When I love a book....

The other day I got to thinking, after having read book

 #1298047555478927895 at this point in my 

life, what criteria must a book have in order for me to personally
give a rating of 5 owls for a review here or 5 stars on Goodreads? 

 I know most literary hot-shots wouldn't agree with me, but

here's a list of clues that tell me if I LOVE a book or not:

1. 24 hours or less!

Basically.  And I also have a minor obsession with e-cards.

If I pick up a flippin' book at the beginning and I'm so consumed by the story that I'm done reading within 24 hours or less, I know I loved the book.  I'll miss sleep, miss meals, forget about whatever chores need to be done in the house, all because I cannot stop thinking about this book and the need to finish it.  I know all of you bookworms have been there, and I also know that at least one of those books that have had a similar impact on you has just popped into your head.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but that book is probably considered one of your favorites.  

2. The Book Hangover

The beloved and equally dreaded Book Hangover.  This one goes right along with the first.  It's that empty yet full feeling you get once you finish a book. You feel full because you've taken in everything that was written from cover to cover and you feel like your life was forever changed by the book.  Then there's the empty feeling of wishing you could take it all back and read the book over again just to experience all those emotions that you felt.

I know I've clutched a book while having that same look on my face.

3. I become demanding

I immediately demand that my book buddies read the same book I loved so we can swap thoughts.

This is me while waiting for a friend to read a book I loved.  Creepy?  Yes.  But they still love me.

I'm always ready to gush about whatever book I fell in love with, and I can be such a whiner when no one else has read it.  Plus, I can also be a fairly impatient person when waiting for a friend to finish a book I loved.  Are these negative qualities to have?  Negatron, my friend.

 4. Must. Read. The. Sequel.

I need to read the sequel.  NOW.

 If there is a sequel to the book, I'll forget about whatever book I had next on my reading list and place the sequel on hold at the library to read next.  For example: the Twilight books, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, The Bronze Horseman, The Moral Instruments, these are all books I greedily devoured once I started reading the first book in the series.  I know there's more, those were just the ones that popped into my mah head first.  

5. Was the connection there?

One of the most important aspects of any book that every reader looks for is that connection you feel with the characters and the story.  You know the one, the connection that makes you feel as if you've literally jumped into the pages of the book and you're living out the story yourself.  Call me crazy, but when I feel that super connection I almost believe the characters are real because you want them to BE real.   

Exactly my point.

There are probably more that could be added to my list, these are

just the first examples that came to me when I decided
 to write this post.  I'm sure I'll be kicking meself in the
arse later because I forgot to add one.

Whatevs.

So, what do you do when you read a book you love?

How do you feel?

How does a book make the cut for your favorites list?

Comment below and share them with me!

Stop lurky lurkin' and comment!

Please.

From one book lover to another,