"There are people who read too much: the bibliobibuli. I know some who are constantly drunk on books, as other men are drunk on whiskey or religion. They wander through this most diverting and stimulating of worlds in a haze, seeing nothing and hearing nothing."
Well, maybe not quite the seeing and hearing NOTHING part... but...
(That reminds me, I need to get on reading some Mencken.)
I am... a reader. I read. A lot. And quickly (unless it's Dickens or Shakespeare, something that requires some 'deep' attention). I read over breakfast, on the bus (unless I get carsick), at lunch, and sometimes a chapter or two after dinner if there's nothing good on telly. I average anywhere between two to five books a week (unless it's Dickens or Shakespeare or something along those lines). I love the library, because it means I can read everything I want and not have to reinforce my floors.
I work around medical folks, who (as a rule) are no slouches when it comes to the gray matter. You'd figure that the sight of the written word wouldn't inspire much comment. You'd be wrong. "... is that ANOTHER book?" "Weren't you reading something different yesterday?" "You sure read a lot."
Sometimes I'm made to feel like there should be a 12-step program for me. But the first step is admitting you have a problem. I don't. I'm perfectly content in my freakishness, my bibliobibuli-osity. I'd carry a membership card if they were issued.
I AM a book junkie. "Hell is other people"? Screw that -- hell is other people and nothing to read. I'll read the nutritional information on a cereal box if there isn't anything else around. I don't remember when the black squiggly things below the pictures became words, but they've changed my life. I love being taken away to other places, meeting new people (interesting, not interesting, and downright irritating), experiencing things I never could (or would never care to)... without even leaving the house. Those black squiggly things have become a huge part of who I am, and I will not apologize.
I... READ! (cue fanfare)
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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1 comments:
Well written, me dear! I completely and totally concur. Books + library = happy Stacy. I have often fantasized about what would happen if I 'accidentally' got locked into a library overnight? Our main central Mpls library has gas fireplaces and reading nooks that overlook part of the city. It's enchanting and makes me never want to leave.
I have come to find out (the hard way, of course) that I can't be good friends with people who don't read. There's just something lacking.
And? Those of us who read and it's like a movie in our minds? We're rarer than we think. (read: SPECIAL)
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