Do I have a book problem?

Hello readers!

Today's post is a little different than normal. 

I was reading on the NOVL website and they had a post titled "If You Do Nine or More of These Things, You're A True Book Lover"

It's a similar topic that I think gets discussed in Instagram stories, but this was a very large list. I also find it interesting for people to explain their behaviors when it comes to something as immersive and inclusive as reading.

So, I'm going to pull from the list the reading habits I've picked up and why.

1. Carry a book everywhere you go, just in case.

Yes. I usually have either a Kindle or physical book at my desk and that one may end up in my bag that comes home with me and may be left in the car over the weekend if I don't bring it in to read it. Regardless, if I'm at a Dr. office or I know I may have a wait, I at least bring up a book using the Kindle app on my phone. I get bored of looking at Instagram or Reddit sometimes, so a book is a must.

4. When you’re at the bookstore, you pull three hundred books off the shelves and then have to do your own version of book sudden death to decide which you’re going to buy.

I am terrible at this, specifically when I am on my own. I will go into a store with no budget, just planning to look to finding a book I want to read in the near future, which leads into me giving myself a small budget I then try to find as many books as I can for said budget and end up just leaving with one book that I truly want to read despite the cost.

Why am I like this?

5. Have gotten in trouble in class for reading a book.

Oh yeah. I never did the book inside a book thing. However I've gotten in trouble with shared reading by reading ahead then reading my own book. It was particularly terrible when it was popcorn reading or in math class.

9. If you’ve finished off a section of your library.

My top shelf is all my editions of Harry Potter... spolier alert. The next shelf I've finished most of, but it rotates between black and white. The next row is miscellaneous books I've read and I have my set of Twilight stacked vertically dividing the books I have read vs. haven't.

11. Have a TBR so large, it can serve as a bedside table.

My current TBR for the year is 41 books, though for the rest of March is only 3 more books.

14. Made fan-art of your favorite book characters.

When I was younger, I used to do this all the time when I was in Middle School. I don't draw as much now as I used to, so I'm extremely out of practice.

15. Have a special seating nook designed for optimal reading conditions.

I have a specific spot on the couch I like to sit at for reading. It has my reading lamp over the section and usually my pillows and blankets are there too.

17. Have a shrine/shrines to your favorite author/series.

Since my top shelf is all Harry Potter, it is a little bit of a shrine. I wont get into the editions, but I have puzzles that I haven't done yet and wands up there.

18. People are beginning to suspect you have a hoarding problem, based upon the number of books you own.

Just my husband. Sometimes I wonder if he understands what the term library is. It's just a library, not a hoarding problem.

20. Have accidentally stayed up until 5AM reading a book.

Oh yes. Specifically Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows. I picked up this book a day or two after release and then sat down and didn't finish reading until I was done, at 5 a.m. Completely not on purpose and it makes me realize now I don't care for binge reading an entire book because I don't retain anything.

21. Have multiple copies of the same book because each edition is special in its own way.

As I've mentioned before, I do have multiple copies of Harry Potter. I have the first 4 in U.S. paperback because those were my original copies that I originally read. I also have the entire series in hardback thanks to my mother in law picking them up for my husband when he was younger and keeping all of his stuff from when he was a kid. He also happened to have the first 3 U.S. hardbacks that had a laminated cover that isn't very common in books but I have seen before. I chose to keep them because they were so odd.

25. Have bought a new bookshelf, for it to be immediately filled with books.

Every time I've bought a new bookshelf it's because my pile of books has gotten excessive and I need a space for them.

29. Have bought the hardcover for the looks and the paperback to annotate and analyze, complete with highlighted sections and a color-coordinated sticky-note system.

I have done a variation of this, but it's with E-books and physical books. E-books I typically leaves notes in because they're easy to find. If I really liked the books, I'll pick them up in physical form because that makes sense?

If you've had a look through this list and can see that clearly you are a book lover let me know some of your habits below or reasoning behind why you've done something.