I Need A Book Icon

[mishalak]

I was making a suggestion to alias_lilacgirl about cravings to write about. Being me I suggested a book addition.

Her: "I just need one more, man! Just a little one. Someting to calm my nerves. I'll take a magazine."

I sometimes think the only reason that readers joke about being addicted to books is so that the public won't know that it is true. For me books are even worse than sex. I dread the day when someone stumbles in upon me stroking the spine of a favorite volume and I have to swear nothing is going on.

Book people exist as our own strange little sub-culture. Amoung the non-readers, nearly invisible, and totally strange to outsiders. We get movies like The Ninth Gate and cried at the end of The Name of the Rose.

Comments

[gomeza.livejournal.com]

I should introduce you to Rori. I think she understands.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

That would be cool.

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

Yeah! The Ninth Gate - I thought that rocked. An entire movie about people who love books. *shiver*

[weirdquark]

When I watched The Ninth Gate and the protagonist put the book on the photocopier (Flat! He collects old books and he laid it down flat!) I screamed.

Can you tell I work in preservation? *g*

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Not the worst thing that happens though. I mean in the course of the movie an entire library of rare books goes up in flames! It was book lover horror.

[armoire-man.livejournal.com]

I don't collect them. I just love 'em and leave 'em.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

But what do you do when you want to reread?

[bureinato.livejournal.com]

I think there are a few sorts book people. Some are collectors who must own the books, some must own specific versions of the books, some just want to read the books. Then there are the various genera readers who sometimes eye each other suspiciously, the folks who state "Well I guess what I read can be called classics." (I swear I have a friend who said this and yes, she tends to be a pretentious snot), folks who only read non-fiction (my dad), etc.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Still for all our differences I think all book lovers can understand the pursuit of a difficult to find book. Even if one is a read'em and leave'em type reader there are books that are hard to get from the library or whatever. There are the snobs, but they exist in all groups.