Is this the end of book tags??

Hey guys ^^ So, I was sitting in front of my computer, trying to come up with something for today's post when I started to think about book tags. Because usually, when you don't know what post to write, a book tag is pretty much a fail safe idea. They are fun and easy to put together and they are usually rather popular... right??

That's the thing though. I can't help but feel that lately, the popularity of book tags has dwindled a little bit. And it's not hard to see why. My main problem with them, which many of you can probably relate to if you've also been thinking about it, is that book tags are repetitive. 

You always get those same questions where you have to pick certain books or characters that fit a particular criteria or another. And since, let's face it, a lot of us is reading pretty much the same books (Cassandra Clare, Sarah J. Maas, any other YA writer of your choice), book tags tend to feature a lot of the same answers. Plus, I think that by now we all know that everyone's favorite childhood book is Harry Potter. Which is kinda normal actually. I mean, Harry Potter is awesome ^_^ 

That being said though, the thought that people just might stop making them altogether is a little sad. Earlier before writing this post, I quickly took a look at the book tags I've made in the past and they are all posts I remember having a blast putting together. I even made a few original tags of my own since I enjoyed doing them so much.

So... Where exactly am I going with this, you might be thinking. Well, I thought that rather than putting a total ban on book tags on my blog (which I did consider for like, half a second), I'm going to start doing book tags that are a little bit more creative. I'm going to try to find tags, or make some of my own, that feature more creative questions. More importantly though, for the answers, I'm going to try to include books that don't normally get a lot of attention in the online book community. I mean, it can't always be all about the popular kids, right? XD. 

And so, to kick off this little project of mine, today I'm bringing you a super short book tag (Yes, I totally just created it on the spot to have a nice way of ending this post XD).

The Super Short Book Tag

Name the shortest book on your TBR pile.

At 192 pages, the shortest book on my TBR is Black Butler Volume 1 by Yana Toboso. It's a manga, which is why it's under 200 pages. I'm a huge fan of the anime so I know I'm going to enjoy reading the manga as well.

Name a short story that you really like.

I don't read a lot of those but one that does come to mind is The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen (yes, I know that technically it's a fairy tale...). The Little Mermaid is by far my favorite story of all time. It's beautifully written, it's tragic and the mermaid is such a sweet and innocent character that you can't help but feel for her. Plus, I love mermaids. 

Name a series that could have been shorter!

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. On one hand, I'll keep picking up the books so long Chainani keeps writing them. On the other hand though, the unintentional sexism, the oversimplified explanation for goodness and evil and the stupid decisions made by the characters keep making me super frustrated. I feel that the story at the heart of the series was a cool one but that it has since been unnecessarily dragged over a trilogy. As if that wasn't bad enough, a fourth book is now being released this year. The first of a second trilogy no less... 

Write a story in less than 20 words!

Feeling hungry, I went to the kitchen for a cookie. And saw my sister eating the last one. The end. XD

So, what are your thoughts on book tags? Do you think they are still fun to do or not? Let me know in the comments :)

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I don't lend out my books and here's why

Hi guys ^^ So today I thought I would talk about something that I rarely ever bring up: lending out books to other people. Or as I like to call it, my book borrowing horror stories!

People have diverging views about it here in the book community. Some people argue that books are meant to be shared and that a worn out book is just a well loved book. I agree that there is a certain beauty to old, worn out books. I have several of my mom's old books and I love their 'old book smell' and their yellow pages. But a book ruined because someone just happened to be careless with it? That's something else entirely.

Some people won't even hear about sharing their books due to a series of past nightmarish experiences. I've been through some of said nightmarish experiences myself and I thought it would be fun (and maybe even therapeutic lol) to share them with you today!

