WTF Wednesday: 5 Weird Book Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Hello Everybody! Welcome to my second post for my new meme WTF Wednesday! Today is all about learning some really weird facts about reading that honestly made me go wtf when I read them.

They’re quirky and strange, and here they are:

1. The Japanese word ‘tsundoku’ means ‘buying a load of books and then not getting round to reading them’.

It’s official. The Japanese know exactly how we feel that they actually have a word for it! And to think some people think English is superior. Has anyone created a word like ‘tsundoku’ in English? I think not (and no mum, that’s not called laziness).

2. Alice in Wonderland is based on a real 10-year-old girl.

I feel extremely ashamed that I have not read this since I was super tiny and honestly, it creeps me out thinking some 10-year-old was going through these potentially serious and dangerous situations. Fortunately, the story goes that the fictional Alice was very, very loosely based on the real Alice.

3. In 2007, Stephen King was mistaken for a vandal when he started signing books during an unannounced visit to a bookshop in Australia.

THIS IS SO FUNNY HAHA omg I am even more ashamed as to how stupid people from my own country could be. I can just imagine the clerk in the bookshop calling the cops: “There’s someone in the bookshop…SIGNING THE BOOKS. HELP.”

4. ‘Bibliosmia‘ is the enjoyment of the smell of old books.

Here another cute word fun fact, there is also a word for addicts like myself who enjoy the smell of books. I wonder if there are true addicts out there; Hi, I’m Tracy and I’m a Bibliosmaniac. I mean, I have a lot of Bibliosmia, I’m a Bibliosmiaddict?”

5. The record for most people balancing books on their heads at the same place and time is 998 in Sydney, Australia, in 2012.

My first question to this would honestly be WHY? Why would you endanger so many books by getting 998 – I said it, folks – nine-hundred and ninety-eight people to balance a book on their head at the same time?? I’m just going to blame Australia’s drinking culture because this is just ridiculous. Kudos to those 998 people that showed up and did it though. I hope they are all readers at least.

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What did you think of these facts? Do you know any other fun reading facts? Let me know in the comments below 🙂

Until next time,

xx Tracy