We readers lead tough but rewarding lives, don’t we? Today we’re going to commiserate over 11 trials of the bookwyrm* life and then rejoice over 11 triumphs!
*”bookwyrm” because dragons are a lot more epic than worms
All the following images are from my “bookishness” Pinterest board!
Trials of Being a Bookwyrm
1. Reviewing Your Favorite books
Is it just me, or is it way easier to write a salty review than a fangirly one? When a book doesn’t meet my expectations, I can talk to you for paragraph upon PARAGRAPH about all the reasons why.
Yet when I deeply LOVE a book? I find it hard to do it justice in a review. I want to explain my affinity for the characters and the way the plot hangs together perfectly and how the themes shine through in precisely the right moments, but it would be easier to just shove the book in your face and demand you go read it for yourself.
2. reviewing Books by People You Know
Okay, shameful confession time. It’s twice as hard to review a book when I know the author. I mean, unless I 100% adored their book. (In which case, see Bookwyrm Trial #1.)
But when there are books that I… *gulp* … don’t click with as well as I’d hoped? Reviewing it is a little awkward for me. I want to be honest, of course, but I also care too much about hurting the author’s feelings. Writing a book is hard work, and I know they’ve poured hours of time and heart into it. Not every story will connect to every reader, but… it’s still a bit uncomfortable when that happens.
3. Running Out of Shelf Space
YOU KNEW THIS ONE WOULD BE ON HERE.
It’s the plague of bookwyrms everywhere to run out of shelves before they run out of books to buy.
I faced this struggle again this summer when I returned from the Realm Makers conference with a stack of thirteen new books and already overflowing shelves. Thankfully, after launching a deep cleaning spree (which is… still in progress), I found room for everything and got rid of book stacks on the floor.
But my shelves are still pretty much maxed out. Guys, I need a Beauty & the Beast library.
4. Library Loans vs. Owned Books
The thing about those overflowing shelves is that… well, maybe you should actually READ what’s on them. But the siren call of the library is strong, and suddenly you’re staring at five borrowed books that are due back on Monday, all while your owned-and-unread stacks glare at you. Traitor.
5. Never-Ending TBR
Complaining about this one never gets old. And some of us tend to buy books faster than we can read them. *cough*notme*cough* But I think we secretly love the fact that our to-be-read list grows ever longer. New books! Shiny! Mine!
Except when you stop and realize that at your current rate of reading, it’ll take 10 years to get through your TBR, and that’s only if NOBODY publishes ANYTHING in the meantime. Heh.
6. Reading Slumps
Yep, we’ve all been there. Facing that towering TBR but not in the mood for a single book on the stack. Bleeeegh.
7. Wanting to Read Book 5 Without Slogging Through Books 1-4
You mean I have to read these in order? And invest twenty hours of reading just to get to that latest one with a pretty cover and jaw-dropping premise?
(I confess this one doesn’t happen to me very often, but it was a write-in from a friend, and I know it happens to lots of bookwyrms!)
8. Interruptions
GO. AWAY. LET ME READ IN PEACE.
9. Character Deaths
We all bear the scars. And we’re still SO not over them.
10. Waiting for Sequels to Come Out
Especially if you just finished a new release and the next one doesn’t come out till October 2059 or some ridiculous date. *sobs*
And when the sequel DOES finally release, your memory fails you and you have to go reread the first book to remember what in tarnation is even happening.
11. Lending Books to Irresponsible People
Now, this isn’t true of ALL bookwyrms, but some of us keep our hoard in impeccable condition. Lending out a book only to have it come back with dogeared pages or bent covers is a tragedy. Or worse… you lend it out and it never comes back. Ever.
Triumphs of Being a Bookwyrm
1. Instant Connection to Other Readers
Find a fellow reader and you’ve found a friend—especially if you share a love of a certain author or series! Fandoms unite us.
