Bookworms Unite!

I have this stack of unread books sitting on my nightstand. Sometimes, I feel them watching me, no begging me, to pick one up and start reading right now. I silently tell them to BACK OFF! They have to be patient. I’m only one person with one pair of eyes, and I can’t read any faster!

The real problem is that I have already overcommitted myself to a separate pile of books. According to Goodreads, I’m in the middle of four different books right now. And on Audible, I am listening to two more. And my book club is meeting this week, so I am really focused on one book right now – The Giver of Stars, by Jojo Moyes.

Mind you, none of this stops me from the vicious, yet fulfilling, cycle of reading book reviews and summer reading lists and then downloading more books or frequently “supporting” independent bookstores.

And here’s why: What if the books I already own disappoint me? Shouldn’t I have “back up” books to fill the void?

Do I sound crazy? Probably. But, don’t worry. I don’t need any kind of cognitive test to tell me what I already know. I’m a bookworm, and I won’t apologize for it. When I was little, I’d go to bed with a Nancy Drew mystery or a Sweet Valley High book and a flashlight under my pillow and read way past my bedtime. Some kids wanted Barbie dolls for their birthdays. I wanted B. Dalton gift certificates. Years later, not much has changed. I still go to bed with a book and a flashlight; it’s called a Kindle.

I always have to have a book in my purse or in my car. I can’t bear to waste valuable time sitting in a waiting room or a carpool line not reading. And now, thanks to COVID, People magazines are no longer available anymore for communal reading. Therefore, I must be prepared for any reading emergency.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good story. How about you?