When the time is right...

 You are staring at your bookshelves and nothing, absolutely nothing, piques your interest. Why is that? You just stand there on the verge of giving up, on the verge of total desperation. Scanning and scanning. Shelf after a shelf. Nothing. You almost turn away, readying yourself to do something else, like homework or cleaning. And then...
Then you see it. The book is almost shouting at you to pick it up and turn the first page. It reaches towards you. You pick it up and you know it's the right time to start it.

Recently I came across this article on Ozy.com where they tell about a word that can't be accurately translated to any language. And there it was, in Japanese, the diagnosis to my very severe condition: tsundoku.

The acquiring of reading materials followed by letting them pile up and subsequently never reading them.

I must say, I have a very bad case of tsundoku. But from what I've read it's only slightly contaminable. The only downside is the lightness of your purse but luckily that's something you can fix somewhat easily.

Now, back to the book reaching for you. Those of you who suffer from tsundoku know that you have a plenty of unread books. Books that you said you will read soon but haven't, because it just hasn't felt right. And suddenly you want nothing else than read the book you've been looking in your bookcase for several months now. Or, in severe cases, for years. Why? I have a few theories

1. You bought it because it looked pretty and the synopsis sounded nice

But you actually didn't want to read it. Buying the book, for the reason of just because, made you subconsciously hate it. But then you see the book every time you glance at your shelves and slowly your subconscious lets go of the resentment its harbouring, making way for genuine interest. And then there you are, staring at the book.

2. It's part of a series

And you want to know what happens but you don't want to know what happens. This is very common. You brought it home on the day it was published, or even better, you preordered it. You just feel awful for knowing that it well end sometime soon and you want to postpone the moment. But then you realise that being on Instagram or anywhere else becomes harder because of spoilers and you have no choice but to pick it up and face the fact that the time is right.

3. You just feel it

No explanation needed. You just feel the pull. You know the time is right.