As readers, we all go through similar experiences. We are bonded through our addiction to reading. Here are a few experiences that reading addicts have in common:
1. You Feel Like You Are Forgetting Something, But Then You Realize It Is Just Your Book
You are doing a different activity and suddenly it feels like you are forgetting something. After a while, you realize that it is just a memory of the book you are reading. It might be a feeling, a specific moment, or a character. Whatever it is, at that moment you are reminded of it. It is basically the equivalent of déja vu but for reading.
2. You Read Late Into The Night
One of the easiest ways to identify a reading addict is the bags under their eyes. We have all stayed up late at night reading. Sometimes it is impossible to put down your book. That is exactly why readers end up reading late into the night.
3. “Just One More Chapter”
Reading into the night is usually the result of “just one more chapter”. It seems like almost every chapter ends in a cliffhanger. It can feel impossible to put down your book when the last chapter ended with a kiss or the character is literally hanging from a cliff. Books are created to keep you hooked, and at that, they excel.
4. You Bring Your Book Everwhere
Almost everywhere you go, you have a book in your bag. Or maybe you have an e-book instead. As long as you have a book with you, you are happy. How are you supposed to read if we have no books with you? Surely books are a necessary carry-on for every event.
5. You Have Slips of Paper Everywhere
You have pieces of paper everywhere: in books, on your desk, and more. When you are reading and you do not have immediate access to a bookmark, you have to make do. Reading addicts, of course, have lots of bookmarks lying around, including makeshift paper bookmarks.
6. You Have Piles of Books You Have Yet to Read
Almost every reader is guilty of buying books and not reading them. You are always buying books at a rate faster than you can read them. The books you bought end up on your to-be-read list. Then you buy more books which leave the other books on the sideline. I have at least 10 books at all times which I have yet to read.
7. You Feel Like the Characters in Your Books Are Real
We have all treated the characters in our books as if they were real. It can be hard to distance yourself from someone you just spent hours reading about. Readers can feel like the person they were just on an adventure with is real. Who out of us has not fallen in love with one of our favourite characters?
8. You Try to Figure Out the Ending
Readers are not trying to ruin their books. It is just hard when you have read so many books. You have read so many plots that it can be hard not to anticipate what happens next in your new books. Sometimes the similarities between books can be comforting, but a good plot twist is always welcome.
9. You “Accidentally” Read the Ending
How many of us have not “accidentally” read a sentence or two from the end of our book? Personally, I always like to know how many pages are in my books, which requires skipping to the end. My eyes drift to more than just the number of pages. Lots of readers know pieces of the ending before they finish reading their book.
10. You Get Left Behind in the Bookstore
Lots of reading addicts have had this experience. It takes you hours to walk through a bookstore. When other people go with you, you get left behind while the others explore other stores without you. Reading addicts get left behind in bookstores all the time.
11. No One Asks About Your Books Anymore; You Tell Them Anyway
As a book reader, you have lots of favourites or even just books that you are reading now that you love to talk about. However, because you talk so much about your books, people have stopped wanting to know about them. But how can you stop talking about part of your life? The people around you get to hear about them anyway.
12. You Have Piles of Books Because the Bookshelves Are Full
Books pile up when you have so many. Sometimes you do not have the space for multiple bookshelves or your bookshelves are full. No matter how much storage you have, you never have enough room for your books. Your floors are littered with books. Not that you mind.
13. When You Are Not Reading a Book, It Feels Like Something Is Missing
When you are not reading, you can feel something is missing in your life. We all get busy with work or with school. Consequently, we are not always reading. However, as a reading addict, you are always looking for something to read. It can feel like part of your is missing when you are not reading.
14. In School, You Read During Class
Readers in schools can always be seen reading in class. There are times when you might have been scolded for reading while others were teaching, but you always found/find a way to sneak your book into class anyway. They should have known you were reading by your intense staring at your “textbook”.
15. You Multitask While Reading
It can be almost impossible to put down a book in the middle of the chapter or even at the end of a chapter. Cooking, walking, and other activities can all be done with a book in hand. Your reading experience has taught you how to do what you want while also getting your chores done.
16. You Are Not Fun to Be Around When You Are Forced to Stop Reading
It is almost impossible to get you to stop reading; however, you occasionally have to get other stuff done. You are not fun to be around when someone else takes away your book. When you were little, your parents or teachers wanted you to stop reading and listen. You can get kind of grumpy when that happens.
17. Most of Your Paycheck Goes to Books
Reading addicts have trouble with their expenses because they spend lots of money on books. Books, especially new releases, are getting more and more expensive, but nothing can stop you from reading, not even the high price of books.
18. You Never Leave a Bookstore Empty-Handed
If you walk into a bookstore, there is a 99% chance you will walk out with a book or two under your arm. After spending hours in the bookstore, you almost always come home with a book. Why go to the bookstore if you have no plans to buy a book?
19. You Forget to Eat Because You Are Reading
When you are reading, you can be distracted for hours. After saying “just one more chapter” a few times, you might come to realize that you missed something important, like a meal or a class. You were so invested in reading that you forgot you had something else to do.
20. If You Could Live in a Fictional World, You Would
Any avid reader has gone through the stage where they wanted to live in their book. Who of us has not? Not many of us can say we did not at one moment hope to get our own Hogwarts letter. You read about these beautiful and occasionally magical worlds that you just cannot help but want to be a part of.
There are some common experiences that reading addicts can relate to. Tell me in the comments which ones relate to you most!