2. Falling in Love with a Book
Discovering those gems that make you fall in love and want to LIVE in the book (and never, ever leave) is a feeling like no other!
And just for fun, here’s a quick list off the top of my head of some books I’ve fallen in love with in the past year or two.
- Strange the Dreamer // Laini Taylor
- The Scorpio Races // Maggie Stiefvater
- To Best the Boys // Mary Weber
- Harry Potter (what I’ve read so far!)
- Fawkes // Nadine Brandes
3. Living a Thousand Lives
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
George R.R. Martin
After spending a weekend reading, I re-emerge feeling like I’ve been on a grand adventure to another world. Multiply that by every book I’ve ever read, and I’ve lived hundreds of experiences. I’ve walked in the shoes of heroes, villains, men, women, assassins, princes, warriors, cowards, dreamers, revolutionaries, artists, thinkers, doctors, and so many more.
Some may call it escapism (and I’m going to touch on that in a minute), but reading fiction really does teach us empathy.
4. Catharsis
On that note, experiencing other characters’ problems often helps us deal with ours. Certain themes resonate with us at different times of life—and the right book at the right time can be powerful indeed.
5. Remembering the Good, the True, and the Beautiful
Stories have a way of giving us perspective… showing us that good wins in the end, reminding us of what is true, and opening our eyes to beauty. I can’t even imagine how small my existence would feel without books, or how dark my viewpoint would become without the beautiful discoveries and reminders God sends me through stories.
6. You’re Never Bored
I am rarely bored, and I have books to thank for that! I have less time to be bored these days than I used to, but even as a child, I filled hours upon hours with reading.
7. Social Escape
Come now, admit it. You’ve used a book to avoid making small talk, or to escape from a social situation in which you were stuck.
8. You’ll Survive the Apocalypse
Not only have books taught you how to overthrow a dystopian government or escape zombies, but hardcovers also double as very handy weapons.
9. Companionship
My favorite book characters honestly feel like friends! Maybe this ties into Triumphs 3 and 4, but there are certain books that feel like coming home every time I reread them.
(And here’s a bonus Bookwyrm Triumph 9.5: book boyfriends. Except I usually ship them all with the characters they’re actually meant to be with.)
10. Ever-Expanding Vocabulary
Words! You grow a collection of them to rival Smaug’s hoard of gold and can use them in oh-so-many ways.
Only problem is when you realize you can’t pronounce half of them out loud.
11. Admiring Your Bookshelves
I haven’t learned to love ebooks yet, even though I can see how convenient they are. I just love holding and displaying and admiring all my books where I can see them! It’s true that a room really does feel better when there are books in it.
This post made me smile and laugh. So many are so true haha, and I loved the apocalypse and lending memes. XD
Yay! Oh goodness, those two made me laugh so hard when I found them. XD
OH MY GRACIOUS. This is the most brilliant, accurate, relatable post of EVER. I was literally grinning and nodding along to every. single. point. I’ve experienced ALL these things.
I totally agree reviewing books I dislike is easier than books I love. You put it so well! And reviewing friends’ books can get awkward… Mhmmm. (Though, thankfully, I have amazingly talented friends and almost always love everything the produce!)
Just…just YES. To all of it! I loved this post so much!
YASSSSS. XD #bookwyrmsunite
Why does it have to be so hard to review the really good ones? Gah! And yes, thankfully the awkwardness doesn’t happen all that often for me either, but the odd time… welp.
Haha, yay! I’m so glad, Christine! 😀
The last part of Trial 11 happened to me, once. I lent out a (shiny new) book, and it got lost in a moving purge. But I must admit that I have been guilty too, but in reverse. One time I borrowed some books, but lost the owner.
Sure, I admit to Triumph 7. Some lunchbreaks would have been very lonely without my books to keep me company.
Nooooo! That’s so sad. But oh my goodness, “lost the owner” made me LAUGH. XD That’s not so bad–for you, anyway. You get to keep the book.
