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20 Problems Only Book Lovers Understand
Non-bibliophiles don't always feel your pain…but you're among friends here! We asked on Facebook and Twitter: What's a problem only book lovers understand? We got more than 1,000 amazing responses. Check out some of our favorites and share your own bookish struggles in the comments.
1. "The urge to buy books even though you still have too many books to read at home." Rie VdWarth
2. "Feeling sad for people who don't really exist." Kimberly Moniz
3. "RUNNING OUT OF SHELF SPACE!!!" Kim
4. "Getting interrupted when you are on the last few pages of a book." Sobe Daya
5. "The book hangover. When a good book finishes but you can't start a new one because you're still too immersed in the last book to move on." Meagan Lewis
6. "Wanting every book in a library section but knowing it is impossible to read all of them." Richard Azia
7. "Waiting so long for a sequel that you forget what happened in the first book." Jessica Luong
8. "When you're lying in bed and it's all cold in your room—and the hand holding the book freezes to death, even though the rest of you is warm under the blankets." Alina Marie Swan
9. "Finishing a book and having to wait a whole year to read the next in the series." Sarah Scanion
10. "Trying to keep the book dry while reading in the bath." Patricia Boland
11. "Ordering a book online and getting the book with the movie cover. A book with a movie cover just doesn't feel the same." Anna RN
12. "Not being able to read and eat lunch at the same time because you don't have a third arm." Bernadette
13. "When someone borrows your book and doesn't return it for ages!" Pallavi B
14. "Deciding. Which. Book. To. Read. First." Monique Balsamo
15. "Getting to a 'can't stop reading' spot in the book and it's 3:00am." Joan Chesley
16. "When you have a book with you, but it's not the one you wanted to read right then." Virginia Osborne
17. "Being forced to stop reading by other obligations, but choosing to ignore those obligations. Then getting in trouble." Feel Like Fangirling
18. "Packing for a trip and never being able to bring enough books." Erika Gallion
19. "Having a book fall on your face because you're reading on your back while holding the book up." Manuel Cedillo
20. And the ultimate book lovers' dilemma: "So many books, so little time." Navy Reading
Don't see your reader-specific problem? Share it with your fellow Goodreads members in the comments! Chances are you'll find someone (or many someones) who feel your book pain.
Check out more recent blogs:
7 Great Books Hitting Shelves This Week
Your Most Successful Book Club Picks
Readers to the Rescue: Your Best Book Club Tips
(Top image credit: Illustration by Quentin Blake for Roald Dahl's Matilda.)
Comments Showing 51-100 of 922 (922 new)
Vanessa wrote: "Going to the library and finding out they have the first 2 books in a trilogy but DONT HAVE THE LAST ONE!!!!"Or just the reverse, they have the last two and not the first!
A major problem is when your TBR pile is out of control and you want something to read but nothing you have on hand appeals to you.
Michelle wrote: "i used to hoard books, im much better now! well "better" because having endless amounts of books is wonderful. Now I only buy books that are my favs and that I know I will read again or even if I w..."I would agree with Michelle but unfortunately this works only if you are from the US or England. For many other countries, we can only hope that the books will be translated into our language and appear in the library, which usually they don't. So my only possibility to read a good book is to order it on-line in its original language. And I can't even buy e-books/Kindle for my country. Sometimes it's not so great to be from Europe.
I read e-book when I bath. But all the other problem remains.
Omg it's a list about me! Another problem: taking out more books than I can read from the library and not having enough time to read them all then feeling terribly guilty when I have to return the unread book to the library.
Not being able to read at the bus stop because it's winter and it's too cold to take your hands out of your pockets even with gloves on.
Nearly missing my stop because I was absorbed in a book or annoyed I have to stop reading because my stop is coming up
I have a variation on #19 - When I'm reading a book in bed, I may fall asleep and the book hits me in the face!Having a Kindle has mostly solved the packing books for travel problem - that's why I got one. And the Kindle app on my phone means I always have several books with me when I get stuck waiting.
