Bookworms have a (not so) easy life!

There is a group of people in this world who wouldn't survive ten minutes without a regular supply of letters. Their natural habitat is bookstores and antique shops. Compared to them, the speed of light is a snail, as they devour thick tomes in record time. Yes, together with Medojed and Hanka, we'll take a look at the hardships and joys faced by book lovers, a.k.a. bookworms.

Bookworm (noun) = a peculiar creature characterized by a love for written texts.

We've already encountered Těžký život knihomolů on the authors' Instagram profiles. The book version contains much more. You won't just find comics inside; you'll also get acquainted with the term bookworm. Although this introduction sounds like the theme song from Cobra 11, it explains to the reader, briefly and concisely, what a bookworm is. The introduction is followed by character profiles. Their presentation style resembles selecting a character in a fighting video game. In short, we are introduced to eight bookworms, learn basic information about them, and can compare their reading skills. Personally, I find the bookworm Ája the most terrifying and adorable at the same time.

Once we've finished the initial introduction to the bookworms, we can dive into the individual comics. In the strips, we encounter (un)pleasant situations that bookworms face. How do bookworms choose new books? When they say, "just one more chapter and I'll go to sleep," do they actually do it? Grandpa explains to Ája that you don't draw in books. How do bookworms (fail to) handle reading challenges? What kind of relationship do Santa and Baby Jesus have with bookworms? Full-blooded bookworms will experience these situations very intensely, and many will surely recognize themselves in the book. I recommend not skipping anything, as some situations span more than one page. There's also bookworm bingo, which will test just how much of a bookworm you really are!

The book doesn't end with bingo! We continue with a bookworm dictionary. I consider this chapter important for mere mortals. If you need a "read-tective" to solve "read-pression" for a bookworm who has just finished a "read-a-thon" followed by a "read-flight." By mastering these individual terms, you'll understand the language of bookworms in no time! Těžký život knihomolů expands your vocabulary while also passing on wisdom in the form of Grandpa's book-sayings. There aren't many of them, but they are truly profound and sometimes reach philosophical dimensions.

In the final section, you'll find tips that can help you start reading more. A pure-blooded bookworm won't be as interested in the tips, but they will be all the more excited about the next part: the book-lover's couples counseling. Here, situations that the book can solve are once again captured in comic form. The very end belongs to the bonuses. Here you'll find behind-the-scenes tidbits and explanations for some of the strips.

Even though this is a funny piece that will delight many a bookworm, there is one minor minus that I regret. The book cover is colorful and cheerful, but the inside is only black and white. Color would have breathed a completely different energy into some of the strips, and the reader would have had a stronger experience. All in all… this book must not be missing from a bookworm's library!

author Adéla Tomanovicsová