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Are You Addicted to Reading? 20 Signs That Say You Are
The first step to overcoming an addiction (not that we want to!) is to admit that you have one. I’ve been a bookworm since I was two years old, and my addiction has only grown in intensity over the years. I just turned 25 years old on the 21st of this month, and my reading addiction is quite bad.
Taken from my own experiences, and those of my reader friends, here are 20 signs that show you may have a problem. If you decide to give in to your cravings, check out our other reviews and follow the Amazon links.
1. You drop character names into regular, day-to-day conversation as though they are real people. You are venting and sharing gossip with your friend, and you hear yourself say, “Yes, but you won’t even believe what Four did!”
2. You would rather read than engage in social interaction. Your friends invite you to parties, to the movies, or just to hang out. You don’t want to be rude, but you would much rather stay home and finish that book you’re in the middle of. You suddenly find yourself very ill and, unfortunately, must decline their invitations.
3. Bookstores are your candy stores. Even as a kid, you were far more excited about taking a trip to Barnes & Noble than you were about getting candy. For me, I was even more excited to be promised a book purchase than going to Disneyland. Yes, I was thatkid.
4. Bookstore memberships, book clubs, book mailing lists… You’re a member of two or more of them. Oh, and those clubs your library holds? Yes, those count.
5. You are super tired at school or work, because you stayed up late reading. I used to be really bad at this, when my husband was away (he’s military). I’ve gotten better, but I still stay up really late. It’s even worse now that I have a Nook GlowLight!
6. You prattle on and on about your current read, enough that your non-reader friends and family get a bit annoyed. They’re glad you’re excited about something, but go be excited somewhere else. *Sigh*
7. If you carry a purse, it has to be big enough for at least one book. Before I got my Nook GlowLight, I would make my purse purchases solely based on whether or not they can hold my book and notebook, in addition to all the other crap I put in there. This, obviously, resulted in a lot of frustrations and having to settle on some less aesthetically pleasing choices.
8. You have missed your stop on a bus, because you were engrossed in what you were reading. I’ve done this on several occasions. It was only really horrible in the middle of summer (I used to live in California), when I had to walk even further to get to where I was going. Or, just as bad, had to wait in the hot sun for the next bus.
9. You know the book will be better than the movie, even when the movie is not yet out. It just always is.
10. You bring books to parties, or other social engagements. You get some weird looks, but it’s their fault for dragging you along when you have reading to do!
11. You read far more books than you watch movies. This month, I have already read 24 books. I have only watched 2 movies.
12. Book hangovers are real, and just as painful as alcohol hangovers. Well, maybe that’s a wee bit of an exaggeration. I mean, you don’t throw up from book hangovers, but you still feel just as lousy! Look at everyone, carrying on with their lives, while one of yours just ended!
13. You prefer reading and eating alone, over eating and chatting with co-workers, or other students. I’m incredibly guilty at this, and would avoid having to eat with them at all costs. It usually worked, until someone decided it’s okay to interrupt someone who is reading. -__-
14. Book disagreements have caused minor spats with you and your friends, or loved ones. My husband insulted Jane Eyre, using a sketch comedy to make his point of it being “balls”. (Points to you, if you know this reference.) I defended my beloved novel until I was exhausted. I got the last word, though, and walked out in a huff.
15. You have a book tattoo. My best friend/wifey, J. A. Steckling, and I have matching book tattoos. Literature is one thing that fortified our friendship, and it’s been a shared love of ours for years. So, we decided to make our love for reading – and one another – permanent.
16. You are hesitant to re-read books, because they do not count towards your Goodreads goal. This is one problem I had before I got my Nook GlowLight. It’s a 35 minute walk to the library, and a 35 minute walk back with the weight of the books. However, I really wanted to read something new, because I had a goal to meet. *Sigh* Bookworm problems.
17. You wear your love on your sleeves. Or, front of your shirt, really. I have a Jane Eyre shirt, and a Les Miserables shirt. I plan to get more, eventually.
18. You know eBooks will never replace real books, but you love them anyway. Nothing can replace the feeling of holding a book in your hands, turning the pages, and inhaling that wonderful scent.
19. It truly frustrates you when someone would rather watch the movie than read the book. I could not believe how many people were truly surprised while watching Les Miserables in the theater.