That time my friend returned my book covered in ink

Honestly, I'm not sure how you can get ink all over a book cover. Like, did you do it on purpose, or what??? So basically what happened is that at some point during early high school, I lent my copy of Eye of the Dragon by Stephen King to a classmate. She told me she loved Stephen King and asked if she could borrow my book to read. Naturally, young and innocent Sou (that's me by the way) said yes. Weeks later, yes WEEKS, I get my book back and there are ink splotches all over the cover.... My friend doesn't even bring it up. She just gives me the book and mumbles thanks before leaving. I couldn't even say anything on the spot as I was half livid with nerdy fury and half incredulous. 

That time my friend wrecked my book's spine

DO NOT WRECK THE SPINE OF MY BOOKS. Ever!!! If you do, you might as well have issued a declaration of war and chances are I'll never speak to you ever again. It was the good old Twilight days and I was one of the girls in my class (I went to an all-girls high school) who actually had the sequels. So my classmate, who was a huge Twilight fan asked me if she could borrow my copy of New Moon. I was a little short on friends at the time and she was one of the few people I was actually friends with. You guessed it, I couldn't say no. And then she returned the book many days later with the spine completely ruined. When she saw I was pissed, she just shrugged and gave me the classic 'it's just a book' line. No girl. Just no! It's never just a book!

That time someone wrecked my book's spine so bad all the pages actually came loose

Look I did try to be a reasonable person when it came to book lending. Despite horrific experiences with it, I still tried to trust other people with my books. And this is what happened. And to my copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince no less. Yes, that person wrecked my Harry Potter book. And it was so bad that all the pages came loose. If hearts could actually shatter, mine would have that day. In case you were wondering, I am still on talking terms with the person but I'm never, ever lending them my books again!

That time someone borrowed my book and never returned it

The dreaded book thief. Not the sweet German one. No, I'm talking about the one we probably all encountered at some point. The one who will tell you they are still reading it, that they haven't finished it. The one who will stall for weeks and then months before admitting that they lost your book. If you're lucky that is. Cause they might also just fall off the face of the earth, your book in tow, and you'll never hear from them again or see your book again. That happened to me only once and that was when I decided that I was done with lending out my books. 

I know that just because some people are disrespectful towards books that this is not the case with everyone. But personally, I've had too many awful experiences with it to continue letting people borrow my books. The only person who still borrows my books is my sister but that's largely because she's one of those rare, rare people I know I can always trust with my books. After all, it's not just money that builds a book collection, but also time and passion. And yes, a great deal of love. And if you're going to borrow someone's book, you must understand and respect that.

So what are your views on lending out books? Do share your thoughts with me in the comments!

Until next time, take care and read on 💛

How Bedtime Stories Got Me Into Reading

"What was the first book you've ever read?" people will sometimes ask me. Shrugging, I always answer, "I don't remember. But I know I loved it". 

I don't remember because the first books I fell in love with were those my dad would read to me when I was too young to understand the words on the pages of my favorite books. Today's post is a discussion about bedtime stories and perhaps also, a little tribute to those early stories that gave me my never-ending love for books.

Bedtime stories have shaped my reading life and that's something I'm sure a lot of you can relate to. But why are bedtime stories so influential? What is it about them that is able to spark an interest in kids for printed words on a page?

Reading feels like home

Reading time with mum or dad is something lots of kids look forward to and cherish. It's that time of the day when no one is too busy to spend time with them. When you're a child, there is comfort and safety in the warmth of your mother's arms or on your dad's lap. These feelings are also present when children are being read stories by their parents. Thus, over time, they begin to associate reading time with feelings like love, comfort, warmth. And so, as they grow older and start to open books on their own, reading remains something they associate with positive feelings. With home. 

The eagerness of resuming an adventure

If a book is on the longer side, it'll probably take a few days before the parents get through it with their child. Each night, the child will be eager to continue the story where they left off the previous day. When I was little, my mum would read a book of 365 stories to my sister and I, with one story for each day of the year. It was comforting to know that each day had a new story for us. We would look forward to the next day's story and to reaching the book's end and so, that time in the evening where mum would come in our room with the book, was something we particularly loved. 

