Our Reading Lives

You Know Your Friends are Readers When…

Katherine Marciniak

Staff Writer

Katherine is an over-caffeinated avid reader, writer and college student. She was featured in the anthology Once Upon an Apocalypse, and loves to beta read and edit when she has the opportunity. She’ll do more impressive things after she’s finished her tea…and this next chapter.

You know you and your friends are readers when…

  1. You all have the Goodreads app on your phone.“What’ve you been reading lately?” I asked. “Shoot.” She whipped out her phone. “I don’t remember. I have to look it up. And I don’t know how to find my books.” I then realized that I was friends with her on Goodreads, and similarly pulled out my phone. “Well I know how to find them,” I said.
  • You text each other about the exciting parts of books when you’re reading the same series, usually in all caps.
  • You seriously debate watching movies if they’re not based on books you’ve already read. “I mean, I could…but I haven’t read the book yet. You know what, let’s wait on that one.” (conversely: “FINISH READING IT SO WE CAN WATCH THE MOVIE ALREADY.”)
  • You seriously debate going out at all—“We could go out…or we could stay in and sit on the sofa and read and drink tea.” “Yeaaaah.” And if you do go out, it’s usually to the bookstore, where you walk past shelves saying, “I read this one, and this one, and this one…”
  • Half of your conversations are book recommendations. “If you like that book read this one—it’s different, but ah it’s SO GOOD.” “Katie—no—do you understand—my to-read list is literally 80 books you’ve recommended to me you have to stop.” “Can’t stop won’t stop. How about this one? It’s short.”