20. You own or follow a book blog, are an author, a librarian, a bookstore owner or worker, or do something that involves books in some manner. No matter what you do, you just cannot turn your back on your love for the written word.
Do you have more signs of book addiction to add to our list? Let us know in the comments below!
Before my husband left for BMT, we were married in a library.
Taken from my own experiences, and those of my reader friends, here are 20 signs that show you may have a problem. If you decide to give in to your cravings, check out our other reviews and follow the Amazon links.
1. You drop character names into regular, day-to-day conversation as though they are real people. You are venting and sharing gossip with your friend, and you hear yourself say, “Yes, but you won’t even believe what Four did!”
2. You would rather read than engage in social interaction. Your friends invite you to parties, to the movies, or just to hang out. You don’t want to be rude, but you would much rather stay home and finish that book you’re in the middle of. You suddenly find yourself very ill and, unfortunately, must decline their invitations.
3. Bookstores are your candy stores. Even as a kid, you were far more excited about taking a trip to Barnes & Noble than you were about getting candy. For me, I was even more excited to be promised a book purchase than going to Disneyland. Yes, I was thatkid.
4. Bookstore memberships, book clubs, book mailing lists… You’re a member of two or more of them. Oh, and those clubs your library holds? Yes, those count.
5. You are super tired at school or work, because you stayed up late reading. I used to be really bad at this, when my husband was away (he’s military). I’ve gotten better, but I still stay up really late. It’s even worse now that I have a Nook GlowLight!
6. You prattle on and on about your current read, enough that your non-reader friends and family get a bit annoyed. They’re glad you’re excited about something, but go be excited somewhere else. *Sigh*
7. If you carry a purse, it has to be big enough for at least one book. Before I got my Nook GlowLight, I would make my purse purchases solely based on whether or not they can hold my book and notebook, in addition to all the other crap I put in there. This, obviously, resulted in a lot of frustrations and having to settle on some less aesthetically pleasing choices.
8. You have missed your stop on a bus, because you were engrossed in what you were reading. I’ve done this on several occasions. It was only really horrible in the middle of summer (I used to live in California), when I had to walk even further to get to where I was going. Or, just as bad, had to wait in the hot sun for the next bus.9. You know the book will be better than the movie, even when the movie is not yet out. It just always is.
10. You bring books to parties, or other social engagements. You get some weird looks, but it’s their fault for dragging you along when you have reading to do!
11. You read far more books than you watch movies. This month, I have already read 24 books. I have only watched 2 movies.
12. Book hangovers are real, and just as painful as alcohol hangovers. Well, maybe that’s a wee bit of an exaggeration. I mean, you don’t throw up from book hangovers, but you still feel just as lousy! Look at everyone, carrying on with their lives, while one of yours just ended!
13. You prefer reading and eating alone, over eating and chatting with co-workers, or other students. I’m incredibly guilty at this, and would avoid having to eat with them at all costs. It usually worked, until someone decided it’s okay to interrupt someone who is reading. -__-
14. Book disagreements have caused minor spats with you and your friends, or loved ones. My husband insulted Jane Eyre, using a sketch comedy to make his point of it being “balls”. (Points to you, if you know this reference.) I defended my beloved novel until I was exhausted. I got the last word, though, and walked out in a huff.
16. You are hesitant to re-read books, because they do not count towards your Goodreads goal. This is one problem I had before I got my Nook GlowLight. It’s a 35 minute walk to the library, and a 35 minute walk back with the weight of the books. However, I really wanted to read something new, because I had a goal to meet. *Sigh* Bookworm problems.
17. You wear your love on your sleeves. Or, front of your shirt, really. I have a Jane Eyre shirt, and a Les Miserables shirt. I plan to get more, eventually.
19. It truly frustrates you when someone would rather watch the movie than read the book. I could not believe how many people were truly surprised while watching Les Miserables in the theater.
20. You own or follow a book blog, are an author, a librarian, a bookstore owner or worker, or do something that involves books in some manner. No matter what you do, you just cannot turn your back on your love for the written word.Do you have more signs of book addiction to add to our list? Let us know in the comments below!
Before my husband left for BMT, we were married in a library.