throwing any tinned tomatoes away. 😄

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  5. I find it interesting to go through my own books (usually ones that are more of a philosophical or historical bent) that I perhaps haven't looked at in a while and see what I may have underlined or noted. Asking myself if I remember why I did so. Can provide a glimpse of your past thoughts. Has my viewpoint changed? Do I feel differently about a subject/thought/idea now than I did then? Has my perspective changed? If so, why? Good to ponder now and then.

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    1. I only tend to write in my cookbooks, but even they are good to look back on and note my changes in tastes and eating habits. It really is good to ponder on how we've changed our tastes and our opinions over the years. 🙂

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  6. I’ll be interested to read your review as I am back to trying to eat more healthily and not let it become boring. We had a use up the green veg with pasta tonight followed by a very nice fresh pear and yoghurt.Delicious. Catriona

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    1. Even now it's making me reassess some of my recent purchases and menu plans. I'll definitely do a review once I've finished the book. 😀

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  7. I love seeing things unlined and scribbled in the margins in books, it gives a fascinating insight into the previous owner! xxx

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    1. It really does doesn't it. I was going to add some of my own notes, but I think I would be highlighting whole pages!! 😄

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  8. You must do a review of this book, I could do with a diet that made me glow!

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    1. Oh I could definitely do with some "glow' too at the minute. Events and stress have taken their toll on me for sure. 😔

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    1. That just flew out of my fingers with very little thought. I surprised myself. 🙂

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  10. What an interesting book idea. I agree that you should do a review of it when finished.

    God bless.

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    1. I definitely will, at the moment it's very interesting. Possibly the best £1 that I have ever spent on a book. 😀

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  11. It's interesting reading how many don't mind notes in books etc. I'm always worried about donating books with margin comments etc incase it upset the next readers. I still donate I just worry lol. You've reassured me notes in books is ok. Thank you.

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    1. I think serious readers and people very interested in any subject in a book would most likely be happy to read a like-minded person's notes. My brother, however, would be horrified. His books are all perfect and lined up on his shelves with not a crease visible on any of the spines. 🙂

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  12. Sounds like an interesting book, highlights and all. :)

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  13. I'm afraid I can't bear to write in a book. Instead I use post it notes to mark pages, and comments I want to note are written on those. Similarly, recipes I like are marked with post it notes so that I can easily find them. I must have a lot in common with your brother! ;)
    Angie x

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    1. I used to use post it notes and little page tags but my books stated looking so messy on the bookshelves so I stopped that. Now I write in the margins and turn corners over ... you would hate me!! ;-)

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  14. I love it when a second hand book comes with notes, a little glimpse into other people’s lives…… also my mum’s cookbooks which I now have, are dotted with short comments, which helps to keep me connected with her even now she’s gone.
    I too am guilty of writing in books, and I’m always disappointed if I’m gifted a book and the giver doesn’t write a message inside the front cover 😀
    Alison in Wales x

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    1. A cookbook with a relatives notes, and snippets of recipes cut from magazines is just a wonderful thing isn't it. :-)

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  15. Words are incredibly important so that's a "hell, YES" from me.

    I usually write in cookbooks because I rarely (never) follow a recipe completely.

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    1. Yes, a lot of the reason I do that is that I change amounts of ingredients to tailor it more to my taste ... and then add if it worked or not!

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