It's unavoidable. If you are likely to carry a novel around with you at all times just in case or to use your tablet for books more than checking your email and playing Minesweeper, that ever-present aura of dorkiness will always be tinged with a bit of snobbery. There's a self-aware, apologetic, but determined feeling familiar to any bookworm as you try to explain your reading habits to non-readers. All it takes is one slip-up of "I could have written that better," "That reminds of me of this other book I've read," or "I cannot fathom how a book about sparkly vampires was ever published," and you've established yourself as a snob. That doesn't mean that you're not right.
15. Life After An Amazing Book
Singularly humbling to that snobbery, however, is the desolate feeling after finishing a truly amazing book for the first time...and then remembering why you usually stick to rereading. You flew through this new novel, sacrificing hours of sleep and proper meals and communication with the outside world. You just had to know how it would end. And then you do know, and it's over, and there's nothing left to do except wish that you had paced yourself and wonder if it's too soon for a reread. Sure, you can reintegrate yourself in society after your whirlwind experience...but at what cost? It is pain that lingers. There may be a sequel or five waiting for you, but those only serve to prolong the inevitable. You know that you'll do it all over again.
Fiction buff and writer. If it's on Netflix, it's probably in my queue. I've bought DVDs for the special features and usually claim that the book is better than the movie or show (and can provide examples). I've never met a TV show that I won't marathon. Follow on Twitter @lah9891 .