Yep, they do make pretty great company in those situations!
This was such a fun post! So many great points haha! The thousand lives point is one of my favourites and is so relatable! The last couple of weeks have been full of many grand adventures as I have read and journeyed to Ancient Rome, Middle Earth, and the Star Wars galaxy. I think Narnia will have to be next on the reading list haha! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it! 😀 That’s one of my favorite book quotes (even though I don’t read any of Mr. Martin’s books). Wow, that’s a fantastic travel log you’ve got going. Narnia is definitely magical. Happy traveling–I mean reading!
*is dying* IS THAT A THEODD1SOUT COMIC I SEE?? AND A FLASH QUOTE??? BEST. USE. OF. PHOTOS. EVER!!!
Sorry, I’m only slightly delirious. XD
Love this post, Tracey! Those bookwyrm-related posts are amazing! (and the way you spell “bookwyrm”? Phenomenal.)
I DON’T KNOW, IS IT?! I didn’t even pay attention to the source of the comic, I just found it on Pinterest. (But yesss, love that Flash quote!)
You’re good, darling. xD
Thank you, Nicole! YOU MAKE ME LAUGH. <3
This is the most relatable post EVER XDD
My TBR list is basically a rollercoaster.. I’ll have a bunchhh of books to read, and then I read them super fast and find myself with nothing to read.. and the cycle just goes on XD
The social escape is probably more relatable to me then it should be..
Yayyy! #bookwyrmsunite
Haha, that’s one of the trials too! Although I can’t remember when I last had nothing to read… o.o
True for me too, lol!
I love the term “bookwyrm” SO MUCH.
And I love all 22 trials and triumphs, too. Especially the triumphs. They made me grateful for every book I’ve ever read and every bookworm–excuse me, bookwyrm–I’ve ever come into contact with or have yet to meet. 🙂
ME TOO. <3
Ahhh, hooray! So many books have shaped my views and encouraged me over the years too--we have much to be thankful for!
This is so accurate and funny! That was one of my favorite Flash quotes too!
Haha, thank you! YES, I laughed so hard at that point in the episode! It made me love Barry even more.
This was pretty much the best post ever!!!!
Every single one of these is so very true. What IS it about books we love being hard to review? But I just… I can’t quantify it. Ya know? I can scream about it from the rooftops, but then ask me WHY I liked it and I’m just… “I mean… it was GOOD!”
So much for having “a way with words.”
hahah
And yeah… reviewing a book by someone I know… um… if I can’t give it 5 wholehearted exclamatory stars… I’m prolly just gonna pretend I forgot to leave a review…. because awkwardness and non-confrontational.
I loved all your triumph points, as well, but especially #5. SO MUCH YES to that one.
And you’re pretty much the nicest ever!!!
I DON’T KNOW, but I don’t like it. I *wish* I could convey my deep, abiding love for certain books. But “it was GOOD!” just about sums it up. XD But you know, maybe it’s a sign that we’re still readers, first and foremost, if some books can make us speechless.
Heheh… much awkwardness. >.> Anything less than four stars, if it’s by someone I know, I try to keep my review short. (It’s worse when you’ve been *asked* to review vs. just reading and reviewing by yourself.)
So much yes indeed! I can honestly say books have changed my life. <3
So much yes to all of this! That thesaurus pun is gold! The struggle is real with the TBR. I’m such a slow reader that it will take me me whole life to read all of the books I want to read lol. I’m so glad I’m not the only one who finds it easier to write negative reviews. I thought I was broken or something. 😂
Isn’t it great? I couldn’t resist including it. XD Ugh, I feel ya. I’m struggling to reach my Goodreads goal this year! Noooo, you’re not broken at all–or if you are, so am I. 😛
These are all so true it’s painful. XD Especially reviewing books!! I totally agree that it is SO hard to write reviews where I ADORE the book and also books where I know the author…UGH. SO FRUSTRATING.