“When I read, the world gets bigger.”

That’s probably why I can’t stop. Why I must confess…

Hi, I’m Alaina and I’m a bookaholic.

Please don’t think that I’m joking, but also excuse me when I do make light of the situation because…well…I’m just not that serious.

With a bookshelf double layered with books, an eReader teeming with unread material and a library reserve list nearly to the maximum allotment, I have to finally admit I’ve got a problem. Admittance is the first step toward recovery, right? I have mentioned on numerous occasions to my husband, in a joking manner, that I’m addicted to books/reading, but it was only recently that I truly admitted that it seems to be a real matter of concern.

Unfortunately, addiction runs in my family. I could say the plus is my “drug” of choice isn’t a deadly substance, but any addiction is unhealthy. Don’t think I’m blaming my parents/family for my bookaholism. I choose to be addicted just as anyone chooses to do drugs or drink alcohol (I don’t mean to open up a can of worms — I’ve known many addicts who feel like it is less of a choice and more of a disease that they can’t control — I digress). I even say the same things any addict would say:

“I can quit/stop whenever I want.”
“I’m in control of it, not the other way around.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“I’m not nearly as bad as other people.”

Let me put my addiction into perspective. While writing this post (in the span of less than an hour) I bought two books, reserved four from the library, read a few (3-4) synopsis of potential books, and popped over to goodreads.com to update my to-read list. I also stopped writing for a bit so I could read a chapter from a book as well as an article from Time Magazine and download my new Doctor Who book (Yes…I’m a Whovian aka Doctor Who fan, but that is a whole other post).

While my addiction may be a more “acceptable” one, it can still lead to unhealthy behavior. I have to remember to not let it control me or my life. The good thing is I don’t lose sleep because of it (okay on occasion I stay up late); I haven’t robbed, murdered or maimed anyone (this is true); it also doesn’t affect my job (also true); and I’m not missing out on quality time with family or friends (I can put down the book…sometimes…other times my husband drives and I read until our final destination is reached).

We’re all addicted to something (online shopping, gaming, sugar, caffeine, nicotine, etc.) and I’m not here to be your therapist or tell you what to do. However, I will tell you that I’m not letting my habit rule me and I will keep reminding myself it’s okay to go a day without reading a book (oh how that killed me to write those words). That said, you should benefit from my bookaholism. How about I share a list of books with you that I like for one reason or another. Just think, if I wasn’t a bookaholic I probably wouldn’t have as many suggestions (I could’ve gone on forever, but I did cut it off). I hope you pick a few to read, and if you have questions or want to have a discussion about any of the books please feel free to contact me or comment.

Here are my suggestions (listed in alphabetical order by title):

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour – Morgan Matson
Ashes in the Wind – Kathleen Woodiwiss (This one is listed because my name is in the book)
Attachments – Rainbow Rowell
Between the Lines – Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer
Bloodsucking Fiends – Christopher Moore
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
Cemetery Dance – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
City of Bones – Cassandra Clare
The Corpse Had a Familiar Face: Covering Miami, America’s Hottest Beat – Edna Buchanan
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Stories – F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud – David Nicholls
Delirium (series) – Lauren Oliver
Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Green Eggs and Ham – Dr. Seuss
Hatchet – Gary Paulsen
How I live Now – Meg Rosoff
Hunger Games (series) – Suzanne Collins
I Am Legend – Richard Matheson
I Know What You Did Last Summer – Lois Duncan
If I Ran the Circus – Dr. Seuss
James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl
Legend (series) – Marie Lu
Looking for Alaska – John Green
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare (I know…not a book, but still one of my favs – read the complete works)
My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult
The Name of the Star (series) – Maureen Johnson
Never Eighteen – Megan Bostic
Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult
On Writing – Stephen King
Panic – Lauren Oliver
The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Ralph S. Mouse – Beverly Clearly
Summer Falls and Other Stories – Varies authors (Doctor Who related)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
True Grit – Charles Portis
Under the Never Sky (series) – Veronica Rossi
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
Warm Bodies – Isaac Marion
We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
Where the Heart Is – Billie Letts
Who Moved My Cheese – Spencer Johnson
Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green & David Levithan
Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Frank Baum
The World I Made for Her – Thomas Moran
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle
You Suck – Christopher Moore

 

I wanted to see if you were still reading.