Biblio-profiled
Gotta HaveBooks! (Photo credit: henry…)
Book Boosters. That’s my term for those of us that love books, love reading, love to promote reading and books. Reading–rhymes with breathing. Can’t go through life without either. Actually, make that a day. Something as wonderful as reading books tends to get knocked about: Bookworm, Get Outside, You’re Reading Another Book. You know the gamut.
Apparently we bibliophiles (very different from being a bibliomaniac) are profiled as being loners, hoarders, idolizers of authors, browsers–I shall not continue. An article in the Huffington Post entitled “These Stereotypes About Book Lovers Are Absolutely True, and That’s a Good Thing” lists 31 stereotypes. I’ve pulled the Top Ten I’ll admit to:
1. I never leave home without a book (I count the one I got going on my iPhone)
2. I don’t loan out books for fear of having them returned in a shabby condition (do not dog ear, please oh please)
3. I give books as presents (even if they would rather have a Red Robin gift card).
4. I would actually collect author trading cards (I’ll trade you my Vonnegut for your Whitman).
Author trading cards available? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
5. Yes, I do read about how famous authors became so well-loved because I do believe myself to be a page away from writing the Great American Novel (okay, I’ll amend that to Novel)
6. Bad movie adaptations can crease my day (perhaps not my whole summer, just a couple of weeks worth)
7. Finding a typo is irritating (though I live in a glass house, I’m afraid)
8. Yes, I do have strong, unwavering opinions about e-books (never mind what I said in #1)
9. Being located near a library is more important than other aspects of moving (Libraries rate over Starbucks proximity)
10. Audio books are marvelous road trip companions (Will it bother you if I plug in my book?)
Then in a December 2013 post, BookRiot blogger Dr.B busted a move and dispelled some very important points: not caring about dog earing books *gasp* or cracking spines *be still my heart*; rarely giving books as gifts *but, but, they would like this one–I’m sure they would*; not caring about bad adaptations *oh, to have such strength*; typos? no big deal *again, to have such a cavalier attitude*.
Just another fool reading a book (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What leanings do you have towards your profiling? Are you the Huffington style of traditional or more of the forgiving Dr. B?
Pam Webb 
I’m a little more forgiving, I always have a book with me and have very strong feelings about e-books (although I’ve mellowed slightly). I don’t give books as gifts unless I’m sure someone will want it because I realise that not everyone is the obsessive reader that I am but I do lend my books out because I love to share my obsession. I have been known to dog-ear but I would never crack a spine. And I’m not particularly interested in the lives of authors as I’m not interested in movie stars/musicians/famous scientists, it’s their work I love, not them.
I do hate a bad adaptation though! And typos.
I get so interested in the author’s work that I want to find out the how and why behind it. Sometimes this enhances my understanding and sometimes it’s “oh oh, too much information.”
Author trading cards, blimey that is taking it to the extreme. I do refuse to watch a film before I read the book, then usually just refuse to watch the film to the chagrin of friends who just don’t seem to understand. In my spare time I poke e-readers with sticks.
Haha–warn me if you are in the vicinity and I happen to be reading Jane Eyre on my iPhone
1. I usually have at least one book in my bag just-in-case, even if it goes through periods of being ignored.
2. I loan books out like crazy because I would prefer to share a great read then keep them pristine, luckily the people I loan to don’t tend to be the dog-earring type, but if they were I’d (probably) forgive them.
3. I give books as presents to some people (namely close friends and family that also love books) and since a lot of my friends have had kids I’ve definitely become the Book Auntie 🙂
4. I would totally collect author trading cards! Lets make that a thing!
5. I will research authors I’ve recently fallen in love with, but generally I let their work speak for itself.
6. Bad movie adaptations are the worst! In fact I have been known to watch the movie before reading the book (*GASP*) because then at least I’ll be pleasantly surprised with the superior original.
7. Typos are so distracting and they seem to happen more and more in these days of automatic spell-checks and the like! I have been known to correct mistakes and I love to see a correction in library books despite book vandalism usually wounding my Library Technician soul.
8. I use to have a very strong, negative opinion of ebooks, but after doing an assessment on them early on in my Library and Information Services Diploma, and then gaining work in an academic library where ebooks are on the rise, my resolve has wavered. I still don’t own a ereading device though.
9. A local library is very important to me. I still live near the library which I joined as a kid and even if I’m not borrowing on a regular basis, I love to visit and just to know that it’s there if I’m too poor to buy books 😛
10. These days I’m more likely to listen to podcasts than audio books, but they use to be vital before-bed listening and I loved listening to Peter and the Wolf when doing an annual road-trip with my grandparents
Thanks for sharing! I’m terrible about loaning out personal books, but foist class sets on other teachers instead of hoarding them. Still can warm up to e-books much and audio books tend to be reserved for car trips.