7 Signs You're Very Well-Read

It definitely takes all sorts of readers to make the literary world go ‘round. There are the casual readers, and then there are the REALLY casual readers (aka people who confuse me.) There are the YA aficionados, and the readers who only worship at the temple of bestseller lists, and those who hide in the bushes outside George R.R. Martin’s house, hoping he’ll accidentally drop some pages of his next epic novel. There are poetry-lovers, and memoir devotees, and readers who have been devouring the same ten classics (1984, Slaughterhouse Five, Wuthering Heights, etc.) since high school. Then there are those wonderful book-loving fools who read absolutely EVERYTHING. Sound familiar?

Sure, readers have our particular preferences. But a well-read person doesn’t shy away from anything, no matter how far a book may roam from the usual titles that grace our carefully categorized shelves. From Harry Potter to War and Peace, and everything in between, it’s infrequent that those of us who consider ourselves among the truly well-read stumble across a book we don’t instantly want to become BFFs with.

Maybe this list perfectly describes you, or sounds exactly like someone you know (remind yourself to ask them for a list of book recommendations later) Here are seven signs that you’re really, REALLY well-read.

Everyone Thought You Worked In The Bookstore

You went on your regular bookstore trip, and instead of coming out with new stuff to buy — there wasn't much, anyway, because you'd read so much of everything in store — you ended up talking to just about everyone in the store. You were a walking, talking recommendation machine, instructing them on what was what, who was who, and basically figuring out for each person what to take home. NO I DO NOT WORK HERE, you told each person, as you pushed a great book into their hands. I SWEAR.

You've Started To Understand The Dewey Decimal System By Osmosis

That's right, you've spent so much time perusing library shelves that all those little numbers taped to the spines of your favorite titles are actually starting to make sense! You generally spend most of your time in the 800s (that's Literature.) You're also starting to become known as that weird girl who re-shelves books to their correct locations even though you don't actually work at the library.

Everything In Your Life Reminds You Of Something You Read In A Book Once. Or In Several Books.

I think we've all watched You've Got Mail enough times (aka hundreds) to remember that one line Meg Ryan emails to Tom Hanks: "So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?" No, lovely Meg. No it should not.

You're The BFF All of Your Friends Call On For Book Recommendations — But Refuse To Actually Invite To Book Club

You can ALWAYS be counted on to give a killer book recommendation, and your fellow book-worshiping friends love perusing the bookshelves of your apartment like it's just another quirky, independent bookstore. But helpful as you may be, you'll never be invited to book club. Why? You not only read ahead (and forget to shout "spoiler alert!" before sharing your thoughts,) you're also more interested in actually analyzing the book than you are in partaking in the wine, snacks, and gossip that everyone else came to book club for.

You Own One Or More Of These:

The only shopping that can ever even come close to the joy that is shopping for books is shopping for items that remind you of your favorite books. Amirite? Literary gifts to readers are what Jimmy Choos are to Carrie Bradshaw.

The Books In Your Apartment Are Shelved Via A Specific System Only You Understand, And You Know Instantly If Something Has Been Moved

And in the event that something HAS been moved, someone is in really, really big trouble.

You've Completed The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge

Yup. Everything from 1984 to The Yearling, from Edward Albee to Sun Tzu, you've read them all. Because let's be real: completing the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge is the only true test of a really well-read person.

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