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15 Benefits of Being Friends with a Book Nerd
Books are undoubtedly awesome, but so are the people who love them. We asked on Facebook and Twitter: What's a benefit of being friends with a book nerd? (Goodreads members are basically experts on the topic, after all.) Check out our favorite answers below!
1. "You know about SO MANY great books. All. The. Time." (@sqq100)
2. "Lots of wonderful late-night talks about books and how fun reading is." (Katie Morrissey)
3. "You can know that they REALLY want to be your friend. Most book nerds don't have time for casual friendships and, generally speaking, would rather be spending their free time with fictional people than real people. If a book nerd wants to spend time with you, that's the greatest compliment you can get." (Faye Lilley)
4. "Free grammar corrections." (@bart_carter)
5. "They don't talk when you're reading. They just pick up their book." (Michelle Vollers)
6. "Help to avoid bad books." (Damian McMillan)
7. "You read books that are outside of your comfort zone. You're no longer stuck in one genre." (@RitaHumola)
8. "Victorian comebacks and random quotations." (@livesingularity)
9. "Every time you visit their house, you have pretty bookshelves to look at!" (@profsslockhart)
10. "You'll have someone to book shop with who won't rush you!" (Diana Rivero)
11. "Unending supply of new words to use in regular conversations." (@iCoder1978)
12. "Always knowing what the movie adaptation left out." (@veragfischer)
13. "They're easy to shop for." (Denise Lacombe)
14. "Book swapping. I love it when this happens: 'I found this on my bookcase and thought you would like it.'" (Lucy Hutchinson)
15. "They understand you." (@AngelaRoquemore)
Are there really only fifteen benefits of being friends with a book nerd? Of course not! Tell us more in the comments.
Comments Showing 51-100 of 147 (147 new)
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Lily
(last edited Dec 14, 2015 10:11PM)
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Dec 14, 2015 10:09PM
Know that any book worth reading is worth reading twice, even if one never does so. And am not sure that statement is "true", but is worth considering when choosing what books on which to use one's time.
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NUMBER 10. Like seriously, when I come across a bookstore with a non reader and I want to look at books (even if I have no money to buy any) they are always like "omg let's go, it's not like you are going to buy anything". With a reader friend it's always a lot of "what do you think about this one?/Oh let me see what you found" and it's amazing
All the above mentioned are true for me as well. And I would like to addWith a book friend, you never run out of topics to talk about or books to read. Life just takes you to another plane when chatting with a book nerd, even when you don't like the same book, or should I say especially so? :)
Michelle wrote: "I'm not sure I agree they (we....) are easy to shop for. My friends, family etc won't buy me a book as I will usually have read it. However, they have been well trained to buy national book tokens ..."True. I have several copies of some books due to this problem. Solution= the one that wasn't a gift goes to my local charity shop and I keep the gift so it means more. The down side is I need a bigger house for my books.
Beth wrote: "Emily wrote: "Understands the terrible sin that is spoiling a book and thus is very careful not to burst out their reactions to the ending of the book you are currently reading."I SO get it! I ac..."
I only look at the stars to avoid spoilers.
Kevin wrote: "Beth wrote: "Shari wrote: "Your book collection doubles because book friends alway share."Yes, but honey. . .
You're supposed to give them back, lol. . ."
AND, please in good condition."
I think she meant you can read your books and the ones your friends buy?
Jen wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I'm not sure I agree they (we....) are easy to shop for. My friends, family etc won't buy me a book as I will usually have read it. However, they have been well trained to buy nati..."Good idea, I sometimes regift to, or it helps having additional copies I can give out to people who I know won't return them.
Book nerds always know what the other is thinking when they go for reading the same books. Also, they know some quotes by heart, so at meetings, they either compliment or humiliate with something from their memorization. In addition, they get emotional in the same things/scenes. Lastly, once they become your friend and show you their insane world, there is no turning back from it, as you will already be a goner by then!
They help explain what went on in a movie that made no sense but they read the book
My bestfriend and I started reading Harry Potter after we watch the first movie. We got so caught up in the characters that I was practically Hermione and he was Harry.One time we got into a huge fight that I was literally saying to him, "You are so full of yourself. You always thinks that you're right! That's why Sirius died!"
Yup, I said that.
And he said this.
"At least I have guts to make a decision and not just bury myself in books every single time, you-know-it-all!"
Don't worry; we are still bestfriends.
P/S: We are not the only ones who pretended that we are the Boy Who Lived right?
I like this book and I love these characters from childhood.
They tend to have respect for anything written on paper and would love to see what it says.
Tina wrote: "We will NEVER turn the corners of the pages down. Your book will be returned in pristine condition."Yes! I hate it when non-book nerds borrow my books and return them torn, folded down at the edges or in any way different. It makes me cringe!
They always are willing to share their books. My friend and me often pick up books for both of us to read, regardless of whose shelf it winds up on. While we have wildly different tastes in some things, other things are shared pleasures!
OMG! One of the ones I thought of while reading was, "You always have someone that will give you a book for every occasion. Finished your favorite series? Good news, Thanksgiving is right around the corner!
During school I disliked reading. Today reading is an escape from technology. A paperback book is a world without battery chargers.
