Books are the friends we can come back to, years later, and discover that everything is the same and yet so much has changed -- and that's OK. Because books are also the friends that never leave us; their words keep us calm in our most frantic moments, and their tales keep us inspired when the mountain we're climbing seems endless. Though the marks they leave on our lives are endless and immeasurable, they are similar in how they affect all of us book nerds in the same mesmerizing way, even though the journey through the bookcase differs from person to person.Here's what it's like.
1. That curious feeling of satisfaction mingled with sadness every time you close a book for the last time.
2. The term "on to the next one" is not about partners or friends who made you mad.
It's about authors and poems and books who filled you with joy and made you crave more.
3. The overwhelming sensation that there are so many good books, and they keep multiplying, while your time to read grows shorter and shorter.
4. But then you remember that at least you'll never be bored in life.
5. Having hordes of bookmarks in your possession -- from fancy stores, free giveaways no one wanted, or homemade treasures.
6. Being perfectly comfortable on your own all day because you've got a comfy spot and an enticing book to keep you company.
7. You actually use your public library.
At one point, you may have even dreamed of becoming a librarian (just imagine -- being surrounded by all those books).
8. You also appreciate the value of a book you can call your own: the smell, the inscriptions, the ability to fold pages and underline at your whim.
9. When someone tries talking to you and you’re in the middle of a riveting part, you can’t decide whether to ignore them -- and hope they get the hint -- or just throw the book at them because you’ve already lost your place and it’s no use reading until they leave.
10. You can't pass a nice, quaint bookstore without smiling and taking a peek inside, even if only through a window.
11. Rainy days secretly please you because they give you an excuse to cozy up in bed and snuggle with that book that's been sitting on your nightstand for far too long.
12. Passing someone who’s reading a book -- on the street, in a coffee shop, on a lounge in between classes -- makes you want to befriend them and ask them all about the book.
13. You realize the significance of receiving a book as a gift from someone, and the bond that creates.
14. You know that to reveal one’s favorite book is to reveal one’s true character and that, in itself, is the greatest gift.
