Last week I went to a used book sale and filled a bag for $6.00. Oh, how I love a good bag sale! I bought 8 books that I'd had on my wish list and found dozens more that I'd never heard of but can't wait to read.
As I got home and started looking through them, a few items fell from the pages. One was the photo shown here. I also found a bookmark tucked into the pages of one book, and a boarding pass in another. I always love finding these little treasures that give me a glimpse of the book's former life. Just as I like finding a nameplate inside a book when I open its cover, or a doodle in the margins somewhere. Which is ironic, since I keep my own books in pristine condition while I read them. I barely open them and don't crack the spines or earmark the pages as I read. My books look brand new when I'm done -- until I slap a Bookcrossing label inside and write the BCID number on the back flap.
I love the mystery and history hidden inside used books. It adds a layer of personality to the reading somehow, and I'm linked to the readers before me. I was not the first to read these books, nor will I be the last.
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