I close my current book, The Help and look to my right where my housemate (lets call him John) has wandered in and settled on my roomate’s empty bed.
‘Do you have any work left to do?’ he says.
‘Not much, I just have to wait for the rest of my presentation group’s stuff, so nothing at the moment, I can just relax.’ I smile.
‘So your idea of relaxing… is reading a book?’ he says with a tone of disbelief.
I uncross my legs, swivel them round so I am now sitting up on my bed and turn my book over with some weird idea that if it is face down, it won’t take offence to this conversation.
‘Yepp, I read a lot.’
‘You actually’ he raises his eyebrows and scrunches his nose, ‘read…..for pleasure?’
‘Yepp’
‘For real?’
‘Yep’
‘For REAL?’
He looks despairing now.
‘Don’t you like to read then?’ I ask politely.
‘Hell no! I can’t be dealing with that shit.’
* * *
True story.
This happened five minutes ago.
I swear we are two different species bloggers.
Nuff said.
Blogs-Of-A-Bookaholic 
I was the kid at school who would spend breaks beneath a tree somewhere with a book. Maybe that’s why I had so few friends…
I get the same reaction if I tell people my idea of a relaxing holiday is to go hiking in the mountains. Maybe they’re right – perhaps we are crazy.
Me too kokkieh, and I enjoyed every minute of it! Doing that was great in the summer.
I am the same as you in terms of holidays as well. I have to get out and do stuff, explore the place that I’m staying and everything around it.
He’s a pleb and you should definitely kill him.
Sell his body to the local emos and ask them to make a book that’s bound in human skin.
That’ll teach him.
Haha, I love how when you insult people you get so British Michael.
I think that might be a bit of a rash decision, but he definitely needs to be taught a lesson. Maybe I’ll stuff his room full of books, LOL.
Oh yes, you’re definitely the odd one in this scenario. Ha.
Haha totally, I don’t know what I was thinking reading a book, that’s just crazy. 😛
He doesn’t understand us…and that’s o.k…because we don’t understand him either!
That is very true when you put it that way! Thanks for the food for thought. 🙂
what a weirdo!
What does he do for fun? Bug other people with stupid questions! Lame.
Hahaa indeed!
Drinking, like most students lol, that is pretty much my whole houses idea of fun. 😛
Books? Eugh. Those horrible things that they force on us to study from? Why would you read those in your free time when you can do actually fun stuff.. like play Modern Warfare. Or Halo. Or World of Warcraft. Now those are actually fun. Nerd.
For those who don’t know me, yes I am being sarcastic 😛
I totally agree, I mean, books are such hard work, they’re painful soul sucking draining things and who on earth would want to read them? Haha. 😀
Loving the sarcasm *internet high five!*
Ahh, what a poor, misguided soul :(. He knows not what he is missing!
I know right? It’s so sad that he will never understand the wonder of books, he’s too far gone! Lol.
Ha ha what an interesting juxtaposition! By the way, The Help is marvelous.
It is indeed! Thanks, I’m enjoying it a lot and very close to the end now. 🙂
Ughh. These weird people who read books to relax! Crazy bunch. I’d have shot a quotation at him…maybe “Not all those who wander are lost.”
I know right?! We’ve been doing it wrong all these years, reading is not relaxing, it is a chore!
Oooh that’s such a good idea, I wish I had thought of that at the time. 🙂 You genius you!
Oh my, I find it so sad when people don’t enjoy reading, books are magic!
I agree Victoria, knowing that he will never experience the true magic of reading and escaping to amazing worlds with brilliant characters is so sad!
I just had a conversation with my younger cousin/housemate about how she’d never been in a bookstore when she wasn’t forced to buy something for school. It was a painful experience.
Wow really? That’s so sad to me, that some people just can’t find enjoyment in reading. It’s strange how it doesn’t necessarily follow in families as well. I bet it was! At least we bloggers here have each other! 🙂
I think it might be how we were raised. My brothers aren’t quite as voracious readers as I am, but they each have types of books that they like reading, and the can hold their own in a “disccussion.” My cousin cannot. However, I did convince her to try a book I thought she might like, and she’s gotten halfway through it, so there’s still hope.
Ohh that’s interesting, you see, I know quite a lot of families where one sibling likes to read and the other doesn’t so it’s strange how it works sometimes. On the other hand, it’s so great when you can find an entire family that loves to read! Sounds like you are very lucky. 🙂
I hope your cousin ends up liking the book!
ROFL!
I’ll never forget the countless customers that came in to my store and said “I don’t read, just getting this for school.” *Sigh* people these days… Sucks that is your housemate 😦
Ha ha I know right? That’s why after it happened I just had to post it on here before I forgot about it! I thought you guys would appreciate it. 🙂
Wow, I would find it so hard not to say something. It’s hard if you always associate reading with school to get enjoyment out of it, I think that’s what can happen sometimes.
Yeah, not just one either! There is only one person in my entire halls (there’s 13 of us) other than me that reads at all. 😦
If you think that’s bad, imagine having a whole family of people like your John. I swear I must be the only one in my entire family (immediate and extended) who reads for pleasure!
No wayyyyy! Really? That must be so hard if no one understands. My entire house is like it, not just this one guy and because of that I do feel a bit weird reading when they are around because I know they are judging me for it and thinking how strange it is that I like reading haha. I can’t even imagine having a whole family that don’t really get it.
Luckily you have the rest of us crazy bookworms in the blogosphere to chat to! Thanks for commenting Zen, it’s always a pleasure to hear from you. 🙂
I sometimes get that response from my other half! He’s half joking but I know he gets tired of me having my head in a book. You know what it’s like when you can’t put a really good one down. My 8 year old is the same as me though…major bookworm in the making. She’s into Goosebumps at the moment (remember those) and read 4 so far this month
Ha ha how funny! I suppose it must get frustrating sometimes. In the past people I know have had whole conversations with me and I haven’t realised they’re even talking to me because I’m reading and completely tuned out lol.
Ohh that’s so great to hear that you’ve managed to pass on the love of reading. I never read any of the Goosebumps books but I loved the TV series when I was younger. 🙂 I hope she reads many books to come.
That’s exactly like my sister! She only reads when forced by her school and tends to complain whenever we go to the mall together because I’ll always visit the bookstore (and according to her it takes hours to drag me out of there). We’re really close, but sometimes I wonder what our parents did different while raising her…
Awwwh no that’s such a shame, it is amazing how different siblings can be sometimes! I have many friends that sigh the same way with the bookstore thing but luckily I also have a number of friends that understand my obsession too. 🙂
Who knows, maybe one day she’ll discover how amazing books are! *Fingers crossed.*
I think spending hours at bookstores or libraries is, obviously, a book lover’s thing and I have my mum to stick around and buy her own books at least! My fingers have been crossed for years now, thankfully she’s still young enough that they aren’t cramped yet 🙂
Hahaaa, I wish you good luck on your pro-book quest. 😛
“Get out of my room” would be my response.
Lol, that’s a good point, I should have thought of that! Guess I’m too polite. 😛
I have done that a few times with my cousin, but she doesn’t get hints.
Wow. Don’t you just want to despair when you meet people like that? It’s like we’re not even more the same planet.
I definitely do! It’s astounding to me how anti books some people can be!
I know! I just don’t get it.