13 Struggles of Being a Book Lover

If you ask any of your book-loving friends what the best part of being a bookworm is, I'm sure they will be able to give you a whole host of reasons why reading is the Best Thing Ever. (Which, spoiler alert, it totally is.) It teaches you empathy, which makes you a better person! It helps you see things in a whole new light! And, much more simply, it can take your mind off of everything going on in your life and in the world.

So, yes, reading is an amazing hobby. But as anyone who has ever experienced a book hangover knows, being a devoted bookworm isn't always easy. Sometimes your favorite character dies, and you just so happen to be reading that section of the book in public. Oops. Sometimes a series you've loved for years ends, and you're just not ready for that kind of closure. Even worse? Someone could borrow a book and never return it. Like, ever.

It can be hard out there for a book lover. So no matter how much you love reading, chances are you know that it can be something of a struggle. Here are 13 problems every true reader has encountered at least once.

1. Book Hangovers

A book hangover means you just finished a book that was so good, you feel like you'll never recover. You still want to live inside of it, but you can't because it's over. Your options are: reread it immediately, wallow, or of course, begin to pick something that will pull you out of it. Which brings us to...

2. Deciding What to Read Next

The book you read next has to live up to the amazing book you surely just finished. But also has to fit your mood. There are tons of books already in your possession, waiting to be read, but picking one out can be stressful. Better run to the bookstore, just, like, really quick just to look!

3. Movie Adaptations

No one wants to be the person who announces that the book was better. But even if you know there are exceptions, you also know that nine times out of 10, the book was better.

4. Missing Your Stop Because of a Book

You're sure you have a solid chunk of time before you're stop. But you lose track of exactly how much time, and before you know it, your stop is whizzing past you. Ah well, backtracking means more reading time, right?

5. Sobbing in Public Because Someone in a Book Just Died

Of course you never know what's coming, but sometimes, instincts should kick in. Here's a story: I read Marley & Me at the beach. What was I thinking?

6. Organizing Your Bookshelf

By color? By genre? Author? The possibilities are endless, how can you possibly decide?

7. Your Ever-Growing TBR List

The books have started to take over. They're creeping into every ounce of free space, and you're starting to worry one day they'll stage a complete takeover.

8. Lending Out Books

Because, really, who knows if you'll ever see that book again. And what if it comes back ripped, stained, or dog-eared? There's a lot at stake.

9. The Pain of Waiting for the Next Book in a Series

Because not only will you not know what your characters are up to for more than a year, who knows if you'll even remember the last book by the time the next one is released. Looks like you'll have to set aside some rereading time.

10. Packing for Vacation

Going away for a week? You definitely need those 10 books. It's fine. After all, how can you know ahead of time what you'll feel like reading? Gotta have options, and it's best to be prepared, after all.

11. ...Or worse, Packing to Move

"Hi, yes, I need a U-Haul, or seven." Your house is a veritable bookstore, but yeah, sure, packing should be a breeze.

12. When it's 2 a.m., But Maybe You'll Just Read One More Page

Work? School? It'll be fine. Surely, one more page won't hurt anyone, right? But suddenly it's five hours later, you have a finished book by your side, and you might have a problem.

13. Deciding Whether to Keep Reading or Go Out

But really, is it even a question?

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