The other day I ran across a little book nerd quiz over at Barnes & Noble’s site. The quiz, entitled What’s your book nerd score?, was so good, I thought I’d answer the questions to see if I qualified as a book nerd. I read a lot, but not as much as some people, so I wasn’t sure. Time to find out if I get to wear a badge of honor or not.
1. You currently own more than 20 books.
Yes
2. You currently own more than 50 books.
Yes
3. You currently own more than 100 books.
Yes
4. You amassed so many books you switched to an ereader.
I have an ereader app on my tablet and another one on my phone. Not because I have too many physical books, but so I can have more books 🙂 (and so I will never be without a book). I’m counting this one as a yes!
5. You read so much you have a ton of books AND an ereader.
See above answer.
6. You have a book-organization system no one else understands.
Hmm. Maybe I get to take a half of a point. I organize by genre first or theme, then author, and I’m flexible if I need to switch things around due to shelf space. So all my fantasy books are in the same general area. Robin Hobb’s are all together within the fantasy area. Terry Pratchett I had to move to a different shelf because he wrote too many books. Easy to figure out, right? Doesn’t everyone organize the same way?
7. You’re currently reading more than one book.
Yes. I said I would try to get better about that, but I haven’t. I’m reading The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft (still! The man wrote enough to fill the entire Library of Alexandria), Ireland, by Frank Delaney, and The Emperor’s Edge. One in print, one on my kindle app and one on Kobo.
8. You read every single day.
Yes. I read books almost every day, I read articles every single day, and I read poetry every single day.
9. You’re reading a book right now, as you’re taking this book nerd quiz.
No. That would be a true nerd, and I would love to meet them.
10. Your essentials for leaving the house: wallet, phone, keys, and a book.
Since I have books on my phone: Yes
11. You’ve pulled an all-nighter reading a book.
Yes. Too many to list the book culprits individually.
12. You did not regret it for a second and would do it again.
Yes
13. You’ve figured out how to incorporate books into your workout.
Haha, yes! I thought I was the only one that did that.
14. You’ve declined invitations to social activities in order to stay home and read.
I can’t think of a time when I ever did this.
15. You view vacation time as “catch up on reading” time.
Sometimes. Hard when there are small children around. Vacation time tends to be “make sure the kids don’t drown” time, but I’m free to bring along a book. I’m going to count a half of a point.
16. You’ve sat in a bathtub full of tepid water with prune-y skin because you were engrossed in a book.
Yes
17. You’ve missed your stop on the bus or the train because you were engrossed in a book.
Yes
18. You’ve almost tripped over a pothole, sat on a bench with wet paint, walked into a telephone pole, or narrowly avoided other calamities because you were engrossed in a book.
Yes
19. You’ve laughed out loud in public while reading a book.
Hahaha! Yes! I love it when that happens :).
20. You’re cried in public while reading a book.
Yes. Not as much fun as laughing in public.
21. You’re the one everyone goes to for book recommendations.
No. I read such random things and the genre I love isn’t very popular with most of my friends.
22. You take your role in recommending books very seriously and worry about what books your friends would enjoy.
No. See answer for 21.
23. Once you recommend a book to a friend, you keep bugging them about it.
No. See answer for 21.
24. If your friend doesn’t like the book you recommended, you’re heartbroken.
No. See answer for 21.
25. And you judge them. A little bit.
No. See answer for 21.
26. In fact, whenever you and a friend disagree about a book you secretly wonder what is wrong with them.
No. I think we have different tastes. I couldn’t even begin to count all the books out there in the world and for every book, there is a perfect reader. I don’t think everyone should be like me or have the same tastes as I do when it comes to books. In fact, I love that we have different tastes. They recommend books to me that I wouldn’t otherwise have picked up and sometimes, I’m pleasantly surprised.
27. You’ve vowed to convert a non-reader into a reader.
No. Maybe I’m not as big of a book nerd as I thought.
28. And you’ve succeeded.
Nope.
29. You’ve attended book readings, launches, and signings.
Yes! Finally, I get to answer yes again!
30. You own several signed books.
My husband does. I sold most of my books when I came over to Sweden. Shipping books is expensive. The ones I’ve picked up over here are all un-signed. Except for my own. But, since what’s mine is his and what’s his is mine, I’m going to count this point :).
31. You would recognize your favorite authors on the street.
If Dickens wandered around Stockholm, I think he’d stand out. Yep, I’d notice him.
32. In fact, you have.
No. I haven’t seen any famous authors on the street. I did pass the guy from Bolibompa (Swedish TV program for kids) in a crosswalk once, but I don’t think he’s written a book. And if he did, I obviously don’t know about it.
33. If you could have dinner with anybody in the world, you’d choose your favorite writer.
Yes. Remember this post? Three Authors and a Ghost.
34. You own a first-edition book.
Yes
35. You know what that is and why it matters to bibliophiles.
Yes
36. You tweet, post, blog, or talk about books every day.
Guilty
37. You have a “favorite” literary prize.
I don’t care about prizes or awards so much. I just love a good story.
38. And you read the winners of that prize every year.
Nah. I usually hear who won from someone else. I remember someone in a Facebook group telling me to read Doris Lessing once. I asked, ‘Is she any good?’ They were shocked I didn’t know who she was, especially as she had just won the Nobel prize in Literature a couple of years before. Now I know who she is and I’m happy I’ve read her. Fantastic author. If you haven’t read her, you should.
39. You’ve recorded every book you’ve ever read and what you thought of it.
No, not me. But Yvo does this over at It’s All About Books! Amazing. My jaw dropped when I saw all the books she’s documented.
40. You have a designated reading nook in your home.
Nope. Our place is quite small. I read wherever I can. Bathroom. Bed. Couch. That about covers it.
41. You have a literary-themed T-shirt, bag, tattoo, or item of home decor.
I actually don’t. Not sure why. I would LOVE to own a literary-themed something (FYI, my birthday is in September), but I don’t.
42. You gave your pet a literary name.
The cat’s name is Cowboy Lemmy Rainbow Dash. We call him Cowboy for short. I can’t think of a character or an author called Cowboy.
43. You make literary references and puns nobody else understands.
No. My husband is Pun Man. Puns never even enter my mind, unless I’m listening to my husband rattle them off.
44. You’re a stickler for spelling and grammar, even when you’re just texting.
I am. And I hate it when I see a mistake after I hit the send button. I have to explain it right away. I’m all like, ‘Do you want cork for dinner, haha! Corn, I meant corn! See how tired I am?’ At some level I know the other person doesn’t care. Never stops me from freaking out about typos and trying to fix them after the fact.
45. You’ve given books as gifts for every occasion: birthdays, Valentine’s Day, graduations, Tuesdays . . .
People want other things?
46. Whenever someone asks what your favorite book is, your brain goes into overdrive and you can’t choose just one. You end up naming twelve books.
YES!!! If you want to watch me stress out, do this.
47. You love the smell of books.
Yes
48. You’ve binge-read an entire series or an author’s whole oeuvre in just a few days.
Have I done this? My friend let me borrow all the Harry Potter books one spring. I read those back-to-back, but it took a few weeks. No, I guess I can’t count that.
49. You’ve actually felt your heart rate go up while reading an incredible book.
Yes
50. When you turn the last page of a good book, you feel as if you’ve finally come up for air and returned from a great adventure.
Yes
All right. So how did I do?
30 out of 50.
Not bad! I say anything over the half-way mark qualifies someone as a bona-fide book nerd. What’s your score?
Cas Blomberg Communications 
I am a 39/50. I regret nothing.
Hahah nice post- I must try this!!