On BTT this week:

I was talking to a co-worker the other day about a book I’d read recently, and realized how very, very few people I can do that with. In my daily life, it seems like almost no-one reads anything more than a newspaper or a fashion magazine. I only have one person I can truly chat about books with … and yet, being a Capital-R-Reader, I simply can’t imagine going through life without a book constantly at hand, or shelves of them proudly displayed downstairs. I’m proud of being a person who not only reads, but who reads a lot–not just in volume but in variety. I like having an inquiring mind. I like exploring new ideas. I love following an intricately plotted story (the more layers the better). I love BEING a reader and simply can’t imagine what it’s like to go through life without being one.

Am I the only one who feels this way? That wonders at how other people can simply NOT do something that should be so essential? Who feels almost sad that so many people seem content to go through their lives without stretching their mental wings at all?

Can you imagine NOT being a Reader? How does it shape your life? Your perception of it?

How does being a Reader affect your relationship with all those folks who are looking at it from the other side and simply can’t understand how you can sit and READ all the time?

In the Jasper Fforde Thursday Next series, Thursday lives in a world where books are read by almost everyone. People devour the classics and the idea of a Pride & Prejudice reality show readily happens. I remember trying to imagine a world where most people read fiction and literature, and it seems so idyllic to me.

I would not say it is lonely to be a reader because I love it. Books are your friends when you are a reader. You engage in them and they open all these ideas and worlds to you. But it is rare for me to find someone to talk with me about all the books I read. If I did, I probably wouldn’t have this blog 75% dedicated to books.

I can’t imagine not being a reader. It keeps me sane. It keeps me inspired. It keeps my mind at work. It does sadden me a bit that we live in a world where books are not really valued or used. On the other hand, I don’t really care if people think I am bookish or introverted. I am rather private about what I do with my life, but being called bookish is a compliment to me. Being a reader means something to me and so there is nothing to hide about the real me.

How about you?