From Susanna Kearsley sent me this one:
You want the link? Here it is!
I’m sure you’ve seen this, with a bazillion views registered already, but dude. DUDE. I have so had that feeling. Except for the random bagpipes, I can totally relate.
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Like Wendy, I’m from a family of book people married into a non-book family, only it’s not that my husband and in-laws don’t read—they do. It’s just that their expectation is that if a person is in the same room, they’re open to conversation, so if you want uninterrupted reading time, you have to go off by yourself.
Me too, but this describes my mother in law perfectly. The husband has learned, after 12 years of marriage, that he really shouldn’t talk to me if I’m reading. The kids too—the rule for them is if mommy has a book, then don’t talk to mommy unless someone is bleeding or the house is burning down. The upside for them is that, especially since I went back to school, I have to limit my recreational reading to basically two weeks in summer and two weeks at Christmas. But my mother in law just keeps trying to have conversations when I’m reading, or watching tv, or working, or doing any number of things that require attention and some measure of concentration (but especially when I’m reading). It is highly irritating.
I want to live with you.
One man I worked with told me that when he was travelling by bus/train he would try to sit next to a reader, as asking about the book always gave him the perfect opportunity to start up a conversation! I tried to explain how irritating that would be to the person trying to read, but he couldn’t grasp the idea that some people prefer reading to conversation. I always tried to avoid him at lunch breaks.
I’m in a family of readers. There are evenings when all four of us are in the same room, each quietly reading our own thing, and the only interruption comes from the myriad pets. Now, if they could be trained not to interrupt, life would be damn near perfect!
Is he Ashton Kutcher’s scary brother or something?
He looks the child of Justin Timberlake and Kellan Lutz.
Non-book people really are annoying with the interrupting and the “whatcha reading” and the let me tell you a long, boring, pointless story just as your about to find out whodunit.
I am a book addict married to a book addict. Sounds great but actually everything around here goes to hell while we’re absorbed in our reading. When we were first married (39 yrs. ago) we made two rules: no reading at the dinner table and no reading in the passenger seat. We had the idea that the first was necessary to be civilized and the second, to be fair. Both my daughters are unrepentant readers as well, so creepy reader guy will resonate with the whole family. Thanks for yet another excellent Friday video!
Had NOT seen this. I’m glad I have now. As you said, I can totally relate.
I saw this and told my husband that I just might have found my theme song. Upon hearing it, he heartily agreed. I’ve actually growled at people for interrupting my reading. My husband is the biggest culprit in our house. He and I are both book people who come from non-book people families, so you’d think he’d know better, but he’s got this thing where if he’s not reading and I am, he just has to bug me.
Love this! Any chance there’s a ringtone, or better yet an outoing message for voicemail?
I don’t understand why non-readers care if I’m sitting quietly reading instead of listening to their conversation, but they do – my father goes one better and doesn’t like people reading while he’s watching TV, which is an easier rule to follow now I don’t live with him.
I used to be polite when people tried to interrupt me for pointless discussions, either on breaks at work or on public transport/planes. Now I just say “If I wanted to talk I wouldn’t be reading.”
PS I want
printed on a T-shirt, please!
This was awesome – i had not seen it yet!
I need to go get all bad ass at the library now – cuz I don’t pay for my books neither. fool.
Really loved it – that Tyson spacer he was sportin’ was the icing on his mofocake (was that furrealz?)
To the girl with the kindle cover slogans – you should totally go for it – it’s one of those genius ideas that’s simple and wickedly funny.
Someone pointed out he was reading Marley & Me when getting pulled over.
Dude – when he’s in his little sunlit nook? Homeboy’s reading The Nanny Diaries.
Ok, sorry for my third post on this – showed it to my 7 year old and she abso-freakin’ loves it. She’s also been known to go apesh*t if I dare to interrupt her during her DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read).
I see the song is available on itunes…I may not be able to resist 😉
omg Wendy I feel you. when I was a kid even going to peoples houses where there were kids my age, I would bring a book. why am I ignoring you? because you do not sword fight, travel through space, declare your undying love for me, or break spells. I had one friend who spent the whole time we played Barbies just changing their clothes and doing their hair. OF COURSE I’d rather read than play with you!!
I could be wrong, but I think plato said “those who don’t read are no better than those who can’t”
oh, and when it comes to the whole interrupting thing, people don’t only do this when you’re reading. if I’m watching a movie or television show, my mother feels the need to choose that moment to have an entire conversation with me. her excuse is usually that if I am watching a dvd I can pause so no harm done. um, except that it takes me double the time to finish!!
two words Bag Pipes. I think i just found my theme song! I go through books like some go through kleenex, i think the most books i’ve read in a single day is 6. i’m not positive because i only started keeping track when i couldn’t remember how many i’d read that day.
dude i’d totally buy one it’s perfect!!!
and this sounds just right me
@Mama: LOL. I didn’t catch that one. 🙂
Best.
Video.
Ever.
Even though I am now slightly in love with the guy in this video, I really can’t wait to show it to my boyfriend. He is always complaining that the cat and I won’t let him read in peace.* Though he is not as big a fan of random bag-pipery as I am, I know he’s going to get a kick out of this. It certainly made my day. And now I must watch it again.
*(Not true.)
yes, my family also thinks it’s quality time if we are all reading in the same room
and @Isabel C, please please please make those book/e-reader covers and sell them to the rest of us—it would be a public service! (both for the book people to be saved from interruption, and the non-book people to be saved from manslaughter…)
Glad to see I’m not the only one who saw herself in this! (I may be calm and polite on the outside when interrupted reading, but inside I’m all anger-in-a-hoodie..)
Just wanted to point out that, while I might have been the one who sent it to Sarah, the real credit belongs to fellow author Stephanie Burgis, who posted it on her blog: http://www.stephanieburgis.com/blog/interruptions-of-one-sort-or-another.php
Thanks, Stephanie.
I got interrupted when I was reading a book last Friday!!! I was driving to work, listening to Jennifer Cruisie’s “Maybe This Time” on CD when I got pulled over for speeding—my first ticket ever! But I learned an important lesson: darkness and speeding do not go together because you can’t tell that the idiot tailgating you is a cop.