Hello, my name is Beth and I am a bibliophile.
I have been a bibliophile for most of my life, from the days when my parents would stack cardboard books by my crib, from the days where I memorized Madeliene and convinced my father I could read (little did he realize that I held the book upside down), to the days when I read my first real chapter book, Ann Rinaldi’s A Break With Charity, when I was 8.
My room is filled with books. Stacks of them. Old books, new books, books that have been thumbed through a thousand times and books that I have yet to read. Not to mention all of the books I have floating about in my head, waiting to be written.
My recent book loves are varied. Histories of spy organizations, children’s books of the Dahl variety and epic French literature (I finished Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and will be reading Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo soon). My time to enjoy these works is slim. But still I read.
Books…oh how to praise them without resorting to the usual cliches? They are entertaining and enlightening. We can travel to new worlds and learn about ourselves through characters in books.
But, why do I love books so? Why do I love reading? Writing?
Honestly, I don’t know. My mom bribed me when I was little so I wouldn’t watch TV. $1 a week bonus to allowence if I watched less than 2 hours of TV. It worked pretty well–I didn’t watch any TV show until Lost premiered in 2004 (and I’ve been a pretty loyal fan; am finally watching season 6). But I digress.
My love of books began long before those days and has continued even after I belatedly discovered the awesome stories that can air on TV (24, Lost, The Prisoner) and how great movies are. If anything, I’ve become more of a bibliophile, being drawn to new authors, and to more classic works. If it hadn’t been for The Prisoner, I doubt I would have read Kafka’s The Trial or anything by John Le Carre (I love research. Have I said that before? I LOVE RESEARCH).
Books, unlike television, aren’t dependent on a schedule or pricey cable package. I can always go to the library and get something new to read.
Ned Wolfe 
I very much feel the same. I’m always amazed when someone says ‘oh I don’t really read much’ or ‘I mainly stick to newspapers and magazines’. Why would you deny yourself something that was so much fun (especially as it doesn’t cause any damage like certain other fun things)? I get such a lot of pleasure from books of a kind that I can’t get from films, TV or music (much as I love those things too). And I feel the same about writing.
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Agreed! All I need is a good book, a notebook and a pen. I can be thoroughly entertained until the notebook runs out of paper, the pen has no ink, and my book has been read over and over again.
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Hello, my name is Rafael and I am a bibliophile.
And proud of it!
😀
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Are we having to admit the extent of our addictions literary fascination? It may take some time to go through the insane and detailed things I am prepared to do to get my hands on certain books…
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Only if you want to. XD
And you are speaking to the person who wanted to go to the Library of Congress for some books when interlibrary loan worked fine…
Bibliophiles Anonymous does not recognize a love of books as a problem, rather, something to be celebrated.
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