The book borrowing equivalent of flaming

I've probably mentioned this already, but in 2011 I've noticed a new phenonomen: people writing in books that they've borrowed. Not nice life affirming little notes, or literary criticism adding to thematic analysis, but critical corrections. First it was the Judith Lucy memoirs, where one irate Burnside Council resident kept correcting minor typos and in response to her acknowledgement to her editor, suggested she should keep her thanks to herself. Then it was a baby advice book, actually lent to me by a friend, in which advice about feeding solids was crossed out with a black texta and corrected with "better" information. Then I borrowed another book, in which a previous reader had gone through and everytime the author used the term "honing" they'd changed it to ""homing". Can't actually be certain which is the correct term now! Once upon a time I did care about this sort of thing, and if I had a chance to correct the mispelling personally and directly with the person, I'd do it. (And sometimes I still do, but with an advance warning). But eventually I learnt that people find it annoying when you are that pedantic. Hmmm.

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