# What've you loaned out to read, recently? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579 "2006-06-06T05:06:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/1 "2006-06-06T05:06:40Z")
I have a sizeable library of books, and from time to time I’ll lend a few out to trusted friends and acquaintances, especially if I’m sharing something I think they’ll really enjoy. This is not without risks: while trying to entice my nephew to read Harry Potter last year, he somehow lost my first edition hardback copy of _Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone_ and it hasn’t turned up since. :eek: I haven’t replaced it yet… there’s a gap up there on my shelf next to my Hedwig the owl plush toy and homemade Ollivander wand… I recently found out a family friend took it upon himself to buy Alan Moore’s graphic novel \* V for Vendetta\* after seeing the movie and really liked the writing. He earned big pointf from me saying he preferred the book. But since he’s not a big fan of superheroes, I decided against lending him “Swamp Thing” and “Tom Strong” and gave him Moore’s _From Hell_ and I told him to take his time getting it back to me since it’s about ten times as dense as _Vendetta._ What’s been lent to you/lent out by you recently? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/2 "2006-06-06T05:43:46Z")
My two co-workers and I circulate books among each other pretty regularly. Right now one has my copy of _Freakonomics_ (after the other co-worker finished it), and I’ve got his copy of Neal Stephenson’s _Cobweb_. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/3 "2006-06-06T05:47:08Z")
Lent to me recently: _The Grifters_, _The Talented Mr. Ripley_, _Matilda_, _A Million Little Pieces_, _The Life of Pi_, and _The Devil Wore Prada_. Lent by me recently: _The Phantom Tollbooth_. Yeah, I’m a taker, not a giver. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/4 "2006-06-06T10:24:37Z")
Lent out? Neil Gaiman’s _Stardust_, Alan Moore’s _From Hell_ and the second TP of _League of Extraordinary Gentlemen._ Borrowed: A Koontz(_Twilight Eyes_) and a King(_From A Buick 8_). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/5 "2006-06-06T11:44:01Z")
**Amazing 3D** by Morgan and Symmes, a book that came out in 1982 on the history o 3D art, movies, teaching devices, and photography. Profusely illustrated in 3D (anaglyphic), and not listed (at least anyplace I can find) on Amazon or Alibris. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/6 "2006-06-06T13:59:41Z")
I only have 1 book currently lent out: [Shoot-Out in Cleveland: Black Militants and the Police; July 23, 1968 - A Staff Report](http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?book=1000063&mode=card) A friend of mine is borrowing it for a research project she’s doing on Glenville’s (Cleveland neighborhood where we grew up) history. [My complete library available for loan to family and friends](http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=scotdor) ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/7 "2006-06-06T14:07:37Z")
Lent out a copy of The Cosmic Banditos back in 94 - can;t remeber to who, but still don’t have it back, so if you have it please let me know, ta. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/8 "2006-06-06T15:23:54Z")
I’ve loaned my stepmother the 3 Mark Kurlanski books that I own. Right now she has both Cod and A Basque History of the World. She has already returned Salt. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/9 "2006-06-06T15:25:25Z")
Lent just yesterday to my bartender: A Rage to Kill And Never Let Her Go Both by Ann Rule ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Clam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@Happy\_Clam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Clam)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/10 "2006-06-06T15:49:16Z")
Lent this weekend to various members of my family: Patrick Forsyth, _Avenger_ Melvin Burgess, _Bloodtide_ Dan Brown, _Angels and Demons_ (I know, I know- it is, at least, preferable to _The Da Vinci Code_) Joanna Clark, _Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_ As for borrowing… hmm, I did borrow a copy of _The Doll’s House_ (Neil Gaiman) back in 2002…it’s still on my sheld :D. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/11 "2006-06-06T16:33:02Z")
Currently out on loan from the DianaG library: [The Inner Circle](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014303586X/qid=1149610697/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-5349246-1571947?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) [A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316925284/sr=8-1/qid=1149610634/ref=sr_1_1/104-5349246-1571947?%5Fencoding=UTF8) [Assasination Vacation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/074326004X/ref=pd_bbs_null_1/104-5349246-1571947?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) [Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/013924705X/qid=1149611353/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-5349246-1571947?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) [Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season One](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005221I/qid=1149611107/sr=8-6/ref=pd_bbs_6/104-5349246-1571947?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=130) [Firefly](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AQS0F/qid=1149611489/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-5349246-1571947?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=130) ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/12 "2006-06-06T16:39:05Z")
I loaned a hardcover _London_ by Edward Rutherford to a friend over a year ago, and he just moved to (f’ing) **Kansas** without returning it. Bastard. I loaned _The DaVinci Code_ to my mom, at the same time returning _Angels and Demons_ to her. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/13 "2006-06-06T16:46:08Z")
