I am calling out all of you, book worms! Old, romantic souls with a crazy passion for books, those magical paper objects that have made you cry, laugh, dream, and have helped you to get through the toughest moments of your life by giving you the words that you needed to keep going on.

I am talking to you, book lovers of all genres and of all authors. Here are seven things you know to be true:

1. Bookstores are your heaven and hell at the same time.

When you enter into a book store you feel like a kid in a candy store. Your mouth is opened in awe and your eyes can’t stop looking around. That is your favorite place on earth; where you are surrounded by the things you love the most and by other fellow book lovers who understand your book obsession.

It is heaven…filled with temptation. There are hundreds of new books that are calling your name with a sensual voice, perfectly knowing that they are going to be the death of your bank account. So I know exactly the conversation you are having in your head: “I want to buy this book so bad, but I still have TEN other books that I haven’t even touched yet and I am broke. So I don’t need it. No.No. No. I can do this! What’s the point of buying it anyway?" And before you can answer to these questions and clear up the mess in your head, the cashier is smiling at you saying: “It’s 53 dollars and 20 cents!"

2. You prefer books to people.

It’s as simple as that. If you had to choose between a loud party full of drunk people who won’t even remember you were there the day after, and a chill night reading your favorite book, drinking hot chocolate while wearing your favorite pajamas, what would you pick? A true book lover would pick the second option.

Moreover, books do not talk and annoy you as people do. They won’t tell you to do the laundry or wash dishes. They won’t talk behind your back or break your heart. They will just be there for you. So books are better than people (most of the time).

3. The smell of a new book gets you excited.

Every book lover knows that unique, intense smell of fresh printed paper that makes your head spin and gets you pumped up to start reading.

I wish I could bottle it up and use it as a perfume fragrance… how many of you would buy that?

4. You are in love with fictional characters.

Raise your hand if you have always dreamed that Mr. Darcy, Lancelot, Edward Cullen, Peeta, Four, Mr. Gatsby, and Westley would ring your doorbell with a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolate (or chicken nuggets)? I certainly have.

These charming fictional characters fill our hearts with hope and set such a high bar for guys. It’s hard to settle down when we have such incredible examples of love, courage, compassion and kindness. It’s okay to admit it, we are all in love with them. I wish I could have a magic wand so I could bring all these amazing men in real life (nobody tell this to my boyfriend, please).

5. You read the book BEFORE seeing the movie.

In most cases, the book is always going to be better than the movie. End of the discussion. Book lovers tend to be peaceful people, but when they come across those infamous individuals that dare to say, "Oh I just watched the movie so now I don’t need to read the book," a furious beast has been awoken. Movies are great representations of the story, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. If you actually take the time to dig deeper, you will find that books encloses an entire world of emotions and secrets which you would have never be able to find if you stopped at the surface.

6. You bring a book everywhere you go.

A book is the first thing I pack on my suitcase. I can bring less clothes, but I can't cut out books. I love bringing my books everywhere I go: swimming pool, park, bathroom, school… Every occasion is always a good one to read.

7. You have lost innumerable nights of sleep to finish a book.

I would need a 3 year vacation to recover all the sleep I've lost to books. I know how it is, it’s 3 a.m. and you are reading the last chapters of this book that you started two days ago. Your eyes are closing for the lack of sleep, but you can’t stop now. You NEED to keep reading. You want to know how it ends. Who cares about sleep? Sleep is for the weak.You get some toothpicks to keep your eyes open and you keep reading until 5 am. That’s what we, book lovers, call a true hero.

I love sharing my love for books and I feel like that, in these days, people are reading less and less. Reading is such a crucial activity for humans because it benefits their health and contributes to their happiness. In fact, reading a book not only stimulates the brain development, but it also enriches your soul. Like George R.R. Martin says, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once”. Through the characters of the book, we can experience several aspects of life at once under many different point of views which, at the end, that’s what we all want to do: live life to the fullest.