This past week, as I ordered yet another book off the
internet, and settled down to re-read one of my old favourites, I realised that
I’m a genuine book addict. I hold my hand up: I own a silly number of books –
traditional ones, not digital ones – and it’s long past the point where I have
the room to physically store them in my house, much to the chagrin of my
long-suffering wife.
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| The shelves of antiquarian books at Bromley House are a sight to behold. |
While I was thinking about the degrees to which my book
addiction has taken hold of my life, I knew at once that I wasn’t alone. A
quick browse around Twitter or Facebook will find hordes of self-confessed
bibliophiles all sharing their passion for the printed word. So I had a think
about the traits that define my addiction, and – in true internet style – I
came up with a top ten. Let’s see how many of these you recognise in yourself…
1. You belong to more
than one library
I’ve joined a local library everywhere I’ve lived (and never
technically left any of them). These days, living in Nottingham ,
I also belong to a private subscription library – the wonderful Bromley House –
which is a trove of treasures.
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| This is my reading chair. There are many like it, but this one is mine. |
2. You own a ‘reading
chair’, or have a designated ‘reading space’.
A special place for reading just helps you switch off from the rest of the world and enjoy the written word for what it is. It's like working at a desk rather than on the sofa.
3. You’ve developed a
taste for the finer things
If I read in the day, I like to drink fresh filter coffee.
If I read in the evening, I like a smoky single malt, or a nice ruby port. Mmm, port.
4. You’ve bought
books you already own by mistake
Sometimes because it’s in a different format, or with a
different cover – sometimes the same edition. It matters not. I’ve done it more
than once!
5. You’ve bought
books you already own on purpose!
Because a special edition of an old favourite, or a single
binding of a story from an anthology, is just too good a chance to miss.
6. You can’t pick a
favourite
Books are my babies. You can’t have a favourite baby, can
you?
7. You’ve read your
favourite novels more than once.
Remember, you can’t have just one favourite, so that’s a lot
of re-reading. Christopher Lee apparently reads The Lord of the Rings every
year. Even the bits in italics. He deserves a medal!
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An eclectic mix, representing
approximately 0.5% of my collection...
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8. You own more books
than you’ve read.
A sad, sad confession. My compulsion to amass books
outstrips my reading pace by a fair margin. I’ll get round to them all one day.
Probably.
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| I mean, just look at this one! If you can walk past this shop without looking, you have no soul. NO SOUL! |
9. You find it
impossible to walk past a second-hand bookshop.
Unless it’s closed, of course. But even then, you can window-shop, right? And there’s always treasure to be found, especially if it’s a
really disorganised, sprawling old shop (see right)!
10. You don’t even
own an e-reader.
The only controversial point on my list, I think. I
can’t bring myself to buy a Kindle, because it means I might have to replace my
beloved books with… well, with nothing, really. My love of books goes well
beyond the words on the page; e-readers are great for some people, and the
effect they’ve had on the reading public is fantastic – but they’re just not
for me. I’m print and I’m proud!
