I became a book lover in third grade when I was introduced to the infamous Accelerated Reader program. I read through everything in my small school’s library then quickly followed that by making my way through the rows of children’s books and teenage adventure stories at the local library. Books were there for me when I found myself lacking in friendships and I could always return to the old friends I’d made between covers when I found myself bored or lonely. As life went on I found that school left less and less time for pleasure reading, but I’ve always managed to make time to snuggle up with a soft blanket and a new novel or old friend. And while I hate to admit that there are bad things about such a great pastime, there are some cons to being a book lover.
1. It is impossible to find a comfortable position to sit or lie in for hours at a time while enjoying a great book.
Seriously. I’ve tried them all. If my legs don’t go numb, then my back aches or my elbows hurt or my wrists get tired, or… You get the point. No comfortable positions to read in for hours.
2. Series end and sometimes novels have no sequel, no matter how many letters you send the author.
It is a book lover’s dream for a series to continue until we die. Unfortunately, that dream never comes true. When I finished reading the Harry Potter books, for instance, I cried like a baby. We can always go back and reread the stories about our fictional friends, but it’s just not the same as continuing adventures with them.
3. The feeling you get when you close a book and wish it hadn’t ended is unbearable.
I can’t really describe this feeling, but if you’ve felt it, you know what I’m talking about. Sometimes I just want to scream when I finish a book or series because there’s no other way to lose the feeling of loneliness when a series or book ends. When I finished the Gallagher Girl books by Ally Carter, I think I actually screamed. I just didn’t want the adventure to ever end with some my favorite characters.
4. Eventually, you have to start regularly googling your favorite authors to make sure they’re still alive and writing.
I’m not kidding, this is something book lovers seriously do. Another favorite of my mine, Tamora Pierce, is still alive and writing. I checked just the other day. She’s not actually that old, but when you get invested in an author’s books, you get a little paranoid about making sure they’re still around to keep your dreams alive.
5. Some authors leave us with cruel cliffhangers.
I’m looking at you Rick Riordan. What’s with the cliffhangers and then making us wait without any clues to resolve them? Not cool. Not cool at all.
Even with these little cons, I would never change my love for books. I have lived a thousand lives with Harry Potter, Alanna the Lioness, Percy Jackson, Cammie Morgan and more. I would never trade that for anything.
