Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Outrageous Things I’ve Done for the Love of Books.” Aside from maybe staying up a little late to read (11pm is late, right?), I don’t think I’ve done anything too extreme in the name of books. So instead I am listing things that have earned me some questioning looks from non-readers. I’m sure you can all relate.
1. ARCs – No one outside of the book community knows what an ARC is. Advanced Readers Copy means nothing to them either. I’ve tried to explain it many times to outsiders. They just don’t get what the big deal is.
2. Having unread books on your shelf – Never reveal how many books on your shelf you haven’t read to a non-reader. You will be judged.
3. Rereading – I love to reread and I don’t often get a chance to, but I really enjoy revisiting old favorites. But try explaining why you want to read a book again for the fourth time to someone who isn’t a huge fan of reading. Puzzled looks guaranteed to follow.
4. Owning multiple editions – I keep it on the down low how many editions of HP I own and how many I still want to buy. I also have so many editions of Jane Austen books as well, which I would only admit to you, my friends.
5. The need to buy more books – Non-readers seem to be under the impression that after reading/buying/borrowing a certain number of books, you no longer want more?
6. Buying accessories for Instagram – I don’t even try to explain why I am buying more fake flowers when I have tons at home. Explaining book pictures is also quite a conversation. We love to read books, but also love pretty pictures of books! Also, I made an Instagram a few weeks ago if you want to follow me (@akernelofnonsense). Flowers abound.
7. How much time spent book blogging – Yes, I know I spend lots of time on my phone/computer working on my blog. It’s hard but I enjoy it. It’s like any other hobby in that it’s how I choose to spend my free time.
8. Always carrying a book with me – Why is my handbag so heavy? Aside from the secret snacks I keep in there, I usually keep a book inside. Even when I know I probably won’t have time to read, I take one because what if I do have some time?
9. The book blogging community – I don’t think many non-readers understand how many people love books. Like, we have a whole book community. We have websites, book twitter, bookstagram, booktube, booklr. We regularly interact with other readers, publishers, and authors. It’s small in the grand scheme of things, but there are so many people who love books out there.
10. Fawning over a book – Whether it be a cover, endpapers, spines, naked hardbacks, how do you explain the beauty that a book is to an outsider who has probably never even given a spare thought to any of these things?
What are some bookish things you love or do that puzzle non-readers in your life? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave me a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit.
I relate to buying bookstagram things, unread books, carrying books with me everywhere and of course, the time spent in book blogging. It’s SO time consuming, but also enjoyable and a wonderful learning experience, too. 🙂 Also, this community is THE best.
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It really is so time-consuming and that’s not even factoring in time spent reading the books we talk about. I agree, I love this community.
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I consider you one of my book blogging friends. I totally understand all your items today. My Bookish behaviors
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As I do you!
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OMG this post is amazing and relatable af 😁😁😁
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I’m so glad you found this one relatable!
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Re- reading *nods*. SO true. And ARC’s- oh my gosh again so true. Sometimes they just look at you like huh?? when the subject of ARC’s comes up! And great point with #9. Unless you KNOW the book blogging community I think it’s hard for mundanes to get it??
Awesome examples!!
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I think book bloggers and others in the community are the only ones who get excited about ARCs. I agree, sometimes it can feel like you are the only bookworm in the room, but the blogging community makes you feel like you’re not alone.
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I can relate to all of these 😹😹 also sometimes when I used to take outside pictures for my bookstagram everyone in the park just stared like: why is she taking pictures of a book in the tree?
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YES! I don’t take pictures outside anymore because of the looks I used to get. That and I’m always afraid they might get dirty.
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Oh gosh yes to all of these. People don’t understand why I have so many unread books or how I can read books before release date or etc…
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It’s sometimes hard to forget the book community has it’s own language and I guess you can say culture.
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Yass I know. Book blogging… probably have a whole new set if ten for that one 🙈 Yeah Instagram uhhh the invention of devil
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Yes, even book nerds would be amazed at the things we book bloggers do.
