You knew it was coming. You had your summer reading list: the personal one, with its amazing contemporary titles that you’ve absolutely devoured this holiday, but still have dozens left to go through; and the academic one, with the dry prose and difficult language, and intimidating page counts you’ve struggled to put a dent in, let alone complete. And now it’s happening: school/college is about to recommence, and you’re not sure whether Anna Karenina can be read in 48 hours without lifting your eyes from the page and, you know, eating or drinking (note: it can’t).
However, whether you’re returning to middle school, high school, or college there is that other side of the coin which brings a warm and cozy feeling to the serious book lover It’s the autumn term: season of mists, and sweaters and scarves, and the whole attractive romance of academia. This is what book lovers live for. If you’re no longer confident you fit into this category, given your unwillingness to pre-read the entirety of Paradise Lost this summer, check to see whether any of these seem familiar:
1. You attempt to finish your entire personal summer reading list before term starts
No true booklover is without a TBR pile (or piles). Problem is, given a little time and free rein over the holiday, that pile grew and began to teeter Pisa-style and you just know that all those new TBR books are going to taunt you when you’re reading for class rather than pleasure. So, who wouldn’t try to get through them all now? (Sorry, eyes.)
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2. You find yourself buying even more books
The school reading list needs must be bought. No-one said only the reading list titles must be bought, however. Really, the school was enabling your addiction. You are not culpable. Nope.
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3. You already know the answer to the question, “What did you do all summer?”
Italy, internships, backpacking through Asia – these might all very well have been undertaken, but it’s the books you read along the way that count. Nobody who knows you would dream to ask the question without expecting bibliographic details, too.
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4. For the truly die-hard booklover: literary-themed stationery
It’s not just book lovers who love stationery shopping. Simply everyone becomes a wide-eyed child again when contemplating new pencils, notepads, and folders (and so on and so forth). Add to that mix a bookish theme and, Mr Store owner, you’ve struck gold.
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5. Required reading brings out the procrastinator in you
Yes, the term “book lover” is seemingly self-explanatory, but there are books and then there are books. You should love Charles Dickens in all his prosaic glory, but really that latest YA Fantasy novel satisfies you in so many more ways than Victorian tomes.
6. You read ahead for assignments – not necessarily in order
If there’s a title on the list for the term that you’ve always wanted to read (that is, perhaps, tucked precariously into one of your TBR piles), then chances are that baby is going to be in your hands and open before you can say “Hey, presto!” You really don’t care if you’re supposed to wait, and no-one need ever know…
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7. You shop for backpacks that double as portable libraries
Channeling Rory Gilmore, as a book lover you appreciate the thought that goes into backpack selection. Your spine will thank you, given that a considerable chunk of your personal bookshelf accompanies you to school each day.
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8. Books about going back to school are your new addiction
Like an actor preparing for a role, there’s something about books set on campus that feels like research for the real thing. Or at least that’s what you like to tell yourself while trying not to accept you’re still procrastinating over the required reading…
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9. You draw up a TBR list for the entire year
Likelihood is, you fell off the wagon over the summer and seriously dumbed down the type of books you were reading. You know you’ve got to get serious again: hence the list chock full of classics and non-fiction. #Goals
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10. Your motto is, “There is always time to read.”
It may seem odd to others that you still find time to read once the new term commences, but it’s actually quite simple, especially if you have a long commute by bus or train. Then there are the wee small hours of the morning…
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11. These habits still come out when academia is far behind you
A book lover is a book lover for life. Taking my daughter shopping for the start of the next school year brings out a nostalgia for the above like no other. And when we have to go to that bookstore…Well, really, we don’t actually need an excuse to go!
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What habits mark you as a book lover when school starts in the fall?
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Featured image via PB Works
h/t Bustle
