If the path set before her feet was to be narrow, she knew that flowers of quiet happiness would bloom along it. ~L.M. Montgomery
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July 14, 2015
Are You a Book Person?
I....am a book person.
(This will surprise no one.)
Contrary to what many probably think, however, that does not mean I am reading every single second that I can every single day. Some book people do! And that's awesome. I, on the other hand, do not.
What I do? Is love books. They make me happy! Just to see them, be around them, smell them, and yes, read them. I do actually read them. But my point is, I don't have to read them to be happy. They just simply need to be. To exist. And I'm good. I'm great! Oh, I wish I read more than I do. But I have accepted the fact that I will probably never read two or three hundred books in a year's time. I will be doing amazing if I even read a hundred in one year's time! (There's just so many other things to do! Real life happens. Friends, work, sleep, you get the picture.)
(And movies. Period dramas! Those can be a bit distracting as well. I admit it. ;)
The thing is? That's ok.
Did you get that? It is OK. There are no hard and fast rules to being a book person. There are no prerequisites I have to meet. There are no hoops I have to jump through. I just simply have to love books. That's it! (What an amazing concept, yes? :)
And I do! Oh how I do. My house is covered with them. (Just ask my family.) I talk about them a lot. (Just ask my friends.) Everything seems to remind me of them. My real life friends know without question that if we're out shopping together, I can always be found in the book section. And if we're in a bookstore? It'll take a huge amount of cajoling to get me to leave. (Actually not true. I've simply learned not to go to bookstores with my non-book-loving friends! I'll only annoy them. In a nice way. :)
The cool thing about being a book person is all the fellow book people you get to meet. Because book people are awesome. No other way to say it. Book people are awesome! Regardless if we read the same genres or no, regardless if we read lots or a little, no matter the differences, book people just get each other. It's true! There is absolutely nothing like talking with someone else who's passionate about stories. Who, when asked to name their favorite authors, whips out a giant list. Who grins secretly at me when I notice we're both standing in line at the library with our arms full. Who sees the book I'm holding and instantly says "Ooo, that's a good one! Have you read....?". Book people are awesome.
So what about you?
Yeah, you.
The person reading this post. Are you a book person too? (I'm assuming yes, since you've clearly read down this far and I'm pretty positive only book people will be willing to do that.) Are you passionate about stories? Does being near a shelf of books just make you grin?
Then you're my people.
Welcome.
This post made me smile from start to finnish because I am most definatly a book person!! =D
ReplyDeleteI once spent 3 hours in a bookstore.. my parents were wondering where I was... then they check the bookstore and lo and behold I'm reading LOTR 2 :D
~Evie
Well no wonder you were in there for 3 hours, Miss Evelyn! Tolkien is not known for short books. :D Also, I can easily spend hours and hours in a bookstore, so I understand you completely. :)
DeleteDefinitely a book person here...sometimes I stop and think...maybe I go on about books too much...but then I realize that's crazy talk ;) Although I do try to tone it down a bit with friends that aren't as book crazy as me! But it's nice to know there are kindred spirits out there when it comes to books! :)
ReplyDeleteBeth
Totally crazy talk, Beth! I think we booklovers are sometimes the sanest of anybody. Besides, how can one talk about something one loves without the subject coming up a lot?! It's just not possible. At all. ;) And yes! It's a wonderful feeling to know you're not the only one. Kindred spirits are not so scarce, as Anne says. :)
DeleteVery beautiful and eloquently put. Book people are all soul mates.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw this I thought it said, "Books and people are soul mates." That's true, too! :) And yes, Kara, well-put! I may not be the fastest reader, but books are always present in my mind.
DeleteYou said it exactly, Jenny! Book people are definitely soul mates. :)
DeleteHa! That's definitely true as well, Hannah! Book and people make a fabulous combo. :D
DeleteI love how books connect people so much!! I'm always amazed at folks who read 300 books - that is some reading!!
ReplyDeleteJamie: I know, right?! I am amazed that people can read that many books as well. But I'm happy enough with my 50 or so a year. :)
DeleteThe fact that books exist make me happy too. I love to look at and smell them as well. I just can't bring myself to get a kindle or nook. I love the actual book. I think it is a work of art! Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kami! And I agree. Actual, real books can't be beat. I have given in and gotten a kindle, but I totally understand why you haven't. There's just something fabulous about real books, with their crinkly pages and leathery and vanilla-y smells. :)
DeleteI am wholeheartedly a book person. The only thing keeping me at all cheerful about having to go to a housewarming party for some of Cowboy's coworkers this weekend (most of whom I haven't met -- ack! Strangers!!!) is that one of them is an English major and therefore is sure to have lots of books, so I can just spend a couple hours browsing their shelves :-)
ReplyDeleteDo you ever go in someone's house and they don't have any bookshelves, and you feel like the whole house is strangely empty?
I have! It's weird! How can you not have/read books? At least have the shelf for library books if you don't have money to buy them!
DeleteHamlette: YES! I agree with Hannah. It's very weird! As you said, it feels very empty and strange. Even if it's just for decoration, one should always have a few books about. It gives a home an entirely welcoming feel when I go in and see bookshelves. :)
DeleteAnd I've done that exact thing! Gone to a party that I wasn't looking forward to and ended up spending time with their books and had a wonderful time after all. :D
Oh yes, I hear you! Whenever I set foot inside a book store or library, I get a big silly grin on my face!
ReplyDeleteBirdie: Right?! It's totally unconscious. I'll be walking around the store and all of a sudden realize I'm grinning for no reason. Except I have a very good reason! ;)
Delete(I was hoping this post title was a rhetorical question *wink*)
ReplyDeleteYes, I am a book person! And this writing is full of truth. I don't read all day, every day, either. In fact, I prefer not too. I can only read for so long, before I need to break for a while. I don't always *have* to give up reading at that moment, I just "need" too. I'm not the kind of reader who can sit around for half a day to read, even though there are days I can. Great post and advice, and fun! :)
It certainly was, Rissi. :D
DeleteYes! There are days that I can sit and read for hours and hours. But inevitably soon after that happens, I need a break. I'm not tired of reading really, I just have other things to do or shows to watch. And then when I'm ready to read again, I get right back in it happily! Somehow it just works for me.
Thanks, as always, for stopping by, my friend! :)