I am addicted to books. I’ll admit it. I have had a love affair with books since I taught myself to read at a very young age. Books can take you to a different world and they can make you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. When someone else decides to create a character that is similar to me, or when I read something that feels all too familiar, it makes me feel connected to others in a way that cannot be replicated. So, I decided to write this article for the love of books and for all you book nerds out there who understand. Here are some warning signs that you might be addicted too.

1. Your Favorite Stores are Book Stores

When someone asks you what you want for your birthday or for the holidays, I’m sure something like clothes or money ends up on some people’s wish list. But not yours, and certainly not mine. Not that those things are unappreciated, but it’s just simply that books take the cake. You know you’re obsessed when you receive 6 different book gifts for your birthday. You could spend hours in a bookstore and never get bored. I am incapable of leaving Barnes and Noble without buying a book. I have zero will power when it comes to books, and lately my bank account hates me so, I’ve been hitting up the used book section.

2. You Read Books Before You Watch Movies. Always.

You know you’re dedicated to books when you refuse to see a new movie before you have read the book. The movies rarely ever measure up to the book, so it’s necessary to read the book beforehand. Then you see what mistakes they made when they tried to make that death scene less gory.

3. Your Library is Taking Over

Although with new technology like E-readers and books you can download online, your room is still full of books. If it’s looking like an episode of Hoarders, you may want to consider a new plan. To you, books could never be replaced by nooks, and you love the feeling of turning pages. There is nothing better than curling up with a good book on a rainy day and holing up in your room for hours until your friends remind you that you need to eat dinner.

4. Selling Books is Like Selling a Limb

At some point in the semester, you start to get attached to your favorite books and you can’t ever imagine selling them back to the bookstore for literally three dollars. Why not keep it? You’ve already paid for it once, and what if you need it for another paper someday? The list of excuses is sky high.

5. You Refuse to Bend Pages, or You Write All Over

There are two types of book lovers in the world: people who write in books and people who use bookmarks. I would make the argument that both have appreciation for books as masterpieces. Some want to leave it how they found it, like hiking in the woods, while others want to highlight every poetic word and savor it. Either way you are most likely obsessed.

Book addictions are one of the few addictions that don’t need a cure, so embrace your love for words. If it’s true love, maybe you’ll write one yourself someday.