The pleasure of turning the pages of a book on your own

When you're very young, it's your dad or your mum who reads to you, who turns the pages of the book for you and from the comfort of your bed, you watch them and wish to become just a little older so that you can do these things too. Story-telling time with their parents encourages children to be interested in books. It encourages them to pick up books and enjoy turning the pages on their own. 

Characters that resonate with us

The role models children look up to are often the characters they come across in their cartoons and their books. A book with characters that resonate with them are more likely to catch their attention and encourage them to read. When Harry Potter was first published, so many kids related to his story. He was a little awkward and a little lost when he was first introduced and kids everywhere were intrigued by his story and were eager to see where next his adventures would take him and them alike. Anne of Green Gables, The Famous Five, Nancy Drew, Matilda... Often, it's our favorite childhood characters that give us our love for books and make readers out of us. 

The milestone of reading your first words on your own

When I was little and my dad would read to me from my favorite books, I couldn't wait to one day be just like him and be able to read all these great stories on my own. To a child that grew up with books and stories, learning to read on their own is a milestone they'll be happy to reach. Thus, bedtime stories make readers out of children. It gives them an interest in books that will be converted to curiosity over time. A curiosity that will push them to learn more and read on their own with the same confidence their parents read to them.

Stories make us dream 

Children love stories. They love listening to them and making up some of their own. Stories feed their imagination and allows them to become anyone they want to be. Pirate, wizard, princess, superhero... Books make kids dream and become imaginative and feed their creativity. 

So, yes, bedtime stories made a book lover out of me. They gave me a love for stories that only grew as I got older. To both my sister and I, reading time with our parents is among the highlights of our childhood and we would probably not be the avid readers we are today if not for those nights huddled with our parents over our favorite childhood books. 

What do you think of bedtime stories? Would you say they do help kids grow to love reading? Also, if you have kids, is there a particular story you like to read to them?

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Cover art by Of Stacks and Cups via Pagemodo

Reading is not fun anymore?!

Hi guys! So I was in my room yesterday, desperately trying to finish the book I was reading, when I suddenly realized something which caught me completely off-guard: I was not enjoying it at all! And sometimes, yeah, some books don't work for you, but what I realized I wasn't enjoying was not the book but the reading itself. And then it hit me. I had been trying so hard to finish as many books as I could lately that reading had stop being fun.

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Okay, so you're probably wondering why I've been trying so hard to finish my books. Well, those of you who've been here for a while already know this but in short, very soon, I'm moving abroad to do my Master degree. That means that I'll be leaving a bunch of my stuff back at home... including my bookshelf and all of its unread books! 

I know, I know. I can take some books with me. The thing is, I already have so many stuff I must bring with me, which limits the number of books I can take with me. So some books will have to be left behind and there's not much I can do about that. Apart from reading them that is... which brings me back to the whole 'reading is not fun anymore' situation. 

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While I will have a full post for you with more info about my move abroad soon, right now what I can already tell you is that I'll be leaving in roughly 5 weeks. And 5 weeks is a very short span of time to finish a TBR. Usually, I read 1 or 2 books per week. With the move looming closer, I've found myself struggling to complete 4 or 5 books per week and while I've read some good books lately, not gonna lie, after a little while it all began to become a tad exhausting. 

So today, I was thinking I wished I had someone I could discuss about all that stuff with when I suddenly realized that I actually do. I mean you guys, of course ^^ So I decided to write a blog post about it. And make myself a warm cup of tea which I'm drinking while I'm typing this... Tea ♥ 

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Phew! I do feel a little better about it now that I've shared all that stuff with you! And had some tea ^^ 

Okay, so here's what I've decided...

1. I'm going to take a break from reading for a couple of days or more. I had a bit of a burn out here so the best thing is simply to take some time off reading.

2. I'm going to stop stressing about my unread books. I'll pack as many of them as I can and so what if I leave some unread books behind? I can just read them when I'm back, right?

3. Starting from now, I'm going to read only for pleasure. Not to finish my TBR, not to meet any kind of reading goal, nope. I like books and that's the only reason I'll be reading them.

