Sunday, November 1, 2009

Sometimes, I wish that...


  1. Girls would keep reading books after they've finished Twilight. There are other great stuff to read out there.
  2. Novelists would learn that a trilogy comprises three books only. Why ruin a perfectly good series with a prequel, a follow-up, or a spin-off.
  3. Typefaces in mass market paperbacks are much bigger.
  4. The ink in books doesn't rub off on one's fingers.
  5. Each book comes with its own bookmark.
  6. The glue in books is less addicting.
  7. I can actually eat books.

How about you, dear reader? I'd love to hear your wishes that have to do with books.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

...there were more hours in the day so I could read more. Too many books, not enough time.

Peter S. said...

Or, that we could get by with just 1 hour of sleep so that we can have more waking hours for reading!

Charlie said...

I wish I was a faster reader. Not a speed demon like some, but just faster.

Regarding mass market paper. You mentioned two things about them, but I also wish they had a larger gutter--sometimes there is no way you can read one without having to break the spine.

I've heard rumblings that mass markets are on the way out, and re-issues seem to bear that out--most have been converted to trade size.

Peter S. said...

Hi, Charlie! Oh yes, I can definitely see how having a larger gutter will make reading mass market paperbacks more convenient.

I never knew that there's news about MMPs being on their way out. Must google about it...

Ryan said...

The whole eating books thing is a little odd but ok :-)

Peter S. said...

Hi, Ryan G! I was just imagining a doomsday scenario wherein I'm trapped in my room and all I have are my books. Hehehe.

SariJ said...

I wish people who have only read one book would stop saying "this is the best book ever written:. How would they know?

David Wagner said...

I wish you could "undo" dropping a book in the tub... O_O

I wish books were guaranteed to be of a certain quality to be published, so I won't inadvertently waste time investing in a turd... nothing worse than the "breaking point" when you toss a book down and know deep down that you'll never pick it up to finish it.

Sometimes I wish a series needed to be complete to be published (Looking at you GRRM!)

I wish I was one of those rare folks that checks out a volume on encyclopedia from the library only to find several hundred dollars wedged into the middle somewhere...

I wish reading burned 10x as many calories. Man, if reading was a great cardio workout, I'd live forever!

Peter S. said...

@SariJ: I know! That's just crazy!

@David: LOL at all your suggestions. And I especially like that George R.R. Martin bit. When will he ever come out with book 5?!

Anonymous said...

I wish I was a faster reader. So many books, so little time.
Peter - you can find the Guernsey book at A Different Bookstore in Serendra. I saw a bunch of copies there about 2 weeks ago.
What are you reading for your bookclub? It depends as I'm so picky with what I read. Heard you do book swaps, that would be fun!

Krista said...

This was just funny! LOL! I would love a bookmark for every book :) I don't know about eating books, 'cause I love to reread or just have 'em for my library, but maybe the bookmark you get with every book is eatable ;)

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

I loved your list and got a laugh in the process, especially # 1,3 an 4.

I wish all bookstores had a buy 1 book/get 1 free sale (all of the time).I wish I was able to do a 12 hour-read-a-thon uninterrupted several times a week.

LoF said...

No. 7 is so cute its like cookie monster meets bibliophile.

Stepford Mum said...

I wish there were more libraries in our country, Peter, so that more people could have access to these wonderful books. For my own selfish reasons, I wish I could borrow some books as I don't have enough money to buy all those I'd like to read, and oftentimes do purchase only to be underwhelmed by the content.

Tami Winbush said...

I wish.....

That I had time to read all of the books in my ever growing TBR pile...scratch that....SHELF.

That editors....scratch that....authors actually caught all of the typos in their manuscripts before print happened.

That I could get paid good money to work with old books and smell them all day long with no dust and allergies.

That there were really such a thing as osmosis and I could put a book on my head while I slept and soak in the words while I slept.

I could go on.....but I would bore thee......

TTFN!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Peter!

Me? I wish...

