Might as Well Face It, I’m Addicted to Books…

Posted at Oct 9, 2013 7:38 am in book addiction, books, Books That Kept Me Up All Night, Judy Blume, Laura Ingalls Wilder, reading, reading addiction, Window to My World

My name is Lisa, and I have a problem. I’ve been addicted to books since childhood. I started out thinking I’d read just one or two. A little Beverly Cleary here, some Laura Ingalls Wilder there. A dash of Nancy Drew to mellow me out after some stressful math homework.

I had it under control. I could stop whenever I wanted (except when I couldn’t, and my mom busted me reading under the covers with a flashlight, again and again). I had panic attacks when I didn’t have a book with me at all times, even sneaking them into church to help me endure those extra-long sermons. Eventually I moved on the harder stuff: Judy Blume. S.E. Hinton. A little Paula Danziger just to get me through.

It was impossible to quit. The pushers were everywhere I turned. The Scholastic Book Club. Friendly librarians full of helpful suggestions. My own mom, who happened to be an English teacher. Grandmas who loved to read and kept slipping me books on the side. Friends raving about the latest “must read.”

I’ve accepted that this is a lifelong addiction for me. I’ll never be able to kick it. Instead I try to maintain balance so it doesn’t overtake my life. I only allow myself to check out four library books at one time. The Amazon “buy now with one-click” button is a bit of an issue. I’m considering asking Amazon if they’ll institute a weekly limit on my clicking, but somehow I doubt they’ll agree. Then there are the local bookstores I love to haunt…

Being a writer only makes it worse, because I want to read everything my friends write, and I keep making new writer friends, who connect me with their friends….you see where this is going. Not to mention all the blogs and reviews I read that add even more titles to my “to read” list.

If you share the same problem, and ever need to talk, I’m here for you.  I know of a great coffee shop/bookstore where we can meet up….

 

 

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