To some, books mean dusty, boring things, but to others, well, they simply can't get enough of them. I fall under the category of book lover, and from my own experience and from people watching, we bibliophiles share these eleven things with each other.
1. The smell of old books is one of the most comforting smells around.
They just have a certain smell that wafts out when you open the cover, and you just know that lots of people have enjoyed that book. I’ve noticed that old books from other countries smell different. I only know this because my sister bought me some used books when she visited Ireland which lead me to sign #2.
2. People are constantly giving you their old books or buying you books for presents.
Christmas, birthdays, all gifting holidays, books, books, and more books; people need room on their shelves or in their basements, they know who to hand those books off to. Either way, we’re not complaining.
3. You force your friends to read.
By sheer persistence (but more of being an annoyance), we get people to read our favorite books, and you know what? They loved it and may even become a future bibliophile with enough peer pressure, oh I mean polite prodding *cough, cough*.
4. Dog-eared pages, rips, and crinkles upon books are major causes of distress.
We cannot stand the sight of any injured and mistreated book. They deserve the best treatment and to be smothered in love. We are quite wary of sharing our books with anyone who does otherwise.
5. The library is one of the greatest places in the world.
We walk in and immediately excited peace. It’s the only place we can be surrounded by books without being told that it’s not “healthy” or “you need to get out more.” Then, we can take more books home than we can read in two weeks.
6. You dream of one day having the Beast’s from (Disney’s Beauty & the Beast) library.
Just imagine being surrounded by books upon books without ever having to leave home. Pure bliss. Also, it has perfect lighting and seating for reading. I know I could spend hours and hours in that library.
7. Your “To Read” list never stops growing. Ever.
We just keep finding more books to add or to be bumped down when we find a seemingly more interesting book. All the literature the world has to offer is pretty much on our lists.
8. You own more than one copy of your favorite books.
For me, I have multiple copies of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings as well as a few books from my favorite childhood series Warriors. We just love our books so much we have to get another copy with differing cover art or one for ourselves and one for sharing because we know not everyone treats books with respect.
9. The book is always better than the movie.
Common on, this one I don’t even need to justify.
10. You stay up all night just to finish a book.
We can’t stop reading when the plot thickens and twists and turns. How could we sleep when we have no clue what happens to our favorite or least favorite characters? We must satisfy our curiosity, we must.
11. Books are your favorite places to visit.
For a moment, we can escape to Narnia, Middle Earth, the Roman Empire, Ancient Egypt, dystopian futures, any and everywhere at any time, at any place, the DMV, school, home, on a bench, on the bus. These places are always ready and waiting for us to explore them.