Oh dear. I never keep track, but my borrower friends don’t either, so sometimes I get back more than I loaned out. 🙂 One friend has The English Passengers by Matthew Kneale and The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow. Two friends have A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin – I bought two copies because I knew I’d loan one, but I ended up loaning both and I haven’t read it yet! My daughter just returned The Cell by Stephen King and The Drive-In by Joe Lansdale. She also returned seasons 2 and 3 of Buffy and picked up seasons 3 and 4. She’s turned into quite the Buffy fan, after years of thinking she wouldn’t like it. I don’t borrow. None of my friends buy books. They don’t have to. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/14 "2006-06-06T17:12:51Z")
Loaned out to students over the last few weeks: Christopher Moore’s \*Practical Demonkeepping \* and _Coyote Blue_, Terry Pratchett’s \*Guards! Guards!, Men At Arms, Pyramids, \* and _Mort_, David Brin’s _Startide Rising_, Heinlein’s _The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress_, and David Palmer’s _Emergence_. AP tests are over, so they finally have time to read. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/15 "2006-06-07T01:59:49Z")
After my gentleman caller(ish) admitted he was reading “The Da Vinci Code” for lack of anything better, I popped into my library and handed over “Master and Commander”. That was how _I_ got hooked, at least! ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/16 "2006-06-07T02:08:49Z")
I loaned out [The Book Of Life](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393050033/002-9779182-1534436?v=glance&n=283155) to a friend of mine who was having problems grasping evolution what with the god blocks he has on. Maybe not the best book on the subject but a decent start. Alas. It was no use. He hand waved all of the technical lingo (Too many dinosaurs apparently) and tried to convince me that the intelligent designer wasn’t god but something else. I do hope I get the book back. ---
**Author:** ![Alistair\_McCello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Alistair\_McCello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alistair_McCello)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/17 "2006-06-07T03:48:39Z")
Most recently I lent a friend several Disc World books (_Guards! Guards!_, _Mort_, and _Small Gods_) as well as _Good Omens_. Now that I think about it I still have never retrieved my copies of _I, Claudius_ or _Claudius the God_ from my sister. And I lent those to her almost six years ago! She claims to still have them but it manages to slip my mind whenever I am there. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/18 "2006-06-07T06:30:17Z")
Leant a few of my friends [Stepping Through The Stargate](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932100326/sr=8-2/qid=1149660904/ref=sr_1_2/002-3156637-6164809?%5Fencoding=UTF8) , a collection of essays by various people about different things in the Stargate universe (from a somewhat satirical discussion of ineffective alien weaponry to one about how aliens dress to which members of the Stargate crew are more or less preferable for getting in a relationship with). Edited by P.N. Elrod One of my friends is currently borrowing [Freedom Flight](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671721453/qid=1149661063/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/002-3156637-6164809?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) , a novel set in the Wing Commander universe about the adventures of a drunken Australian space fighter pilot, his indentured alien servant, a Scottish spy, and an bird-like alien race fighting to free their world from the clutches of the evil Kilrathi. Great book. Also loaned to the same person: [The Honor of the Queen](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743435729/qid=1149661170/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-3156637-6164809?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) , an excellent military sci-fi novel by David Weber, part of the Honor Harrington series And loaned to a different friend: [Heart of a Soldier](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743244591/sr=8-2/qid=1149661496/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-3156637-6164809?%5Fencoding=UTF8) , by James B. Stewart, this is a very good book about Colonel Richard “Hard Core” Rescorla, a fellow from Cornwall who served in the US Army during the Vietnam War, and was later responsible for the evacuation of nearly 4000 employees of Morgan Stanley from the Word Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/19 "2006-06-07T15:41:33Z")
A nurse/artist friend of mine has [_Song of the Dodo_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684827123/sr=8-1/qid=1149694602/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-9945979-5649660?%5Fencoding=UTF8), which I thought might appeal to both his science side and his “appreciates good writing” side. No sign yet that he’s planning to read it. Another friend of mine has [_The Prestige_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312858868/qid=1149694675/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-9945979-5649660?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) – I don’t recall the exact conversation we were having that I jumped up in the middle of and ran to grab it. Last I heard he was in the middle of it and enjoying it. My best friend loaned me [_The Republican War on Science_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465046754/qid=1149694832/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-9945979-5649660?s=books&v=glance&n=283155), at my request – guess it behooves me to read it, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579/20 "2006-06-07T17:52:26Z")
I’m twiddling my thumbs until I can get my copy of _V for Vendetta_ (the TPB) back again. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatve-you-loaned-out-to-read-recently/359579.md?page=2)