I'm just going to start this off with a disclaimer.

I know. We're all busy.

I know. It's life.

I know. But if I'm being perfectly honest here, I'd much rather finish "Harry Potter" and the "Goblet of Fire" (it's been months... it's been months) than spend hours highlighting passages in a book called "Global Issues" in hopes that, through the ocean of extreme boredom, I might find a little island of something that is a little less depressing and a little more interesting.

Another disclaimer: I am actually really grateful for my education. That was not very mature of me, I know. I'm actually really grateful that I get to learn about politics and economy or whatever the heck the textbook "Global Issues" is about.

It's just that... I'd like a little more time for wizarding or taking a trip to Narnia or pretending that algebra doesn't exist. You know?

And I know. (I'm sorry. Once you start italicizing, it's kind of hard to stop.) Life is always going to be busy and I'm just going to have to make time for reading where there isn't any and sometimes it's okay to not read at all.

But the thing is, I'd very much like to be reading and so here are the books that I would very much like to be reading. I'm a frustrated bookworm and I have an arsenal of GIFs.

Let's get on with this.

1. "Harry Potter," the series

Maybe you know people who can finish a series quickly. They read one book after another and gobble them up like the "Very Hungry Caterpillar." Yeah, not me. At least, definitely not me at the moment. My current reading style is as follows:

• Pick up the book.
• Read a single chapter.
• Remember that I have things to study.
• Not be able to focus at all.
• Put the book down and not pick it back up for another week.
• Cry

Not to mention I don't really want to spend all of my already very limited reading time on just one series. Harry Potter is great, but there are other books on my reading list. I'd really like to get this one checked off the list.

Besides, it's slightly embarrassing that I call myself a book lover and I've never read Harry Potter. I can't help but feel kind of left out.

2. "The Lord of the Rings"

Again, this is embarrassing. I grew up on Lemony Snicket and historical fiction, okay? I read about the Titanic and the Salem witch trials and three orphans with very bad luck, haha. What did you read?

Basically, I was deprived.

So far, I've read the "Hobbit" and enjoyed it thoroughly. I love Bilbo Baggins so much. Getting to see his character development was probably one of my favorite parts of the book. He went from this adorable little introvert to becoming this great adventurer. And when he came back home he was a hobbit + one adventure and that is all I aspire to be. An introvert + one adventure. Yes.

Also, Gandalf. He's one of those characters that I get excited about whenever he enters a scene. Like, Aslan or Mr. Darcy. They make you read faster because something important is going to happen. Also, they're just kind of the coolest. Gandalf is like that.

So yes, I'd love to continue the story and see more of Gandalf and all of that good stuff.

3. Many non-fiction books

I'm not much of a non-fiction person in general. But there are certain times and people and things that I wish I knew more about. It would be nice if I had the time to go to the library, pick up a biography or history book of some sort, and simply read the book. Instead, it seems I can accomplish the first two just fine, but when it comes to the third, I am lacking.

But, you know, it will happen eventually.

4. Many classic books

After I fell in love with historical fiction - mainly "Dear America" or "American Girl" - I learned I loved reading classic literature as well. Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, H.G. Wells, Louisa May Alcott - they were my favorites. (Is it just me or is one of these unlike the others?) But they still are some of my favorites.

But there are so many more classic books that I haven't touched. I still haven't finished "Great Expectations." I haven't read "Romeo and Juliet." I've never read Ernest Hemingway. And I'd really like to read "Les Miserables," but have you seen the size of that book?

5. A large number of books in general

If you ever want to get a picture of how many books I would be reading if I could be reading them, just take a look at my Goodreads page. The number of books on my "To-Read" list is always equal to or greater than the number of books on my "Read" list.

But I think that's kind of healthy anyway. Right?

Thanks for reading this rant from the brain of a frustrated reader and viewing my GIFs (a handpicked selection of the finest variety).

In all seriousness, reading is about you. If you want to read, read. If you don't want to read, that's okay too. And if you don't have time to read (like me) just remember that reading takes time and if you'd really like to read, you'll find little scraps and bits of time to do it.

Life's complicated enough without making reading - our temporary escape from our complicated lives - complicated too.

Thank you for taking time out of your complicated life to read this!