Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction

A thoroughly enjoyable book that I would wholeheartedly recommend to a large swathe of my fellow book lovers, be they LibraryThingers, GoodReaders, bloggers, BookTubers or just die-hard lifelong readers. It could have been written for us - or by us, for that matter! In short, this is a comprehensive guide to biblioholism and all the various quirky traits and habits that go along with it. It is evident that Raabe is 'one of us' and he drives right to the heart of our affliction with humour and insight. Alongside chapters on book buying, reading, collecting and storage, he also includes a hilarious alternative history of the book and a section on the extremes of bookish behaviour - eating books, stealing them, burying them and even show more destroying them. With a wealth of interesting and amusing examples of biblioholic behaviour drawn from literature and history, this is still a definite keeper for me (this was my second time reading it) - and I was delighted to find that when it came to the self-help-esque quiz (just how bad DO you have it?) I had actually increased my score a few points since my last reading; I can now rest assured that I'm still on my chosen path to eventually dying happily under a collapsed bookcase. Good to know. :) show less

Originally an article in a newspaper, Raabe was persuaded to expand it to
book length. I think it would've been best to leave it alone. Tales of
people crazy over books--even delving into strange diseases such as people
who like to eat books--Biblioholism was very uneven. Raabe focused on the
extremes, and I think one reason why it was difficult for me to warm up to
this book is because I never really saw myself in it--and I'd be the first
person to say that I go overboard with books. Still, it was a pleasant way
to spend an hour or two in an afternoon.

And I thought I was the only one! I could relate so much to what he says about book addiction. I laughed from beginning to end because it reads like an AA pep talk. Thank God that although "biblioholism" is another facet of obsessive-compulsive behavior, at least it is harmless. Hey, whoever is completely sane out there, let him throw the first stone!

A very cheeky and fun read. I am an admitted bookaholic with no intentions of recovering from my addiction. I don't hurt anyone, and I have an entire family of enablers who support my habit with the off chance that maybe, just maybe, I'll share my bounty. It doesn't happen very often, but the jackals remain at the door, panting over my bounty of booky goodness.

I buy books at a rapid pace, though I try to curb my overall enthusiasm. A day without a book is a bleak day indeed.

There are worse things to be addicted to. Heroin. Crack. Crystal Meth. However, bookish people all know that books are just as potent an addiction.

What a fun book! I definitely have most of the symptoms described, and it is comforting to read this and recognize myself, knowing that there are enough people like me to support publication of this book!

I think this is the first edition of the book and that it has been updated subsequently. Some of it is a bit dated (I laughed out loud at his supposedly tongue-in-cheek predictions of books to come in the 1990s, which included Dave Barry Turns 50 and which Barry did indeed publish).

I have promised to send this book to another BookCrossing member, but I may actually add it back to my wish list so I can get a permanent collection copy, and perhaps the updated edition... I think I might like to return to this one, or be able to show it to show more friends and family so they can recognize my disease ;) show less

I enjoyed this book overall. It looks at the phenomenon of people being addicted to books: to buying them, owning them and/or reading them...not to mention burying or eating them. It is mostly funny in a "tongue in cheek" kind of way, but occasionally seems to be trying to be more serious. It was fun to read but not great.

I enjoyed the book; it was worth the wait. From his descriptions of the various types, I seem to be readaholic (I think most BookCrossers are) and I'm married to a Scholar (as you'll see from the HUGE number of text books listed on my shelf). BookCrossing and a much smaller family budget has cured me of buying loads of books and I have been fairly good about the reading and releasing. The remaining problem is the free books that have found their way into my collection (for releasing, of course) via Craigslist and Freecycle. Ooof.