Life gets crazy--school, work, relationships, friends, family, fun. It's always important to take a step back, brush aside everyday life and appreciate the little things in life to bring you back down to earth. For avid readers, some of those little things revolve around books. Aspects of their appearance, the places they come from, and the stories themselves can spark fascination, calm, comfort, even joy in those that often live in the worlds contained in the pages of their favorite books. Here are five of the little things about books that most readers get hooked on.

1. The smell.

Each book has its own smell. It can tell you how old the book is, how often it’s read, if it’s given the love and care required to preserve it. There’s nothing quite like picking up a volume and fanning the pages, watching the story flip by and detecting a hint of its former home.

2. The soft, velvety pages of old books.

Although it may not look appealing, the pages of aged and frequently used books have a unique feel. Over the passage of time and through being handled by readers, pages go from textured to almost glossy. Running your fingers down the page as you read is one of the best feelings for a book lover.

3. The little notes or makes made inside.

What do they mean? Are they just notes for future essays or reports? Are they meaningful to a former reader in some way? Am I seeing something deeply personal or important to another person or is it simply a way to remind the reader of something? This is perhaps one of the greatest mysteries of all.

4. Libraries.

The swooping ceilings, sunlight streaming in through high, arched windows, illuminating the dust most swirling around the labyrinth of shelves, each shelf containing hundreds of mini-universes, entire lifetimes and endless possibilities….Yeah, that's pretty cool.

5. Finding the stories that stick with you.

Sometimes, you read something that you just click with; something about the story, the characters, even the time of life in which you read it can make it one of the most influential events of your life. Whether it be "Harry Potter" or the Bible, books have the power to shape us.