I love being a bookworm... but these are real problems!
Don't get me wrong, I'll never stop being a bookworm, no matter how many problems it might give me from time to time. No problem will ever be big enough to erase my love of books and reading. But that doesn't mean these problems don't bother me.
How many of these problems can you recognize? Or do you not see them as problems at all?
1. When a publisher changes design halfway through a series
Is there anything more annoying than loving a series, buying every book and patiently waiting for the next installment... only to realize that they've changed the design of the series halfway through so now your books don't match??
2. Never having room for all your books
There's books on my book shelves. There's books on my night stand. There's books in my basement. There's even a book in my bathroom. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if books started showing up in my wardrobe soon!
3. Not being able to remember, whether you already own a book or not
It's the worst pain in the world, standing in the bookstore, wracking your brain to try and remember whether the book your looking to buy is already at home on your shelf. Okay, maybe not the worst pain... but bad enough, okay?!
4. Not having a purse big enough for your book
I'll be honest. I've brought books to the store when going to buy new purses just to be sure I got one that could fit a book... A purse that can't contain at least one book is pretty much useless to me...
5. Lending a book out and getting it back with dog-ears
Okay, this might be something that divides us bookworms as a group. Some people come down hard on dog-ears. Others don't see the issue. Me personally? I don't like them, at least not in my own books. People can do whatever they want with their own books, but please don't put dog-ears in mine!
6. Packing too many books and making your suitcase too heavy
Why is there a weight limit on suitcases when you go on holiday? I always have to weigh my suitcase before going to the airport because I usually pack "too many books"... But I need those books! 14 books for a two week vacation is very reasonable, right?
Hack - I have now bought a Kindle so I can bring thousands of books! Take that, airport!
7. Packing too few books and not having anything to read
I hate it when I underestimate myself and my reading ability. "Oh, two books will be plenty for a long weekend away". Pff. Yeah right.... And then I end up not having anything to read. Worst. Vacation. Ever.
8. Remembering halfway through a book that you've already read it
This has happened to me more times that I care to admit to. It always starts with that little nagging recognition at the back of my mind. At first I always just brush it away, thinking the two books are just similar. But sooner or later the other shoe drops and I need to admit to myself that I have, yet again, forgotten what books I have already read...
9. Being asked what your favourite book is
There is no answer to this question! And the people that ask this question are so clearly not bookworms themselves, because then they would know, that this is an impossible question to answer. In stead, ask for a top five. Or specify a genre or author.
10. How quickly dust gathers on all your books
I hate dusting. And I particularly hate dusting my books. Dust always clings to books, making it so hard to get it off! And books always seem to attract dust more than anything else in my apartment. Or maybe that's just because I usually skip them when I'm dusting... Weøll never know.
11. Having to go pick up your books after you have thrown them across the room in a fit of rage
Sometimes my emotions get the better of me when I am reading... And things happen. All on their own. Without it being a conscious decision on my part. And suddenly my book is lying across the room. It's the ultimate walk of shame, going across the room to pick up that book. But I always apologize, and sometimes we even become friends again.
12. Talking to the characters in your book
"No, don't go in there!" or "Come one, it's obvious, it was the butler!"
Exclamations like these can often be heard in my apartment. I often talk to the characters in my books, offering them advice or psychological insights. So far none of them have answered, which sometimes bothers me, especially when it turns out that I was right. But that's just part of the fun when you love books, right?
13. Falling in love with fictional characters
One of my first crushes was on a fictional character. I was only 13 years old and deep into The Dragonlance Chronicles when Tanis Half-Elf made my young teenage heart skip a beat. In the following years, this has happened again and again with different characters. The real problem is of course not that I fall in love with characters in books - it's that I can't find anyone in the real world that makes me feel the same way!
14. Lending out your books only to never see them again
To me, this is grounds for an ended relationship. I've lost too many great books to people who never return them, so now I am super picky with who gets to borrow my books - and I put a limit on how long they may borrow them. If you don't intend to read my book straight away, then you can buy it yourself.
15. Getting a book from the library filled to the brim with notes and highlights
Again, this might be okay for some and annoying to others. Personally, I hate it. I don't mind reading other people's thoughts on books, but I want that in a review not on the pages of the book. This is one of my biggest no-nos, at least when it comes to my own books. Again, others can do what they want with their own books. But don't do it to others' books, and definitely not to library books!