I recently posted something about this on my Instagram and suddenly I was reflecting upon all of these incredibly annoying things non-readers do, and I found that there are so many of these that I decided to write an entire blogpost about it. PREPARE TO RELATE!
They assume it’s okay to interrupt your reading.
This was precisely what I talked about on my Instagram. It particularly irks me to no end when someone interrupts my 
reading like there’s no harm done, WHEN THERE CLEARLY IS! It’s pretty obvious that I’m physically and emotionally invested in what I’m reading, that I’m into it, and yet they still, FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, decide to interrupt me. You don’t see me interrupting you when you’re enjoying your favorite meal for something stupid, and you also don’t see me trying to talk to you when you’ve got earbuds in both ears. Unless it’s an emergency or you’re genuinely interested in what I’m reading, don’t bother! It can wait, but my need to continue reading honestly cannot! Oh, and it’s not only that they interrupt my reading, but they also make me lose my concentration and I find myself nOT BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE READING! DON’T YOU SEE THE GINOURMOUS AMOUNT OF DAMAGE YOU’RE INFLICTING UPON MY BEING?! YOU’RE BEING RUDE WHILE I’M TRYING TO KEEP MY CHILL AND CONCENTRATE ON MY READING!
They ask you what you’re reading and make you explain what the book is about… WHILE YOU’RE READING!
You see, as an avid reader and book enthusiast, I love talking about books and spreading the word about them. I love sharing my thoughts and feelings, recommending books to people, all that jazz. Now, this? What you’re doing? It would be okay in any other situation that isN’T WHEN I’M READING! Can’t you just be civilized and wait patiently until I put my book away to ask me what I was reading? Do you really expect me to put down my book to explain to you what it’s about? To choose you over my book? No. Nope. No can do. It isn’t the time. There’s a time for everything, and this clearly isn’t it, okay? And the most irritating part about it is that most people don’t genuinely care about what you’re reading! If you don’t actually care, please don’t waste my time. *shakes head in disapproval.
“Why doesn’t that book have a cover?”
*facepalm*
Okay, honey, let me explain to you. There are these thing that go over hardcover books, they’re called dustjackets.They come with different textures and in different sizes. They’re very pretty, very lovely, and they usually have the cover of the book printed upon them. But yoU SEE, HONEY, DUSTJACKETS MAKE MY READING EXPERIENCE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE SO I CHOOSE TO TAKE THEM OFF WHILE I READ. No, I’m not reading a book with a blank cover (and if I was, what do you care?). No, this book is not coverless. I’m just optimizing the comforts of my reading experience. OKAY, HONEY?
“Oh so that’s like the new Hunger Games?”
Just because a book is Dystopian doesn’t automatically make it a copy of the Hunger Games. YOU SEE, within book genres there are always going to be elements that are present in almost every single book that belongs to that genre. Dystopian books are set in the future and almost always in post-apocalyptic worlds, so just because The Maze Runner is set in the future doesn’t automatically make it the new Divergent. Just because a book is about vampires doesn’t automatically make it the new Twilight. Just because a book has mythology in it doesn’t mean it’s the new Percy Jackson. AND JUST BECAUSE PAPER TOWNS IS BY JOHN GREEN DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE IT THE NEW FAULT IN OUR STARS, AND IT DOESN’T MAKE IT A SAPPY-CHEESY-SAD-ROMANCE NOVEL EITHER! GET IT RIGHT PEOPLE! That’s basically like saying that every love song is the same. They all share one element, love, but that doesn’t mean they’re all the same!
“Why are you so invested? Why are you crying? Why are you angry? Why are you happy? Are you honestly attracted to that character? *an infinite amount of questions later* It’s. Just. A. Book.”
Excuse me? ExCUSE ME????? First of all, why do you care? Why? Oh, that’s right. You don’t, so shut up! Second of all 
you’re just a breathing, talking sack of blood, a stupid one at that, but you don’t see me questioning you about it! A book is not just a book. Never just a book. UNLIKE EVERYTHING THAT COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH, books always have a meaning. And if I want to invest time and effort and feelings in my reading, then I will! I’ll still do as I please, regardless of if you like it or not. It’s not my fault you have the inability to appreciate art in the form of a book, and of understanding the power and influence a fictional character and/or a story can have over a person. And honestly, when you see a movie and it impacts you so much that you cry, or your whole way of viewing the world changes, is that okay? It is, isn’t it? Then how different is that from my situation? HOW DIFFERENT IS CRYING OVER A MOVIE FROM CRYING OVER A BOOK? TELL ME! I DARE YOU.
They pretend to know more about a book than you do JUST because they’re “huge” fans of the movie.
Oh how it boils my blood when a non-reader tries to correct me when they only watched the movie. I’m not going to question your decision to only watch the movie, instead of bestowing the blessing of having read the book upon yourself. I’m not. It’s your decision, not mine. But do not, DO NOT, try to beat me at my own game. Sadly, movies never go as deep as the books go. No matter how great the movie is, readers will always have the upper hand in this equation. We’re not bragging, we’re not trying to act superior, it’s just how it is! We can have a peaceful and enjoying discussion about a book/movie, I’d love that. Until you correct me. We, as humans, are not perfect, and we make mistakes. Now we, AS READERS, almost always know what we’re talking about. Oh, and by the way, just because I choose to stay quiet, doesn’t mean that you’re right. It just means that I’ve accepted the fact that no matter how good of a player I am, you’re still gonna run around yelling “GOOOOOOAL,” acting like you won. What I mean by this is that I’m not gonna waste my time on your ignorance.
(this is a very special one)
So you literally have an Instagram dedicated solely to books? Why?
*chokes* I’m sorry what? Would you be so kind as to explain to me why you have an Instagram dedicated solely to you
and your face? I mean, I’m sure miiiiiiillions of people are interested in looking at your selfies and your daily shenanigans. Right? Jesus Christ. I’m not interested in seeing your face perpetually plastered all over my feed, bUT I DON’T QUESTION WHY YOU INSIST ON POSTING PICTURES OF YOURSELF OR ABOUT YOURSELF! I get to connect with people who share my same interests in the same way you get to connect with people who are just as obsessed with yourself than you are.
“You read books for fun? You’re so weird.”
You know, if I said that basketball is not fun, I’d get a gazillion basketballs thrown at my face and a billion explanations on how basketball is fun. I have nothing against basketball players, but it’s simply not my thing. Just because I don’t find it fun, or because I don’t find it useful in MY life doesn’t mean others can’t find it useful or fun. This is just the same. I choose to read books because it’s MY preference and something that I enjoy. I’ve never heard people question a sports player or a dancer or a singer so insistently as they do to readers. When you see someone passionately singing? You just attribute their passion to the fact that they love what they’re doing, right? Well, we, readers, are passionate about books because we love and enjoy reading, because, even if YOU don’t find any meaning in it, we find meaning in what we read. And believe it or not, reading IS fun, it’s just a matter of personal preference. We’re not weird, or socially incapable, we’re readers, just as people who enjoy singing are singers, and people who enjoy playing are players. It’s actually quite a simple concept and it’s lost on me how many people seem to be unable to understand this.
Well, I’m going to stop here because if I don’t, I could keep going on and on and on about this. I’m sure you’ve felt identified with at least one of these frustrating situations, because at least one of these has to have happened in each avid reader’s life. It’s a given. What’s important, though, is that even when we have all of these people questioning why we love reading, we still read, and our love for reading does not falter. Anyways, if you enjoyed this post, maybe I’ll make it into a thing and post more of these sometime in the future. Who knows?
the reader's compass 