Head down, nose in a book. Gentle eyes scanning each line, pausing to take it all in. Embracing the adventure of an alternate life. We all know that one girl, her muscles tense as she passes a bookstore, eyes darting to the new releases, barely able to stop herself from going in. This is a girl you want to keep close.

She puts herself in the shoes of every character she encounters, always open to different perspectives. She has an awareness of people. Always understanding and easy to befriend. She allows her mind to wander through another world, taking in all it has to offer. She’ll lose herself for minutes, even hours, but she always finds her way back to reality.

This girl is beautiful-- not in a way as superficial as her appearance, but in the way she uses her mind. Expect a challenge. She’ll disagree with you, question your motives, and force you to think outside the box. She will make your head spin, surprising you every single day and teach you about the world. About yourself.

She may be a talker, babbling on about characters in faraway places. Places with more adventure than she can imagine. Every time she finishes a book, she takes a piece of it with her, slowly building herself with each novel, each poem, each word. Adding to the creative beauty that she is.

You’ll want to watch this girl as she reads. Watch her lips slowly curling into a smile when the heroine finally gets her guy. Or a red blush burn her cheeks as she reads through a steamy scene. Watch her eyes dampen as a character is lost, or quiet laughter escape her as she finds humor.

She finds a home in her novels, and she’s sentimental about each one. She has a deep-seated passion for used bookstores, appreciating the smell of a book that has touched so many lives before her. She has a long list of favorites but is always open to suggestions. She loves to see the characters grow and learn, just as they help her grow and learn.

More than a friend, this girl makes an ideal partner, for she’s more interested in words than Instagram likes. She’s an easy buy for birthdays and holidays-- if you know her favorite authors. Though her head can often be in the clouds (or wherever her books take her), she’s down to earth. She strives for a life of love and adventure.

If you’re looking for someone who sees life as an adventure, someone who will encourage all of your dreams (and expect the same in return), then befriend the girl who reads. She’s a one-of-a-kind girl with never-ending potential.

“Because when I read, I don’t really read; I pop a beautiful sentence into my mouth and suck it like a fruit drop, or I sip it like a liqueur until the thought dissolves in me like alcohol, infusing brain and heart and coursing through the veins to the root of each blood vessel.” -Bohumil Hrabal