Many of these problems are fixed by the wonderful Kindle - al thought the Kindle does have the no book smell problem :/
Going to the bookstore for some "retail therapy" and coming home with 27 books! (True story.)
Yup, definitely me too, although I admit that a Kindle (or any other ereader) is THE solution to several of these problems (shelf space, hand freezing to death, reading during lunch...)However:
#1 : "The urge to buy books even though you still have too many books to read at home."
This is even worse when you have a Kindle as ebooks generally are a bit cheaper and it's just so easy to buy a whole lot of them - no need to worry about space!
Taryn wrote: "My dilemma is closer to when I can't find a place to stop reading... and it's 6:00am, I have been binge reading a series, and I have a test that day that I should have been studying for."lol that happened to me too many times!
I can relate to all of these, but #4 and #8 are hysterical and so true:)
I agree with most everything listed here. Not being able to resist a new book that sounds good has gotten me to over 640 TBR on my Nook and well over 300 physical books in my TBR pile. And it's not just someone interrupting me close to the end, but also in high drama or emotional moments. And I find my mood changes to match what I'm reading, so beware those high angst moments! And I can never really explain well what has me laughing out loud so hard.
Running out of shelf space isn't happening to me as I don't keep any of my books. Leaving them anywhere for others to find :)
Linda wrote: "I think Mabel (Posts 68, 69, 71, 72, 73 74) may be on the wrong thread ..."I think they are spam and we should flag them all.
Well I have to confess to owning a Kindle. Once I was so hooked up on a novel that I realized that if I put the kindle (without its cover) in a zip bag, then I could take it with me in the tub, and so 1)no drops on the book and 2)I could flip the pages. Don't get me started on how many times I've repeated the experience ever since! :D
Guilty of all the 20 included problems. My main one nowadays is that when I order books online I choose to have it shipped to a drop point just so I can hide the package in my car until I can hide the books on the shelves among the others. Just so my wife will not discover that I have bought more books so often.
When you have your book on a table and someone inevitably places their drink or food on top of your book! Do NOT ruin my books!
All the points are familiar to me also.Some made me laugh when i think of it while others still manage to infuriate me.
A special reference to #11. It just makes me sick.
Reading it after making my very first online order...(sigh)
I agree with 46. If I know that a favorite character is to be killed off, I'm not likely to finish the book.
Yes I agree with all of these. I would also add...When people interrupt you, thinking they're saving you from being bored enough to be reading, but you really just want to tell them to go away so you can continue on your literary adventure!
Almost everything suits for me. As a software engineer, I'm really running out of time (Work + Cooking + MSc studies), specially this year. I wish I should have more than 24 hours per day.
I don't really like to read electronic books, but the interesting of the story and only few minutes gaps I get among work load make me to read electronic books.
Souhaila wrote: "being obliged to continue reading a book even though it bores you to death but not being able to stop because you HAVE to finish every book!"Yep! Glad I'm not the only one! LOL
I am experiencing many of those problems. I can add though "one more page, one more chapter" trouble.
Someone who's just discovered a good book and, knowing I'm a reader, tells me all about it at great length and goes on and on about how I MUST read it. Usually haven't got the heart to say yes I know I read it six months ago.
Beth wrote: "Knowing something bad is going to happen to your favorite character(s), so you close the book so you don't have to experience it with them, and then leave the book unfinished for a long time becaus..."My daughters copy of Cujo is still in our fridge for this very reason.
Buying a Kindle because there just isn't enough luggage allowance on aircraft to accommodate all the books I want to take!!
Agree with just about all of these - especially running out of space and deciding which book is the right one to start. Thank goodness for retirement!!!!!My main problem - when my cat has to be on my lap in bed - between me and the book!
Núria wrote: "Well I have to confess to owning a Kindle. Once I was so hooked up on a novel that I realized that if I put the kindle (without its cover) in a zip bag, then I could take it with me in the tub, and..."What an AWESOME idea! I wrinkled a book or two when I was younger and decided never again... Kindle in a zip bag is perfect! Hello baths! :-)
Amr wrote: "One of my most annoying Problems/Nightmares is "Reading on the Bus, and the Station appears around the Corner, with 2 or 3 Pages still left on this Chapter""I know exactly how you feel. I once went two stations ahead of my stop just so I could finish the chapter.
Rebecca wrote: "Felicia wrote: "I have no shame in saying I suffer from all the above-stated problems."Thank god I'm not the only one. I thought maybe I was crazy ahah"
I have been called crazy for some of these.....
Finding out that the book you wanted to read all the time is owned by another library which is not a member of your library network, and having to hunt it down.Finding out that the book you wanted to read all the time is owned by another library which is a member of your library network, but WON'T lend it to your library.
Finally receiving the above mentioned long-awaited book from the member library, but finding out that between ship times and member library draconian laws, you only have about 2 weeks to read a 600-page book (true story, my recent experience with A.Maurois "Byron")
So much truth. Jennifer, I totally get wanting people to go away so I can just read. I also get annoyed with being invited to a party or some social, leave-the-house thing... but I'm in the middle of this book and how can I be social when all I'm thinking about is... Add to that my hubby who likes movies. Ugh. But I haven't read the book yet. Better yet hon, how about we just cuddle in bed and READ?????
This is completely me! Every single one of them describe me to a T.
Everything except 13. I don't lend my books anymore because most of the time, I never got them back at all. I would add "Missing your train station because you're so engrossed in your book that you don't even notice you're there yet and ending up in some place you don't even know waiting for another train to go back". I did that once. Had to wait for an hour and a half. So I sat down and started reading again :D
When a book falls on your face - what a shock to your system!I very belatedly apologize for the damp books I returned to the bookmobile as a girl. As a media specialist, I now know they would have mildewed. SORRY!
Do Your Reading wrote: "My problem is starting too many books at the same time because I'll be in the middle of a good book but find something else that is so much more interesting that I have to start it even before I fi..."I feel your pain. You want to read it all and you want to read it now, or you are just not in the mood for the top book on your reading list at the moment you finally have some time to read.
I would add "Missing your train station because you're so engrossed in your book that y..."Exactly why we have books with us, anyway, right?!
When half the series is in paperback and the later ones are in hardcover, so the series ends up shelved on two different bookshelves.
Do Your Reading wrote: "My problem is starting too many books at the same time because I'll be in the middle of a good book but find something else that is so much more interesting that I have to start it even before I fi..."Me too. I'm trying hard to reduce the number of books on my currently reading shelf at the moment.
Life getting in the way of finishing a book is one of the worst problems for me especially when I am loving a story but one must live life and sleep too.
So...I'm not alone. Thought that I was the only suffering suffering from all the above problems.
My father is a reader like me. My dilemma is when I've got a book on the side with a bookmark in it and while he's scanning the book, he moves the bookmark.
When publisher switches cover design half through the series... I can't even. They must all match!!
Well this is me, i love do not feel alone in the books world.
Not always having the budget to buy the books you want at the time.Actually justifying not buying a cute t-shirt because it's the same price as a book.
All except #10, since I never read in the tub. Books are “sacred” in my eyes so I can’t fathom putting a book in “danger” by having it near anything that would damage it (yes, call me crazy, I definitely don’t mind!)I would also like to add the following:
- Not opening the book all the way when reading for fear of damaging the binding (for brand new books especially)
- When buying a new book at a store, I dig through all the available copies in attempts to find the “perfect” one that has no physical blemish whatsoever (and I try to do it as inconspicuously as possible so as not to attract curious stares from other shoppers).
- I stock up on Post-its and use them as bookmarks, since I can’t bear to fold down the corner of a page (“grave sin” in my eyes, lol) and I tend to lose physical bookmarks. Just be careful removing the Post-it so you don’t accidentally tear the page (I think I’ve become a pro at the art of Post-it removal now, haha).
And the more irritating one- trying to talk about the book to someone (read husband) who is allergic to reading, and convince him of the awesomeness of words. Wait impatiently for him to get it, the magic of a few words, or phrases strung together and finally, finally admitting defeat.mHe doesn't care. This, my dear ladies and gentlemen, is the real struggle.