4. I'll read books I want to read rather than books I feel I should be reading. This seems like a simple thing but honestly, sometimes I feel like there are particular books or kinds of books I should be reading and this is just ridiculous. Unless you have required reading for school or maybe for review, there's no reason to push yourself to read things you don't feel like picking up. 

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I guess today's post was more me sharing my thoughts with you rather than an actual book blog post. It's just that I really wanted to share this issue with you guys. So if you have words of advice for me or simply some thoughts you want to share, definitely leave a comment down below! 

Books seem like such a silly thing to get stressed over right?! But I guess that's part of being a hopelessly passionate book lover after all ^^

How to get back into reading

Hi guys. Today I have quite a different post for you. Some people find it hard to keep the habit of reading after reaching certain events or changes in their lives. They might have really enjoyed books once but they simply gave up reading over time for some reason or another. Life is unpredictable. Things change, stuff happens and along the way, you suddenly realize that you simply don't have time to read anymore. So in this post, I'm going to show you little things you can do to gradually introduce reading back into your life. 

This post has two parts so make sure you scroll till the end. In the first part, I highlight a few reasons why we sometimes disconnect from reading. And in the second part, I suggest a few things that can help to get you back into reading. So let's start.

I used to love reading but now I... just don't?

Time management is tricky. Whether you're starting a new academic year, you just started a family or your job is obliterating all your free time, life can take a toll on your reading. Here are a few scenarios where this can happen:

You're starting uni for the first time and you're either too anxious (that would be me) or too excited to focus on reading.

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Started university is a huge deal whether it completely stresses you out or it's the one thing you've been anticipating your whole life. Between meeting new people, learning your way around the campus and wrapping your mind around the fact that you now have to actually study again, it'll take weeks for you to sink into a more or less normal routine. So, you might not have time to catch up on your favorite book series and it's totally fine.

You have a job. And you're tired. Very tired.

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Whether you're working regular hours or double shifts, it doesn't matter. You're working and that in itself can be tiring. All you want to do when you get back home is take a long shower and spend the evening watching your favorite TV show. That chunky bestseller you bought in a frenzy all those months ago is looking less and less appealing and as days go by, you're slowly coming to terms with the knowledge that you're never actually going to read the damn book.

You just started a family and you're too busy taking care of your new bundle of nappies and cuddles to remember that book you abandoned midway on your nightstand.

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Parenthood is a profession in itself and getting the hang of things takes time. Not to mention energy. Lots of it. So who cares if your TBR is gathering dust? You have a mini me now and you should definitely take the time to enjoy it.

You've fallen out of love with the only book genre you used to read and now you simply have no idea what you want to read next.

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Vampire love triangles just don't do it for you anymore. But then neither do post-apocalyptic scenarios appeal to you. Literary fiction puts you to sleep faster than history classes and contemporary just don't have enough fangs in them. Basically, you just don't know what's left for you to read.

School's over and you just have too many other stuff happening next to pick up a book.

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You might be too busy applying for college or you might be already working. Or, you know, you might be actually enjoying the end of school by taking a well deserved vacation. It's fine, we're not judging. We all need a little break from things every now and then.

So I want to start reading again but I'm not quite sure how...

You need to get excited about books again before you feel the urge to start reading them again. Remember that little thrill you felt when you got your hands on that last Harry Potter book? You need to find that little thrill again. Here's how you can do that:

Start watching BookTube videos. (You know, YouTube videos dedicated solely to books.)

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Watching those videos was what actually got me out of my slump and back into reading again. Watching other people gush about the books they love is bound to get you excited about picking up a book too. Plus, you'll be getting new recommendations in there which are going to help you explore new genres that you might have neither even heard of. Like, I love magical realism but it wasn't until BookTube that I even found out about it. The BookTuber featured here is Christine and you can check out her channel here.

Read an old favorite you used to really love.

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Revisit a book you already love to remember what it was about it that made you love reading it so much. Then, either look up other books by this author or check online for recommendations based on the book to find what you'll be reading next.

Get a Goodreads account to keep track of your reading progress.

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On Goodreads, you get to track your reading progress page by page. You can also see how many books you've completed. This will motivate you to read more and give you a goal to look forward to. I joined Goodreads immediately after getting out of my reading slump and to be part of the community there has definitely made reading a tad more exciting for me.

Read with your kids. They'll love it, I promise.

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Just because you're a parent doesn't mean reading has to be completely banished from your life. If your kids are young, why not take some time each day to read something to them? Not only will you both be reading a little everyday, but you'll also be building memories that I can assure you your children will cherish forever. Indeed, one of the my favorite childhood memory is of my dad reading to me each night before I went to bed.

Listen to audiobooks on your way to and from work.

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Having an audiobook on while you're driving or riding the bus or metro to work will help you get some reading done even if you don't have time to actually read. Plus, if you're listen to them on your way back home too, it'll give you something to look forward to during the day so that by the time you're listening to your book again, you're genuinely excited to pick up where you'd left off earlier. The feeling of anticipation and the excitement of finding out what happens next in your book will gradually translate into excitement for actual physical books and soon, you might start picking up books more and more regularly.

So that's it for this post guys. This was a post I really enjoyed writing and I hope you can find some useful tips in here. As always, your comments are most welcome. Until next time...

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Books I wish existed... but which don't actually exist

Do you have books which you would love to read but which don't actually exist? It could be a new installment in a series that you loved but which has already ended or a completely new book which you believe would be awesome but which hasn't actually been written yet. Here are a few of those dream books of mine which I'm still hoping someone would actually write. 

A Harry Potter prequel... or sequel. 

Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley

Hell, I would even settle for a spin-off. Just take me back to Hogwarts please! I guess it would be cool to visit the world of Harry Potter set in modern times, that is, years after the events of the main series. The book wouldn't even have to be about Harry. It could be about any witch or wizard, so long we get to revisit the Harry Potter universe again. I mean, just imagine a book about Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley. How cool would that be? 

The final A Song of Ice and Fire book

Fan art for the last book's cover

Yes, this is something that's actually going to happen... eventually. But for the time being, with the penultimate book still not finished and a TV show that will soon overtake the books, that last ASOIAF book almost seems like a book nerd's fantasy. Right now in 2015, it kind of feels like this series is never going to end. Also, it's kind of depressing to know that eventually the TV will end up spoiling the series' ending. Although by the time we get there, we'll all probably be too excited to actually care... 

A good mermaid book

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

I love mermaids. Always have. The Little Mermaid, written by Hans Christian Andersen, is in fact my favorite fairy tale ever. Also, Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid happens to be my favorite Disney Princess. Usually, when you like something, you also like to read books about it. Unfortunately, that's not the case with mermaids. I've never come across a good mermaid book. Most of them tend be be sappy romances bordering on downright stupidity. To be honest though, it's kind of difficult to write about mermaids without sounding completely silly. However, I'm still hoping that one day, someone will end up writing a book which will be as beautiful as Andersen's tale. 

A new Brontë book

juniperbooks.com

There will never be a new book written by the Brontë sisters and that's kind of sad. I've yet to read all of their books but I've loved everything I've read by them so far. I'm almost afraid to get to all their books because I know at some point I'll be done with them and then there'll be no more walks in the moors, Gothic mansions and awesome governesses. That is, unless someone finds an unpublished manuscript tucked into a wall of the Brontë home or something.

A good Alice in Wonderland retelling

Puffin Chalk Edition

Those of you who read my Birthday Book Haul post probably already know that I'm a little obsessed with Alice in Wonderland. For my 22nd birthday I actually had a book-shaped caked done with a fan art of Alice and the Mad Hatter printed on the cover... Edible wishful thinking?! Anyway, recently there has been more and more fairy tale retellings, many of which are in fact quite good. I mean, have you read the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer yet? That series is so good! It even has a retelling of The Little Mermaid in the form of a spin-off short story called The Little Android. Now I'm just waiting for Alice to get the retelling treatment and while I know books like that already exist, none has really struck me as particularly good. The good news is that Marissa Meyer is currently working on an Alice in Wonderland prequel centered on the Queen of Hearts, so there's that I guess.

