# Don't you just \*hate it\* when your book falls in the toilet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129 "2008-04-20T17:01:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/21 "2008-04-21T13:34:33Z")
Given the size of Colleen McCullough’s \*Masters of Rome \* books I’m amazed it went in! ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/22 "2008-04-21T13:47:17Z")
Not long ago my son, suffering from car sickness, threw up on his copy of _Eragon_. (I wondered myself if it wasn’t a fitting end for the book, but he loves it so I kept my mouth shut.) ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/23 "2008-04-21T13:56:13Z")
[QUOTE=MarcusF] Given the size of Colleen McCullough’s \*Masters of Rome \* books I’m amazed it went in! [/QUOTE] You did notice how part of it was still dry, even after falling in? Relatedly (but referring only to books dropped in the tub, not those with contaminants other than water), is it possible to flatten those warped pages after they have dried? Not that _I’ve_ ever dropped a book into anything, but I have a used book with some waviness in the center section that I would like to flatten. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/24 "2008-04-21T13:58:58Z")
[QUOTE=MarcusF] Given the size of Colleen McCullough’s \*Masters of Rome \* books I’m amazed it went in! [/QUOTE] Yeah - them books is BIG honkers. Only about the bottom 1/4" of the book actually went it - but that was enough… ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/25 "2008-04-21T14:38:20Z")
Books, magazines, cell phones, wallets, cigarette packs, hats, car keys, pretty much anything I might ever bring into the bathroom with me has gone for a swim at one point or another. I’m all for saving water and blah blah blah, but they need to make the tanks bigger on the backs of the damned things and all of my pockets need snaps or something on them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/26 "2008-04-21T17:53:46Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Pity, **WordMan** , you weren’t reading something by Melville. [/QUOTE] “The brown whale! The great brown whale!” ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/27 "2008-04-21T19:08:05Z")
Quick, we need to flag all of WordMans books. “Not to be sold or transferred.” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/28 "2008-04-21T19:11:03Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] Not long ago my son, suffering from car sickness, threw up on his copy of _Eragon_. [/QUOTE] A successful career in literary criticism awaits. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/29 "2008-04-21T19:11:07Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] Quick, we need to flag all of WordMans books. “Not to be sold or transferred.” [/QUOTE] see post #18 of [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=464400) - can you imagine if I was casually reading any of \*those \* books in the loo? _Dude_. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/30 "2008-04-21T19:17:53Z")
Oh - and has anyone else noticed that this thread is currently right before the thread about how you can cut down on your personal book collection? Too funny. Gotta love sequential threads… ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/31 "2008-04-22T00:43:55Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] see post #18 of [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=464400) - can you imagine if I was casually reading any of \*those \* books in the loo? _Dude_. [/QUOTE] You have a first edition Mockingbird? That’s impressive! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/32 "2008-04-22T00:50:06Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] It’s worse when it’s a library book. Or one you’ve borrowed from a friend. [/QUOTE] When I was in Junior High the book, from school, I was reading for English fell in. (Johnny Tremain.) I’ve kept them out since. In the spa I only read expendable things like New Yorkers. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/33 "2008-04-22T10:29:26Z")
[QUOTE=Askance] Maybe you should use toilet tissue instead, like the rest of us? [/QUOTE] Hey, using books as toilet paper is the only way I can think of to explain the sales figures of some New York Best-Selling authors, like Danielle Steel. People can’t be _reading_ the damn things. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/34 "2008-04-22T12:28:46Z")
[QUOTE=NoCoolUserName] You have a first edition Mockingbird? That’s impressive! [/QUOTE] More lucky than impressive. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/35 "2008-04-22T13:53:12Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] When I was in Junior High the book, from school, I was reading for English fell in. (Johnny Tremain.) I’ve kept them out since. In the spa I only read expendable things like New Yorkers. [/QUOTE] Johnny Tremain was a turd, it’s actually where he belonged anyway. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/36 "2008-04-22T20:04:10Z")
They only thing worse is -dropping the last roll of toilet tissue in. ---
**Author:** ![bubastis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bubastis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubastis)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/37 "2008-04-22T22:56:53Z")
Worse that that; your cell phone. the ol’ cell-phone-in-top-pocket-lean-over-PLOP has happened to me more than once. Cell phones are resilaiant, though, and dry out to perfect working order, but still; you hold that thing to your face, man. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/38 "2008-04-23T00:39:21Z")
If you’ve already digested it, what’s the big deal? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/39 "2008-04-23T01:57:33Z")
Brings a whole new meaning to **Reader’s Digest** , doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![pprgrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f6c823/32.png) [@pprgrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pprgrl)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129/40 "2008-04-23T02:49:36Z")
I carry paperbacks in my back pocket all the time, so this has happened to me more times than I can count. I think the last one was Chinua Achebe’s _Things Fall Apart_. It was a pretty small paperback, so there wasn’t even a corner sticking out. I had to fish the book out with the plunger. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-it-when-your-book-falls-in-the-toilet/446129.md?page=1)