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I know right. Not sleeping because of reading. Not sleeping because of blogging. LOL am sleep deprived
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Haha love your take on this topic. I do get confused looks for carrying books everywhere with me! I used to unload a stack of books at the library where my friends and I studied together and top it off with a fiction book and get some funny looks 😂 also yesssss on ARCs. I excitedly tell my non bookish friends I got an arc and get a lot of confusion back
My list: https://bookslifeotheroddities.wordpress.com/2019/04/09/10-crazy-things-all-bookworms-have-done/
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Yes, I’ve shard ARC news with nonreaders and they don’t understand any of it.
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I’m guilty of all except buying props for bookstagram. I don’t have the patience for that (yet I have the patience to write a 300 page book, go figure).
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Instagram is definitely a lot harder and time-consuming than it looks.
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Yes! I completely agree with this post Alicia. Non readers just don’t get it!
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I’m so glad you agree!
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Great list! So many of these are so relatable. 4 is especially one I’ve received weird looks for in the past! I like to own multiple editions of my favourite novels – I have 5 different versions of The Goblin Emperor…
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Yep! I’ve gotten weird looks while looking at another edition of P&P. I can’t help it that I want pretty editions!
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I relate to every single one of these LOL I think non-readers probably also just don’t care. Fair enough I guess but they are missing out.
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I agree, they aren’t part of the community, so never learned how to care about these things.
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The need to buy more books all the time is literally me, even though I already have a huge TBR list haha
Lotte | http://www.lottelauv.blogspot.co.uk
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There are always more books coming out, so of course you are interested in more all the time.
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The ARC one is so very true. I’ve had to explain it many times.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
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And the explanation doesn’t always stick, does it?
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You’ve hit the nail on the head with so many of these. Yes, even Mr. Barb doesn’t quite understand the satisfying squeal when I get approved for an anticipated arc. Great job!
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Haha, so relatable!
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I had to explain to my parents what ARCs were once and they looked so confused! And yes, my mum is always like, you have all these books that you haven’t read for years, why don’t you get rid of them? *shudders in horror*. She also doesn’t really understand why I constantly buy new books even though I have unread books on my shelves and I’ve stopped bothering trying to explain it.
My TTT; https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/09/top-ten-tuesday-206/
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Sometimes just leaving them to their confusion is the best course of action.
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You’re probably right!
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Haha all of these are so true! Great post. 🙂
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I’m so glad you enjoyed!
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The book blogging community is a good answer. So many people don’t understand how important it is!
My post.
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Yep or how big it is, or how enthusiastic we all are about books!
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This was such a good list!! So true omg. 😂 Non readers never understand why I keep wanting to buying more books 😩 And yes!! Before blogging I had no idea how big the bookish community really was ahaha, it’s so great. 💞
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Thank you! Yes, I’ve tried to explain that each year more books are published, so there are always new books I am interested in, no matter how many unread ones I may have. Me neither and I’m so glad I found this community.
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This list is so relatable! I always have at least one book in my bag and I’m not revealing how many unread books I own to anyone, even readers would judge 😂
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Haha, totally understandable!
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I own so many multiple editions. I can’t help it, especially if it’s a book I love so much! Great list.
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
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Right? Sometimes there are just too many pretty editions of a book. It’s hard to resist.
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This post is so me!!!! Particularly, the hours spent book blogging, the need ti buy new books, and the shelf comment. Here is my post – https://paigesofbook.blogspot.com/2019/04/top-ten-tuesday.html
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I spend so much time on my blog, it really baffles outsiders.
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My roommate certainly gives me a look when I try to wander into a bookstore or come home with new books because she knows how many piles of unread books are currently gracing my shelves and floor. But I can’t be stopped!
Also, yes, always bring a book everywhere. It gets me through lines or waiting for a person to show up (and I can get through my read that much faster, so I can read MORE things).
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None of us can be stopped! Haha, I like the way you think. Sometimes there are really long lines and taking out a book is the best way to pass the times.
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OMG THESE GIFS ARE AMAZING I LOVE IT!!!
