The Reader's Choice

I come from a family of readers.  I also work in a public library, belong to a book group, and majored in English literature.  Needless to say, I am surrounded by readers on a daily basis, and many of my friends are avid bookworms.  However, every once in a while, I am reminded that, to some, we readers are an odd bunch.

Yes, that's right, there are people who do not read.  And although that is their prerogative, some of them cannot understand the appeal that books have to us bibliophiles.  It is fair to say that there is a certain stigma attached to book lovers in some quarters, perhaps a perception of us as "nerds," "geeks," or "dorks."

Even I become aware of this stigma at times, particularly on a Friday night when many of my friends are about to hit the bars, and I am settling in with a salad (and don't let me fool you, a piece of cake or a cookie will follow) and a good book.  Don't get me wrong: I had my "going out" phase, but it was short-lived and I often felt somewhat out of place.  I mean, I had fun, but always felt I was in a dream, or putting on some sort of act, secretly wishing I could escape to a comfortable chair and a book.

What some non-readers forget is that, for book lovers, reading is a hobby, an activity, a pleasure-provider.  It's not passive, it's active.  It's something we do.  Just as some people have sports, camping, movies, or stamp collecting (people still collect stamps, right?); some people have scrapbooking, bar hopping, automobiles, or golf; we have reading.  Some of us have reading and lots of other hobbies too, but somehow, reading is not always perceived as a legitimate passtime.  In my circles, it certainly is, but trust me, there is a modicum of judgment out there.

I consider myself an avid reader, but there are those who outread me.  Some of the patrons who come in to the library would put me to shame!  They come in with a giant tote bag of books to return, and they don't leave until the bag is full again.  And these are people who come in on a weekly basis!  Yes, I know what you're thinking: do they read all of them?  Yes, they do!  They are serious about their books, and I love them all the more for that fact.

You can tell serious readers by the way they panic at the thought of not having a book, although if their homes are anything like mine, they probably have an arsenal of unread titles at their disposal.  Still, though, they panic.  If there's a storm on the horizon, we will be especially busy at work, as people stock up on books as though they were milk and bread.  Also amusing are the people who are getting ready to go on vacation, and they want to make sure they are not without a book during their trip.  These are my kinds of people.

The perception of readers as lonely individuals with no lives outside of their books is inaccurate.  Sure, there are people like that, and I believe it's wonderful that they have books to turn to.  But readers come in all stripes and varieties, and most have active, fulfilling lives.  What non-readers don't always understand is that we enthusiastically choose to build books and reading into our lives.  It's not that we don't have other stuff to do, it's that we choose to make reading a priority.

And you'll catch us reading just about anywhere: on busses, trains, and planes; in living rooms and on porches; curled up in bed, or sprawled out on the beach; on lunch breaks at work, or the five minutes before a meeting.  Give us an opportunity, and out will come our book (or Nook, or Kindle).

Why we read, well, that's a topic for another day.  But rest assured, we are a large group, and we are passionate.  Reading is of the utmost pleasure, and it's something book lovers proudly claim as a hobby and a central part of our lives.   So the next time you roll your eyes at the friend who chooses to curl up with a book on a Friday night, remember there's a good chance that she/he's having just as much fun as you will be when you drag your drunk self home from the bar.