They will never say " Why are you crying? they're just fictional characters!"
Amy "the book-bat" wrote: "Catherine wrote: "The librarians know you by name."I walk in the library door and they automatically go to the reserve shelf, I don't even have to ask. They even know my dad by sight now if I nee..."
When I was in middle school I stopped going to the library for a few weeks and the librarian personally checked up on me to make sure I wasn't like, dead.
Know exactly why a library is wonderfull, magical place!! Plus, they understand why you want to stay in and read the end of a book rather than go out partying ;)
12. "Always knowing what the movie adaptation left out." (@veragfischer)Ahahaha, too true.
They understand when you refuse to lend them your book because it's signed/special edition/just really really pretty and you don't want to let it out of your sight.
They have that one book you've been waiting to read in an advanced readers copy.
easy to shop for and no one will rush you when in a bookstore are 2 really great benefits ! Hah.
Kitty wrote: "We also understand that the only thing worse then interrupting someone while they are reading is interrupting them within the last few sentences of a book. Especially a good book."This!!! It happens to me everytime!
Tina wrote: "We will NEVER turn the corners of the pages down. Your book will be returned in pristine condition."Definitely
Amy "the book-bat" wrote: "Catherine wrote: "The librarians know you by name."I walk in the library door and they automatically go to the reserve shelf, I don't even have to ask. They even know my dad by sight now if I nee..."
I have a library by home and one by work. This happens at both of them.
My teen daughter and I read some of the same books. Then when we sit to watch the movie we snicker at each other and roll our eyes and sometimes shout no... that's not what happened. While the other members of our family look at us like we are crazy.
Catherine wrote: "The librarians know you by name."I agree and so true! A librarians will direct me to the new book they've acquired.
Kimberly wrote: "I'm a book nerd, oh hell, a nerd period! To think I used to be ashamed of that fact, but not anymore! I love being a nerd (Book) or otherwise! We nerds are great intellectuals and we pride ourselve..."I agree about being ashame at first. Now my family and friends come to me asking for more clarification of something they don't understand. :)
10 and 15. My teenage daughter was getting fussed at and in the middle of it she asked "do you want to go the book store?" My brain halted and all I could think was yes. 12. " Always knowing what the movie adaptation left out." Eragon - why? but also having insight into what motivates the characters' actions.
No. 6 may not always apply. I hounded a friend until she read "Winter's Tale" just so see if she hated as much as I did. She did. (To be fair, when I made her buy it at the library book sale, I told her, "This book is awful! You have to read it so you can understand how bad it is.")Also, concerning book condition ... I hesitate to loan my books out, even to my book loving friends. I've been surprised by some of my bookworm friends who never return books or break the spine/dog ear the pages/etc. It crushes my soul a little when I loan a book to someone in pristine condition and it comes back with a broken spine. I mean ... if you love books as much as I do, HOW COULD YOU? And if you want to break the spines in your own books, OK. But if you're reading someone else's book, DON'T.
It drives my family crazy when I use the big words that they can't understand and I love to drive them crazy.
I would hate #4 unless I specifically asked for help.
I can relate to so many of these. My friends and I are book nerds and we're close. Being a book nerd is awesome.
Erma wrote: "Saying "Shh. Reading." and not being considered rude."YES!!!!!! MY FAMILY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND XD
Michael wrote: "They understand why you fall in love with fictional characters."EXACTLY. AUGUSTUS AND ABOUT A MILLION OTHER FICTIONAL BOYS ARE BETTER THAN REAL GUYS <3
They understand the unspoken rules of borrowing books:1. Take care of it.
2. TAKE. CARE. OF. IT.
3. The fictional sweetheart is MINE.
Sharing bookshelfie are the greatest of all. I bet all book nerd got mini/huge library in their house.
Book nerd are those who really keeping their property/stuffs properly as they managed to take care of their books very well.
Book nerd can reorganize their library/book stacks million times without complaining about how tired they are because they never get tired doing so.
When a book nerd is down, depressed or have problems, you can always ask how his or her favorite book character would have handled it, and suddenly it is not that bad any longer, or they come out of it totally, having the solution or knowing what to do. Just don't forget to remind them that there are some curses/spells in Harry Potter that are forbidden...
The Old Man from Scene 24 wrote: "Amy "the book-bat" wrote: "Catherine wrote: "The librarians know you by name."I walk in the library door and they automatically go to the reserve shelf, I don't even have to ask. They even know m..."
Now that's hilarious:)
If they didn't spoiled the book that i'm reading eventhough they wanted to then that would be a great pleasure to me.
They will have invariably read a book you have read .So there is someone you can discuss the book with if you want!!
Catherine wrote: "The librarians know you by name."That is love <3
When I was around 11yrs I was so proud everyone that worked at the Library knew my name! It's so silly and yet so comfy. They are extended family!
When you and your friend have both read the same book you have somebody to fangirl with about all the spoilery bits you can't tell anybody else!! And I love all the suggestions I can get from other book lovers :)
Have nerdy debates about which books/ships/series/whatevers are better written, constructed, or just better in general.I don't actually have a book nerd friend (irl, at least. I'm friends with loads of nerds online, thankfully!), but I would imagine that they do this and I would love to do this too.
