Using the informal Japanese word “Tsundoku,” which refers to the act of buying books and letting them pile up unread, as a jumping off point Molly Schoemann-McCann at the Barnes and Noble Book Blog comes up with 15 new words for the bibliophile.
Afficted
When something terribly sad has just happened in a book you are reading, and you want to burst into tears, but you know that you’ll feel ridiculous trying to explain yourself if anyone asks.
Example: “I was so deeply afficted by the ending of Eleanor & Park that I had to bite my wallet to keep from crying when I finished it on the bus this morning.”
Angsticipation
When you finish the latest book in a series, it ends on a serious cliffhanger, and there isn’t even an estimated publication date for the next book in the series yet. (!!!)
“I just finished A Dance with Dragons, and now I’m filled with angsticipation waiting for the next book to get a release date!”
Bookklempt
When you finish the last book in a series and there are no more books left in that series but you are not emotionally prepared to begin a new series just yet.
“I just read Allegiant, and it’s left me utterly bookklempt. I just can’t pick up another book right now.”
Chaptigue
The next-day tiredness you experience from staying up all reading.
“I was up until 4 a.m. finishing Gone Girl, and I am so chaptigued I can barely function at work today.”
Delitrium
The dizzying euphoria you get from inhaling just a bit too much of that “new book” smell.
“I just huffed a brand-new collector’s edition box set of the Harry Potter books, and almost passed out fromdelitrium.”
Glowting
What you shamelessly do when you discover that a favorite author has a new book coming out soon. Often accompanied by a smug little happy dance.
“Did you see how excited she was about the new Rainbow Rowell? She could NOT stop glowting.”
Madgedy
Reading a sad book for the umpteenth time and hoping against hope that this time, the ending will be different somehow.
“It was my third time reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but the madgedy is, I still allowed myself to hope that maybe this time, Randle Patrick McMurphy would triumph against Nurse Ratched.”
Mehnertia
When you’ve stopped reading a book just long enough that you keep putting off starting it up again, because it’s going to take a few long moments to re-immerse yourself in the story.
“Three-quarters of the way through a charming book about alpacas, mehnertia struck and I let the book sit untouched for months.”
Favoread
When you haven’t yet finished a book, but you realize that it has already begun to establish a permanent place in your heart as one of your all-time favorites.
“I’m barely halfway through A Visit from the Goon Squad, but I can already tell it’s going to be a favoread.”
Page-a-vu
When you pick up a book you’re sure you’ve never read before, but it feels very familiar somehow.
“I know I’ve never read anything by Rita Mae Brown, but there’s something in Murder, She Meowed that’s giving me page-a-vu.”
Premacclaim
When you’re barely halfway through a new book, but you’re already telling several different friends that they absolutely must read it.
“Ok, I haven’t finished it yet, but I can tell you right now that The Goldfinch deserves a heap of premacclaim.”
Rageammend
When you recommend your very favorite book to a close friend and they tell you that they read it, but didn’t really like it.
“I never thought I’d ever rageammend The Hunger Games to anyone, but my sister-in-law couldn’t even finish it.”
Readgret
When you’re furious at yourself for putting off reading a certain book until now, when you feel like you should have read it years ago. You could have reread it at least 3 or 4 times by now!
“When I reached the last chapter of The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love, I was filled with readgret that I hadn’t read it way back when everyone first started recommending it to me.”
Readlief
When you finally, finally get around to starting a book you’ve been meaning to read for years. (And it’s great!)
“So I’m finally reading—and loving!—Middlesex! What a readlief.”
Swapshame
The guilt you feel when you start a new book you just COULDN’T wait to get to—while you were still in the middle of a perfectly good other book. Sorry, other book! It’s not you, it’s me.
“Even though I couldn’t put down Cop Town, I still couldn’t wait to start The Quick, and it’s filled me withswapshame.”