Dealer in Words

For bibliophiles, the writer/reader relationship is like a drug deal. Just look at us. Even though our stash long ago filled every available shelf and spilled over to any horizontal surface, floors included, we still lurk among the aisles of book stores, hungry for the next fix. It doesn't even have to be a new book. A dust-covered tome from the used book store satisfies our craving just as well, if not better.

It is no longer just the possession of the drug book, it's the experience - the high - of reading. That's the only way I can explain a bibliophile's love of lending libraries and, dare I say it, ebooks. Yes, with ebooks we get an instant fix. No more late-night sweats, aimless pacing around the house looking for something new to read, or huddling in fetal position until the stores open. Ah, you say, but isn't there great merit in delayed gratification? No. For bibliophiles, that's just the fancy term for delirium tremens. We want what we wants when we wants it.

Like I said, it's a drug deal.