So that's it for the books I wish existed. What books did you wish someone would write? Tell me in the comments below!

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Book Shame - Books I didn't finish (Lots of controversial ones in here!)

See how Buffy's trying but doesn't quite look convinced?
That was me reading these books.

Today I thought I would show you my worst DNFs*. These are either books that I didn't finish and never plan on picking up again or books I just might end up finishing one day. The funny thing is that many of those books are actually quite popular and have hordes of fans. So if you see a favorite book of yours here, don't feel in anyway that I'm trying to bash your beloved book. We all have such diverging tastes so what may work for me might not work for someone else and that's totally fine :) 

So let's start...

(*DNF - A book you Did Not Finish)

1. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the first book in the Lords of the Rings trilogy and while I did read and enjoy the Hobbit (twice!), I just couldn't finish this one. Like I said in a previous post, the fact that the characters are constantly singing is what turned me off with this one. However, this is one of those 'might finish it one day' situations. I really want this to happen. I just don't really feel like picking this up again anytime soon. We'll see how it goes! 

2. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

OMG this series... I thought the first book was quite good. It was fast-paced and had lots of adventure and magic. And of course, there was an awesome dragon too. Then beginning with book two, it kind of totally went downhill. Aside from the not so subtle Star Wars and Lord of the Rings similarities, the books were unnecessarily long with passages that could have easily been cut down and events that could have been skipped altogether. I mean, book three has whole chapters dedicated only to dwarf politics!!! I really struggled to finish books 2 and 3, mostly because I had actually spent a good portion of my savings on them. But when I got to book 4, I just couldn't do it anymore. I stopped 100 pages into it and honestly, I don't thing I'll ever pick up the book again. 

3. Emma by Jane Austen

This might come off as a shocker to fans of Jane Austen but it's true, I couldn't finish this book. First off, I never really liked romance and comedy as book genres and those are the genres that primarily fit Jane Austen's books. Now just because a book is a classic doesn't mean you necessarily have to like it, especially if it's from a genre you don't enjoy. I've tried several Jane Austen novels now, including Mansfield Park, Emma and Pride and Prejudice, and I still don't enjoy her works the way I enjoy the works of other classics authors. I guess I just prefer books that have a more serious or dramatic tone. That's probably why I love Jane Eyre so much. Again, it really boils down to personal preferences. I do plan on re-reading Pride and Prejudice one day to see if my opinion has changed. And despite having abandoned Emma about midway through it, I also plan to read it again one day and actually finish it. Jane Austen is just not on top of my priority reads for the moment with regards to classics.

4. The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare

As a great fan of The Mortal Instruments and the Infernal Devices series, when I saw that Cassandra Clare had released a new book, I immediately got my own copy and started reading it right away. That book was The Iron Trial, which she had written with Holly Black and... I hated it. It's a middle-grade book but I don't think that's why I didn't like it. I mean, I love the Percy Jackson books and these are also mid-grade books. The Iron Trial was super cheesy, even for a book intended for kids. And despite trying very hard not to, I couldn't help but note the similarities with Harry Potter. I really tried to give this book a chance but in the end I just gave up. I'm really looking forward to Lady Midnight, Cassandra Clare's next release, but I don't think I'll ever pick up a middle-grade book by her again. 

5. Unravel me by Tahereh Mafi

I read Shatter Me, the first book in the series, mostly due to the hype it was getting in the book community. Despite it having a rather weak plot and lots and lots of cheesiness, I did quite enjoy Shatter Me, mostly because I saw it as a guilty pleasure read. With Unravel Me though, the guilty pleasure element kind of wore off and I was left struggling with yet another cheesy and weak plot. I really hated how hard the author was suddenly trying to make us sympathize with Warner when in book one he had been such an asshole. And to make us like him, the author found no other way than to turn book one's love interest, Adam, from a sweet and loving guy to a jealous guy with anger issues. These character developments were so random and sloppy and that pretty much killed the series for me. I know this series has lots of fans, but it just wasn't for me I guess. 

