The are many perks to being a bookaholic, such as getting to delve into wonderful stories and live vicariously through characters’ lives… *heh, heh*
But, there are also a few problems you encounter when you are a lover of books and reading.
So, I’ve compiled a list by consulting a few my friends who are as obsessed with reading as I am, and… well, myself. 😅
1. When You Get Food On Your Precious Book
There are two situations you encounter when it comes to food: The Crumbs, or The Stain.
The Crumbs is when you’re eating a delicious cookie (or cracker, or biscuit, or anything crumby) and you get the crumbs of it stuck in the middle of the opening of the spine (you know, when the book’s open) and you guiltily bang against the poor spine (oh the second-hand pain of hurting your book 😭), but the crumbs JUST DON’T COME OUT.
Now what do you do?? *crisis!!*
Then, there’s The Stain.
This problem occurs when you’re eating anything that isn’t crumby that’s able to be dripped on the page of a book.
ACK, it’s the worst when you’re eating a spoonful of yummy soup and it drips on the page of the book you’re reading (admit it, you’ve read books while eating meals too). HOW DO YOU GET THE STAIN OFF THE PAGE?? You don’t. You just can’t. You cannot afford to wet the page with water and damage the already unlucky pages even further.
Which brings us to the next issue.
2. When You Accidentally Drop Your Book Into a Wet Area (eg. the toilet)
True story from my friend: she once managed to drop her book in the toilet. Don’t ask me how. She was unwilling to disclose any further information (understandable).
When this happens, this doesn’t ruin just one page, but it destroys the ENTIRE BOOK. The. Entire. Book.
Even after you take it out of the water, it’s sopping wet, and after you dry it, ALL THE PAGES ARE CRINKLY.
Now your whole book is ruinnnneeeed. *has mental breakdown*
3. When You’re Forcefully Dragged Away From Your Book
You know when you’re reading a reaaally good book, but there’s always that one person who has to come and spoil your fun by jolting you to reality and reminding you of your very real duties and obligations?
Especially. When. It’s. A. CLIFFHANGER!!
Preview of Next Problem: Not only does that person remind you of more important, immediate responsibilities (*shakes head vehemently* no, no, reading is my most important responsibility) and make you leave on a cliffhanger, but they don’t give you enough time to put in a bookmark before dragging you away and YOU LOSE YOUR PAGE.
4. When You Accidentally Lose Your Page
Here’s the scenario: You’re reading your book when, say, your neighbor’s dog starts barking very loudly and you get shaken out of your good-book induced stupor and accidentally let the book slip and the pages fly about and you lose the page you were reading.
Now you have to flip through the book all over again just to find the specific page you were on, which is hard because normally you would be flipping very quickly through and miss the exact page you were on.
Which is what always happens to me. It takes forever to find the page again because I am an impatient person who just wants to get back to what I was reading—I was just about to find out [insert character name here]’s secret!
And a bazillion hours later I finally find the page. *smacks forehead*
5. When That Person Just Doesn’t Let You Go
There’s the person who drags you away from reading to your real responsibilities, and then there’s the person who doesn’t even let you get to reading in the first place.
You have to keep listening to this person babble on and on, but you don’t even know what they’re talking about anymore because you stopped actually following the conversation a while ago. However, you don’t want to be rude (we all must remain upstanding citizens and obey the social laws), so you just continue nodding and “mhm-ing” when you think you need to.
Eventually, you come up with an excuse and blurt it out. Either it’s: “I need to go to the bathroom!”, but you never come back (does this tactic sound familiar to anyone?).
Or it’s the not-so-subtle art of taking out of your phone and pretending to check something when you’re actually reading that e-book you downloaded.
Or you come up with the first thing that pops into your head like: “Um, I have to go now because my neighbors need me to feed their dog while they’re on vacation!” (What is it with neighbors and their dogs in this post?)
Then you run away to the book that has been waiting for you all along.
6. When You’re Not Paying Attention To Your Surroundings and Crash Into Something
As a book-lover, you should know how it feels when you’re absorbed in a really intense moment in your book and you can’t stop reading when suddenly—
You crash straight into a tree. Or a door. Or a person.
And you know how sometimes you apologize to an object or something that doesn’t talk?
Yeah. That’s what you do. Or, you say “OW!” and rub your head, confused at what just happened.
Or, if it’s a person, then you apologize and quickly head on your way before things get awkward.
But, you never learn, right?
Sooner or later you’ll be reading another good part of a book and you’ll crash into something again. It’s kind of inevitable. *heh, heh*
Extra: There’s also the tripping. Tripping over steps. Over tree roots. Over your own shoes. Over thin air. 😅
7. When You Go Book Window Shopping
If you’re a regular person, you go window shopping for clothes, shoes, etc.
However, if you’re a bookaholic, then you’re most likely gazing through the window at that book you’ve been wanting to buy forever—except you’re already way over budget.
But it can’t hurt to buy just one more book, right?
*No. Must. Resist. Urge. To. Buy. Book.*
So you must remain strong and merely window shop.
Unless, of course, the urge to buy the book is too strong and you give in and a few minutes later you’ve got enough books for a book haul.
Whoops.
Anyway. This is what usually leads to the next problem.
8. When You Run Out of Room On Your Shelves
This happens as a result of your terrible self control (as mentioned above^).
Once you run out of room, you’ve got no choice but to stack your books next to the shelves *cringes at self*.
Now you’ve got to spend even more money and go even farther beyond your budget to buy more shelves so all your books are treated fairly.
9. When You Can’t Fit Your Book In Your Bag
You know when you have to go on vacation? Or a short trip? Or, um, anytime you head out the door?
You don’t want to ruin your poor book by shoving it in, but sometimes you don’t have a choice if you want to read the book that has not only been calling your name, but is a perfect vacation read (this is when paperbacks and ebooks come in handy).
So, you (very, very, very) guiltily push and squeeze your paperbacks in (you can’t afford to bring your beautiful hardcover, nor can you bear the weight *ouch, my poor back*).
But sometimes you just can’t fit that 600+ page novel you’ve been wanting to read into your bag.
The same problem applies to suitcases when you’ve already packed clothes (and other things) in there and have also packed ten other books, but you’re just sure you’re going to need more. But, alas, there is no longer any space.
*covers face in despair*
Although, this issue’s got a solution, I suppose. E-books. Though nothing compares to the feel of a physical book in your hands… *sigh*
10. The Unexpected DNF (Surprise! Wording change *grins*)
There are those terrible times when life gets in the way and you’ve got all these things to do and…
You forget about your book. I know. It’s terrible just thinking about it. *shudders*
And that’s when the book gets DNFed.
Or, you finally get that book you’ve been wanting to read since forever and throw the book you’re currently reading aside to read the shiny, new, beautiful book.
So, that’s all I have for reader problems!
What other problems have you experienced?