Oh yah the time I spend book blogging was on my list too! It’s pretty insane hahaha but it’s part of the book blogging experience right? And yes, the amount of unread titles I have on my shelf is kind of ridiculous – I need to get on that LOL
For me I would say reading late (where one time I pulled an all nighter and I was so invested I didn’t even realize the time LOL) The logical thing might be to get the sleep we need but when I have an addicting book in my hands, my brain thinks otherwise hehehe
Great post btw! 🙂
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Thanks! Sometimes I think only book bloggers truly know how much effort we put into blogging. I’ve lost track of time, but only during the day while reading. I love sleep, so staying up all night is out of the question for me.
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Lol YES for bookstagram props and trying to explain them! People are always like, “… Okay?” And I’m like, “I really don’t have time to go into the nuances of why bookstagram is so important” haha
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Haha, there is so much sassy in that reply, I love it. It reminds me of that gif of Ben Wyatt where he says, “I don’t even have time to explain to you how wrong you are.”
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ahaha I didn’t mean for it to sound that way but it totally is! LOL. I felt so self-conscious taking pictures in public, like at a cafe or park. There’s a serious confidence and “IDGAF” attitude you have to have to do that lol.
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Yes! To have the confidence of some of those bookstagrammers who will snap a pick of a book anywhere!
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Even like, on the corner of my street I’m always like, “Are people staring at me??” Or when I’m like in a library taking a picture of the shelves I’m always so concious of it, haha.
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This is a great post! This is so true!
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Yay, I’m so glad you liked it!
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I really liked your twist on today’s topic! I definitely feel you on so many of these.
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Thank you so much! Glad you can relate.
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I would totally agree with rereading – for people who can’t even fathom reading a book, I’m sure they wouldn’t understand reading the same one over and over!
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Yep, that is exactly it. I always get weird looks when I tell someone I am reread a book.
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I love the cat. And books. But the cat is cute.
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Sometimes when I talk about this stuff to others, they look at me like I’m speaking another language! 😀
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Having unread books definitely confuses people. A lot of people have told me that they don’t buy a new book until they finish their unread one. How do people do that?! Hordes of new books just seem to show up at my house!
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This is so amazing self-control that I will never have.
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haha I Can definitely realte to ALL of this! Especially the carrying the books AND carrying bookstagram props with me because I never know when I’ll have the time to photograph books. SO I carry at least a month of “new arrivals” in the car with the props and when I find a time, good light and a good setting to take pics then I do it LOl it could be in a park or a beach and everyone looks at me like I’m totally nuts! LOL
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It sounds like you put a lot of work into your Instagram. I’m in awe!
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I LOVE all of this!! ❤
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Thank you!
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I do find it puzzling when people have multiple copies of the same book, lol. I think the only book for me for which that is true is The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I had this nice 1992 edition that had all my notes in it. Then, when I started teaching it, all my students would buy the mass market paperback that costs half as much. Grrrr.
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p.s. I’m so late on this post because it was in my spam! :O
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Oh no!
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Then I will not share with you the number of P&P editions I own. It’s a lot. But some of them are really pretty and unique.
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You should totally share a pic in a future post or on Twitter.
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These are 100% accurate. If I had a dollar for every time my friends/family would say, “You want to buy a book AGAIN?” I would probably be filthy rich. They just don’t get my need for an imaginary adventure!! Also, whenever I squeal from excitement if I get approved for an ARC, my family would instantly judge me even though I’ve explained to them countless times why it’s very important to me. *sighs dramatically* Oh well, at least we readers can relate to each other. ❤
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Right?! I feel like I hear that every time I get a new book. Like, being a bookworm means your appetite is never sated. Yes, it’s one reason I love this community so much. We don’t have to explain ourselves to each other.
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Secret snacks haha! I love it! I have a snack drawer at work 😀 And yes, I always carry a book and/or my kindle in my purse… pretty sure my amount of unread owned books horrifies non-readers/non-bloggers. On the flip side I always find it baffling when people (on facebook for example) have “read all their books and need suggestions.” I will never be done reading all my books lmao.
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This has convinced me that all bookbloggers share a single brain and it’s just filled with books we haven’t read yet…
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I love that I can come here and you all immediately understand me.
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