6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Okay, please don't hate me for this one guys! Look, I do enjoy John Green's writing. I mean I read Looking for Alaska and Will Grayson, Will Grayson by him and I genuinely love both of these books. However, I truly feel that Looking for Alaska was a superior story than the Fault In Our Stars. I think my main problem with The Fault is that is had been overhyped for me. So, when it didn't end up living up to the high expectations I had developed, it just came off as disappointing and I had to put it down. So I guess overhype is what truly ruined this book for me. I'm not saying it's a bad book. In fact, I agree with most people in that it has a beautiful story but I honestly think this book was overhyped. If someone would ask me for a John Green recommendation, I would totally recommend something else than The Fault in Our Stars.

Okay so let the debates in the comments begin! Did I mention a book that you loved in this post? Or maybe you read one of these books and you, too, didn't like it? Comment down below and tell me what you liked or didn't like about the books I mentioned. Looking forward to your comments!

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My friends don't read: The joys and pains of the solitary reader

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" Audrey Hepburn  1961 Paramount 

Picture this. You're sitting with a book opened on your lap, with your head bent over the double-pages and your eyes quickly brushing over the words. The story is peaking into its final scene. Someone is about to die! Your hands tighten on the edges of the book and you subconsciously lean forward, as if willing the story to unfold faster. And then, just as your gaze stops across the name of ill-fated, fallen character, you hear, "Oh, my God. Put down that book already!"

And then high violence ensued that poorly timed interruption. Or, so you wished. If you're like me, a solitary, sorely outnumbered book lover, chances are you just put down the book and pretend you're not having murderous thoughts surging through your mind. 

Being a book lover and having no one among your friends sharing that same passion for books can sometimes be solitary. Here are a few instances where being a solitary reader sucks:

The pains of the solitary reader

1. You just read the most amazing book ever and you're dying to tell everyone about it... but can't.

You've barely closed the book that you're running out of your bedroom to share your excitement with someone. Then you remember no one cares and go online to gush about it. And end up writing a five-page long book review for it. 

Dream Fort by Erin McGuire

2. Lack of understanding, scorn or downright rudeness 

People don't get you? That's to be expected. Everyone can't be a book lover, right? But, then you get those people who are downright rude about it. Like, while I was reading my book the other day, I actually had someone tell me, "Don't you have anything better to do?" DON'T YOU?? 

3. New release excitement... a one man party (or, you know, one girl party)

We've all been there, right? There something so exciting in waiting for a highly anticipated book to be released. It could be the newest installment in your favorite series or the new book by your favorite author. You might even have already pre-ordered the book. And then, the release day arrives and... you're alone shaking your imaginary pompoms in a corner. At least you've got an awesome book to look forward to. 

Being a solitary reader isn't always that bad though. After all, we book lovers actually enjoy some quality time alone with our books. 

The joys of the solitary reader 

1. Quality me-time with your favorite book
Let's be honest here. Sometimes, being alone with a good book is a joy in itself. A warm cup of tea, some cookies to nibble on and a good book... Often, we book lovers don't really need anything more to be happy. 

2. A stroll through the bookstore
I don't know for you, but I really enjoy strolls along the aisles of bookstores, breathing in the smell of new books as I skim the shelves to find that next book I'm going to add to my collection. And for me, book buying is something I enjoy best when I'm alone. After all, a book lover is never really alone when surrounded by books, right? 

3. You're a time-traveler,a globe-trotter and a skin-changer, all rolled into one.
It's raining hard outside and while your friends are probably getting bored at home, you're either brewing potions at Hogwarts or you're running down cobblestone streets with Liesel in 1940's Germany. With a single book, you can travel through time and space without even moving from the comfort of your couch. George R.R. Martin said it best: "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." 

That's it for this post guys. Share your reading experiences by letting me know down in the comments below what you guys love or not about being a solitary reader. Looking forward to reading your comments! 

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