If you love books, you know that it is both a gift and a curse. This love of reading you have dictates how you live your entire life, and controls you in ways you never knew a hobby could. Book lovers from all around the world know that these struggles are way too real.
1. The peasant life
Those who think golf is an expensive hobby, have not tried reading for years and years. The fact is that books are very expensive, and technically last longer than food, so you find yourself spending all your money on books rather than on your basic needs. #NoRegrets
2. The emotional weight
You are constantly haunted by the stack of books you have at home that you haven't yet touched, or even begun reading, either because you're rereading your favorite book or you're stuck trying to finish the 84 books you started reading years ago.
3. The physical weight
You carry books everywhere, and books are really really heavy. Every morning you have to go through the conflict of taking a book with you and risking back problems for the rest of your life, or leaving your book at home and risking dying of boredom during the day.
4. The friends vs. books conflict
You love your friends as much as the next person but the love you have for your books? That is a whole other thing. You would rather stay in and read your book than go out with your friends and run wild, because while your friends may be fun, your book gets you. Your book understands, your book doesn't care that you've spent all day in bed, it is right there with you.
5. The shelf-ing problem
You buy so many books that they don't end up fitting on your shelf! You end up stacking them on your floor, next your bed, on the counters, on the couch and so on until you find yourself drowning in a sea of beautiful books.
6. Multitasking
Reading takes you into a whole other world, but sadly, your body remains in this one. You end up trying to multitask in order to stay in your preferred universe – the fictional one, of course. You find yourself almost getting run over while reading on the street, or sitting in front of food that's getting colder and colder because you won't put your book down to eat. You only have two arms. It's a mess.
7. The book guilt
Nothing haunts you more than the books you gave up on, and you keep thinking back to them, wondering if you should give them another chance, or just leave them half-read. You always end up finishing the books and regretting it though.
8. Second-hand is the best
Nothing makes you happier than finding a book you're interested in at a second-hand bookstore except perhaps, finding first editions of your favorite books, or best of all, finding signed copies.
9. Judging a book by its cover
If a book has more than one edition with different cover art, you will own all the copies. You do realise that you're literally buying what you already own, sometimes paying even more than the first time, but it's so worth it because "look how pretty this one is!"
10. Borrowing is a big NO
It would be easier for someone to ask to borrow a kidney of yours than your book, and you'd much rather do that to be honest. Your books are more than simply prized possessions, they are the true meaning of happiness to you, and if you lend them to someone and they crinkle a single page, you are ready to cut those people out of your life.