Relationships with books

Today, I came across an amusing article which describes four different types of people on the basis of their relationships with books: surfacey relationship people, serial monogamists, committed people and commitment phobic people.

I'd describe myself as a loyal adventuress. I have a type. I have my favourite authors. I have my favourite genre. When I fall in love with a book, I think about it, I dream about it, I want to talk about it (and I hardly ever want to talk about anything). It gives me comfort. It is a love that never dies.

I used to be clingy with books: once I started reading, I was determined to finish. Even if I knew it wasn't a good match. These days, I have no time for an unsatisfying fling. If a book doesn't engage me, I break up with it.

But I confess: my loyalty has its limits. Unless the book I'm reading is a keeper, a real catch, I have affairs on the side. I have threesomes. I read two books at the same time. Usually three. Or four. Or...

The adventurer part of me enjoys novel experiences and craves change. It is that side which makes me sample new authors, try genres I've never tried before or pick up books I don't normally read. To keep a relationship fresh and the romance hot, you need to break the routines, try something new.

That's why, when I go to a library, I get all giddy: all these different books! Any one of them is a potential treasure, a portal to new experiences, a start of a beautiful friendship. Or a love affair. Sometimes I go on my expedition with a plan, with a mission: a list of books I want to read. But I enjoy those adventures more when I don't have a map. Just browsing the shelves, randomly picking up books... you never know, you might find the one!