There is something about being a lover of all things books that sets you apart from the rest of the world. It’s that feeling of getting lost in a world that’s not yours. Escaping from your own reality, to a reality much more fascinating. It’s the moment when you know the book will be one you hold close forever. My best friend and I always say that people who aren’t book readers just don’t understand what it feels like, and it’s impossible for us to explain in the right words. So here’s to all my fellow book lovers, and the things only we understand.

1. The moment you walk into a bookstore and it’s as if you have entered the gates of heaven.

This is one thing I really can't make people understand. Letting me into a bookstore is like letting an alcoholic loose in a liquor store. I just can't help myself. When I walk in, I feel like I just have to have EVERYTHING, and I'm just way too excited to make a logical decision.

2. The smell and feel of a brand new book.

If you are a true book reader, you still appreciate the feeling of holding an actual book in your hands. I am not talking about a nook or an iPad. I mean the real deal. When you get a new book, it’s pure joy. Being able to hold the crisp clean copy is wonderful, and you can never get over that new book smell. Am I right? It just can’t be explained.

“I stepped into the bookshop and breathed in that perfume of paper and magic that strangely no one had ever thought of bottling.” –Carlos Ruiz Zafon

3. It doesn’t matter how many pages are left. It doesn’t matter what time it is. If the book is really good, you are going to finish it tonight.

When it's 1 a.m., and you get to the best part of the book, you decide that sleep no longer matters. You are going to finish that book no matter what it takes.

4. When you already have twelve unread books waiting at home, but “Oh, look! Barnes and Nobles. Yeah, I don’t have any books to read. I HAVE to go in.”

This one speaks for itself. You all know what I mean. Self-control goes out the window.

5. When you want to finish the book, but you don’t want to finish the book.

When you rush to finish a book, but you experience true heartbreak because it ended too soon. Everything in you wants to know what happens to the characters, but you don’t want the story to ever end. It’s a real struggle.

6. Feeling the emotions along with the characters.

“Of course it is happening inside your head Harry, But why on earth does that mean its not real.” - J.K. Rowling

Don’t tell me its not real. You don’t know how it feels to immerse yourself in a world full of magic. It feels real okay. Let me have feelings.

7. Going to see a movie that is based off the book and being the person who judges every detail and is never satisfied.

Your friends get annoyed because you are never satisfied with the movie. The movie is just never as good as the book.

8. That moment when you are at the most intense part of the book, and you keep skipping lines without thinking because you want to know what happens next.

You just can’t wait to get to the good part, so the details go down the drain. You can go back and read what you missed later.

9. The struggle of wanting to own every book you read.

Again with the e-readers. I just can’t deal. I have to own every book that I read. If you don’t own it, did you even read it?

10. Having dreams about what your future library will look like.

Most people dream about decorating their future kitchen or bedroom. I have an entire Pinterest board of how to decorate and organize an at-home library. You guys know what I mean.

11. Wishing you had more bookshelf space.

Until you get that beautiful masterpiece of a library, there is an eternal struggle to fit all your beautiful books on a bookshelf.

“May the odds be ever in your favor.” – Suzanne Collins

12. Realizing half way through a happy chapter, that you have a huge grin on your face.

I have found myself in Starbucks with a huge dumb grin on my face too many times.

13. When your favorite characters fall in love, your heart actually explodes with happiness.

“If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.” – Nicholas Sparks

You experience the character’s emotions with them. When the main characters finally fall in love, you feel like you fell in love with them. It’s just the best moment ever.

14. Cringing when people ask if they can borrow your favorite book.

People ask me to borrow my favorite book, and every bad scenario enters my mind. This is my pride and joy. Do not even think about dog-earing it. Don’t even think about eating while you hold it. If you lose it or don’t give it back, I will hunt you down.

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There are so many more struggles of a book reader that I could list. I had a hard enough time narrowing it down to fourteen. The reality is being a book lover is like being in a secret club that only the members can truly appreciate. When you meet someone who says they love to read, you automatically understand a fraction of the other person’s soul. A soul that loves to be fed by words, characters and emotion.

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin