Being a book lover is one of the best things ever. There are so many worlds to explore! So many things to learn and enjoy! But being a book lover also comes with a few complications and headaches too.
If you’re a book lover, I can guarantee that these “bookworm problems” are ones you’ve encountered and understand from your own experience. But, as they say, misery loves company…so read on to commiserate over all the top bookworm problems that book lovers know far too well!
1. Books Are Expensive
The top problem only book lovers understand is that books are expensive!
There’s always the constant pull between wanting to buy ALL THE BOOKS and not having enough money to buy all the books…and the pain gets even realer when you realize the cost of books adds up VERY quickly. And buying one book always leads to buying another.
Do you want to buy groceries this month, or do you want that sweet newly released book from your favorite author? The pain is real. 😭
2. Going to a Bookstore “Just to Look” But Having No Self Control
Speaking of books being expensive, another of the top bookish problems is when you think you have enough self control to “just browse” your favorite local indie bookstore or the Barnes & Noble.
Spoiler alert? We bookworms don’t have that kind of self control! Give a bookworm an inch (looking around), and they’ll take a mile (a whole lot of books).
We’re not good at just looking when all the beautiful, incredible, amazing books just reach out off the shelves and practically throw themselves into our arms. One little trip to the bookstore and you’re coming out with a stack of books a mile high!
3. Buying Too Many Books
Buying too many books is another common bookworm problem that every reader experiences.
You find too many interesting books at the bookstore, see too many cool book recommendations on Bookstagram or BookTok, and before you know it your TBR pile is a TBR mountain and bigger than you’ll ever be able to read in your lifetime!
Luckily, there’s ways to reduce your TBR list (mostly) painlessly, but oh is it oh-so-tempting to come home with an overabundance of shiny new books that you’ll never even read.
4. Not Knowing What To Read Next
Another of the most dramatic bookworm problems is when you finish a book and don’t know what to read next. Sometimes it’s because you have too many good books to choose from, other times it’s because nothing sounds interesting, or maybe it’s because what you just read was so awesome you don’t think any other book could live up to it.
Whatever the case is, bookworms can have such a hard time deciding what to read next. If you need help choosing your next read, take a look at these exciting book lists or learn how to find good books to read here.
5. Being Interrupted While You’re Reading
Being interrupted at any time is annoying, but readers seem to be especially susceptible to being interrupted. I guess people just see us reading and think “They look happy. How can I ruin their happiness?” 😉
But really, all readers know the pain and the internal screaming for people to at least let you finish the chapter you’re reading before they talk to you!
6. The Excruciating Wait for the Next Book in a Series
Something else bookworms universally experience is the harrowing experience of finishing an incredible book only to realize you have to wait FOREVER for the next installment to come out. This may just be the most tragic of all reader problems.
At least we’re all in it together…and PLEASE HURRY, AUTHORS! We’re in actual pain here while we wait 😭
7. Falling in Love with a Fictional Character
There’s nothing like the joy of falling in love with a fictional character…the only catch for bookworms? When real people just can’t live up to book boyfriends. 😭 What a sad, sad day when you realize all your crushes are fictional.
8. The Death of a Favorite Book Character
When a favorite character dies, it’s like losing an actual best friend. This may be peak #bookwormproblems, but please don’t do this to my favorite characters! Take the ones I hate instead 😭
9. Getting a Book Hangover
You know that feeling when you’ve read such a good book you can’t stop thinking about it and you’re so sad and depressed that it’s over? And when you loved reading a book so much you’re left with the inability to even think of starting another read, that’s a book hangover!
Book hangovers are something every bookworm knows after reading an amazing book, but the best thing to do is sit with your feelings and then know that there is indeed life after your latest read. You will read again. This too shall pass. Just let me wallow a little bit first and mourn that I just read the bestest, most perfect book. 🥲
10. Falling into a Reading Slump
Similarly to book hangovers, reading slumps are also one of the biggest problems readers face! For whatever reason, sometimes we just can’t read and we fall out of the reading habit. It’s devastating.
Luckily, there’s lots of things readers can try to help us get out of a reading slump. But just the mere fact that we don’t feel like doing something we really love is a sad problem for book lovers everywhere!
11. Forgetting Which Books You Already Own
Ever been at a bookstore and accidentally bought a book you already have at home? Or you look through your shelves and realize you have duplicates so you must have bought multiple of the same title at some point? This is a real world problem bookworms face, especially when you read and own a lot of books!
That’s why it’s so important to organize your books and have a book cataloging system to use. The more organized you are, the more money you have to spend on new books you want for your library instead of wasting your budget on books already sitting on your shelves!
12. Forgetting the Title of a Book You Read and Really Loved
One of the biggest tragedies of a bookworm’s life is when you read a book you really love, and then somewhere down the line you want to find the book again but realize you’ve forgotten the title and can’t find the book. Sometimes a quick Google search can help, but other times it’s a lost cause and you’ll never know what that one book was called and never know the joy of reading it again. 😭
Luckily there are several ways to try to find a book from a vague description, but the best course of action going forward is of course to use a reading tracker so you don’t wind up in this situation next time.
13. When Your Friends Don’t Love Books Like You Do
When you really love books, it’s such a sad thing to realize you don’t have any bookish friends to share your excitement with or share the joy of reading. Not having anyone to obsess over your latest read with you, discuss bookish theories, or share book recommendations is such a sad plight!
But maybe that just means it’s time to find some new friends who do love books? Could be time to join a book club or start a Bookstagram or BookTok! Or maybe even attend a book festival to find new friends?
14. Having to Accept That Movies Don’t Ever Do Justice to the Book
It is a truth universally acknowledged that movies based on books are never as good as the book. And bookworms hate when their favorite books are mangled on film. But we still really want to see our favorite books made into films…
It’s a conundrum. We are mysteries even unto ourselves.
But even though all bookworms know that the movie isn’t as good as the book, it’s still very hard for us to actually accept this and make peace with it. So yes, I will still proclaim repeatedly and loudly to anyone who will listen (and even those who won’t) exactly how the movie ruined the book and what they should have done instead!
15. Staying Up All Night to Read
We all know the feeling of being engrossed in a book only to look up and realize it’s already 2am and we have to get up for work way too soon. 😫 Questioning everything. Wondering why we did this to ourselves again. Wondering why we even have to work. Surely we could just read instead? Who needs to work anyway?
16. Not Having Enough Time to Read Everything You Want to Read
Too many books, too little time! Between dealing with all our responsibilities and just living life, often there’s way too little reading time left…and far too many unread books in the world just begging for our attention.
That’s why we have to stay up all night reading. Really, if you think about it, it’s a responsible use of time to stay up reading because we get more done! Just forget about how hard it is to get up the next morning and once again drag our sleep-deprived carcass through work. The bookworm struggle is real!
17. Not Being Able to Find a Comfortable Reading Position
Especially when reading for long periods of time, sometimes it is just so difficult to find a reading position that is comfortable!
There are some general principles for finding good reading positions that are better for your posture, but that doesn’t mean those positions will always feel comfortable. Sometimes it seems like you can’t get comfortable no matter what you try! And that can make it challenging to focus on your reading and enjoy your book. ‘Tis the life and curse of a bookworm.
18. Dropping Your Book On Your Face
Speaking of reading positions, there’s nothing worse than being betrayed by your own hands and dropping your book on your face while you’re reading on your back!
There are few bookworm problems more physically painful than accidentally dropping a heavy book or reading device on your face while you’re trying to read. Hardcovers might be the absolute worst to accidentally smash into your nose, but phones, Kindles, and tablets also pack a punch.
19. When the Books in a Series Are Different Sizes
Bookworms also experience some problems related to physical books, like when trying to collect a whole series and realizing the books are different sizes.
Sometimes this happens when trying to collect older series, but sometimes it inexplicably happens when a new book is released. Why does this happen? Won’t someone think of the aesthetics of my bookshelf?! 😤
20. When Books Have Movie Book Covers
LISTEN UP, PUBLISHERS! WE HATE MOVIE COVERS. Please stop.
Ok, ok. We realize it increases sales. We realize it makes more people read the book from the general mainstream culture. But think of the aesthetics?? Think of the lack of imagination when you’re presented with the movie version first?? Won’t someone think of the book lovers?!
21. Not Being Able to Read a Book For the First Time Again
Another universal book lover problem is when you read a book and love it and then realize you can never experience it for the first time again.
There’s nothing quite like a first read of a book, and it’s so heartbreaking to know that you can never have that same experience again with a book you really love. To cope, we shove our favorite books into friends’ and family’s faces until they read it for the first time so we can live the experience through them. Or, we spend all our time seeking out the most similar books we can find. But it’s still not quite the same.
22. Feeling Guilty For Not Finishing a Book
You know that feeling when you’re reading a book and you just can’t get into it? So you just try to keep pushing through but you’re really not enjoying it? It’s probably time to DNF it. But why does DNFing a book bring so much guilt?
It can be so, so difficult to know when to let go and stop trying to finish reading a book that just isn’t working for you, especially if it’s a book lots of other people have loved. We can feel guilty for not liking something, or feel like we’re letting ourselves or the book down by giving up.
But just think about all those books out there you will really love and that you can’t read since you’re forcing yourself to slog through this one? The guilt and reader shaming for DNFing a book is real, but it just isn’t worth it. Live. Read. Be free!
23. When Your Book Won’t Fit in Your Purse
For purse-carrying bookworms, there’s nothing worse than realizing your purse won’t fit your latest read. What are you supposed to do without your book?
These days, getting a Kindle or other e-reader can help you carry as many books with you as you want. But, alas, that doesn’t solve the problem of physical books that are too big to fit in your purse.
24. Accidentally Damaging Pages When Carrying a Book With You
Speaking of problems related to carrying books with you, there are few bookworm problems as devastating as realizing you accidentally damaged the book you were carrying with you.
Maybe its pages got accidentally scrunched up in your bag, or maybe you accidentally spilled something on it in your bag, or your lip balm opened and smeared on the cover, or any number of other scenarios. But now your book is not as perfect as it once was. 😢
Luckily, book sleeves are here to save the day for future books! But past books are sadly out of luck.
25. Getting a New Book and Finishing It Too Fast
You know those books that you just have to read all of it right now? Well, it’s all very well and good until suddenly you’re at the end and filled with hollowness because there’s nothing left to read.
It’s a constant battle between wanting to know how the book ends and wanting the book to never end…
26. Predicting a Plot Point and Accidentally Spoiling the Book For Yourself
Have you ever been reading a book you were really excited about but you accidentally guess a key plot point or twist far too early? What a catastrophe!
There comes a point in reading where sometimes it can get pretty easy to predict what will happen later on, especially if you’ve read a million other books that follow the same or a similar formula. It can still be enjoyable to read the book, but just not quite as satisfying as when an author is actually able to surprise you!
27. Loaning Out a Book and Never Getting It Back
For altruistic bookworms, loaning out your books to others to read seems like a really good idea! After all, you get to share one of your favorite things with someone you know and (probably) love.
Or, in some cases, loved. Because when they don’t return your book…well, this is how friends are lost. Any good intentions of sharing your books are probably dead and buried after the first time you loan out a book and never get it back. It’s like someone stole your best friend!
28. Loaning Out a Book and It Comes Back Dog-eared
Monsters 😭 When you loan out a book and it comes back dog-eared or otherwise damaged, this is second only to the sin of not returning a loaned out book.
Especially if you’re the type of person who keeps your books in pristine condition, any dog-earing or other scuffs, marks, etc. can be devastating…and will certainly make you be far more selective about who you let borrow your books in the future.
29. When People Ask What Your Favorite Book Is
Even though you love reading, being asked for your favorite book is nearly always a dreaded question! After all, everyone knows you can’t just pick a favorite book. There are too many good ones to choose from!
Also, when someone asks your favorite book…sometimes every book you’ve ever read flees your mind. Like, do I read? Hahaha but really, do I?
30. The Eternal Ebook vs. Print Book Debate
While some bookworms know firmly what side of the debate they fall on, for the majority of us book lovers the ebook vs print book debate isn’t so simple.
There are pros and cons to ebooks, and pros and cons to print books. So are ebooks or print books better? How can you decide when ebooks are so convenient and great for accessibility, but print books are a whole reading experience and they never run out of battery? WHICH TO CHOOSE?
31. Books Can Be Heavy to Carry With You
Similarly, another reading problem is how heavy books can be if you want to carry them with you. This goes for carrying books with you in a purse or bag in everyday life, but especially when you want to carry multiple books with you on vacation.
Of course you could read ebooks as discussed above, but if you love physical books and want to bring them with you then you’ll be toting around some serious weight on your vacation (and possibly even hitting the airline checked bag limit!)
32. When an Author You Love Stops Writing
There’s nothing quite as sad as when an author you love stops writing books. Never again will you have a new book from them to read!
If the author is still alive, there is the slim possibility that they’ll change their mind and start writing again. But when your favorite author is dead or for other reasons can never write again? Absolutely tragic.
33. Holds at the Library Taking Forever
For bookworms trying to avoid bookworm problem #1 (books are EXPENSIVE), the library and getting to borrow books for free is their best friend. But with the library comes some problems too, like having to wait for a book forever because so many people have holds on it.
I wanted to check out an ebook from a library the other day and it said I had to go on hold since no copies were available. Once I agreed, it told me I’d be waiting “approximately 378 days” 😭 That’s over a whole year’s wait. Talk about bookworm problems!
34. Struggling to Keep Up With New Releases
For bookworms who love to read the most recent books, keeping up with new releases can be a struggle at times because so many books are published every year! It can be hard to know which ones are worth reading, or to know where to even find information on new releases.
And, it can also be hard to keep track of all the books you’re hoping to read as soon as they come out. I recommend keeping a list of interesting books in your reading journal, but even so it can be hard to keep track of everything sometimes and some new releases might fall through the cracks.
35. Having to Balance Reading and Real Life
And lastly, a bookworm problem that readers know well is having to try to balance reading and real life responsibilities. While it would be nice to be able to read all day, unfortunately real life also exists and if you want to have a life or friends you have to attend to everything that comes along with that.
Trying to find time to read more while also finding time to have a life can be such a difficult thing to balance! But readers know that in the end, finding a way to fit reading time into life is worth it!