1. I had a lot of money to buy all the books I would like to read.

2. There were more bookstores around (not just National) to buy books.

3. Novelists wouldn't make their plots very convoluted.

4. Our country's juveniles would consider more read-worthy books rather than the hyped titles being published (Twilight, Harry Potter, etc.).

5. Our countrymen would be more engrossed in reading (but I guess it's not possible now, with a lot more problems to think about).

6. I could get all the Agatha Christies, Ngaio Marshes, Erma Bombecks, J.R.R. Tolkiens, and Mitch Alboms.

7. I wouldn't fall asleep while reading in bed at night. :) It always happens!

Peter S. said...

@theliterarystew: Thanks for the tip, Mrs. B. I hope they're trade paperbacks.

@krista: Edible bookmarks! What a wonderful idea!

@Diane: I wish that too -- the buy 1 get 1 free!

@line of flight: Mmmmm.... I love cookie monster.

@StepfordMum: I can't even remember the last time I went to a library.

@Tami: LOL at the editors and typos bit.

@scribesexpress: For #6, I think you can get the compilations.

Thomas Hogglestock said...

Peter, thanks for stopping by MyPorch otherwise I never would have found your really fun and fabulous blog. And, like discovering an established author for the first time, I get to go back and read your back catalog.

Krista said...

Yummy ;)

P.s. Peter, make sure to check my blog out tomorrow, cause I'll have my little ones halloween pictures up, hehe :)

Portobello's coffee said...

I wish books were still being sold at Bookmark, Alemar's and other extinct bookstores of my youth.

I wish I paid attention during speed reading classes in grade school.

I second that books should be edible but with corresponding nutritional value notes at the back.

Jeane said...

I'm glad that mass markets are on the way out- they're too small to read comfortably, and they fall apart after a few good re-reads.

I've never had ink from a book come off on my fingers. Newspapers, yes. Books, no.

Alexia561 said...

What a great idea!

I wish that I could find a job that would pay me to read, but only books I liked!

I wish that the US bookstores would have special sales to introduce you to new authors. I saw this in a bookstore in London once and bought every 99p book they had!

I wish they had scratch & sniff books for adults. Hey, if Peter can eat books, then I want to smell them! *L*

I wish I had more time to read.

Peter S. said...

@Krista: I'll surely be checking out those pics!

@Portobello's coffee: I miss those bookstores.

@Jeane: Thanks for dropping by again! I grew up on mass market paperbacks, and I'll be missing them when they're gone.

@Alexia: LOL at your wish #1. I want that too!

Suko said...

My main wish?

More time for reading!

Peter S. said...

Hi, Suko! Thanks for dropping by!

Anonymous said...

I wish girls would read Twilight more critically, maybe if they read more, they would think more about what they read?
I wish more parents would read to their kids and even as they grow up keep talking about and sharing books with their kids.
Eating books, wouldn't it be great to consume knowledge?
I wish people who only read one book a year or less, would stop telling me that the Da Vinci Code is a masterpiece.
I wish I could read faster and there were more hours for reading.
Thanks Peter, that was fun.

Unknown said...

Hi, Book pusher! You're welcome! I love your wishes, especially that bit about the parents reading to their children more often.

Dinah said...

i wish my kids will pick up the habit of reading so that i can discuss the books with them. its irritating to explain each and every harry potter, twilight, lotr, etc movie adaptation.

Unknown said...

Hi, Dinah! LOL at the part of having to explain the movie adaptations.

Gem said...

I have nothing against reading Twilight, but what I've noticed among friends and acquaintances is that they only read this book (and Harry Potter), and after finishing these books they stop reading any other book anymore. These people are not really into reading; they just read these books for the sake of: they're popular, they're widely read by people, they're into romance between vampires and humans/fantasy... Honestly, I haven't read any of these books, and I don't have plan reading any of them. I myself (a girl) is a bookworm, and my favorite book subjects are history, biography and royalty. Many people don't quite understand why I read such books (they say the books I read are unusual and difficult and I can see the look in their face that they view me as either a genius or an eccentric).