Best Friends, Books,
and Beatitudes….
Happy Best Friend’s Day!
By MIRAH W. (mwelday)
Best friends are with us through thick and thin, provide us with wonderful memories, accept us just as we are and, in the greatest of situations, share our love of books. If those bibliophiles among us are truly lucky we have a best book friend (or two, or three) who loves to roam the shelves of the bookstore with us, gives us book recommendations, understands the sorrow we feel when a wonderful book is over, and doesn’t laugh at us when we cry over the book we’ve already read numerous times. So in honor of Best Friends Day, I offer these words of friendship wisdom.
A girl can only expect to be so lucky in life, but when it comes to book-loving best friends I’ve won the lottery. Take Jennie for example. My bestie since we were babies. We shared Nancy Drew novels when we were kids. Once we got a little older we couldn’t get enough of the Sweet Valley High shenanigans. When I was a kid it was ok to be a book nerd because Jennie loved me anyway. True acceptance can only come from a best friend.
Then I have Sara. We like to say we share a brain. We share thoughts, complete one another’s sentences, and understand what the other is thinking with only a glance. And, hold back your jealousy, she’s a librarian. She’s got the scoop and, even before her librarian days, I could always depend on her to recommend a good book. She knows what I like. She shares my enthusiasm for really good characters and stories. During her vacation to visit me when I lived in Hawaii we coordinated our purchases of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ so we could read it together. It was all we could do to control ourselves to not devour it in one day. A best friend who shares your passion for something in life is a rare treasure.
And then there’s Tasha. She shares my disenchantment with so many good books being made into movies with actors who could never adequately portray 
characters as we see them in our minds. However, there was an exception. We were so excited when the Harry Potter series was brought to life on the big screen. One of my greatest memories with Tasha is when I, along with several other friends, surprised her with tickets to see ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ for her birthday. I will always remember her excitement that night. Being able to share excitement and happiness with someone over something as simple as a good book and a movie is the mark of a great friend.
And I have Meg. She’s quick to share a book with me. She’s the reason I started reading the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. When she made the trek to visit me when I lived in Japan she was reading the first few books in the series. She thought I would like them, gave them to me when she was done, and she’s been sharing them with me ever since. Generosity is an essential trait in a best friend and Meg never fails to be generous.
Micki is my British literature soul mate. We actually met over ‘The Golden Compass’. I know, kind of random, but that’s how it started. She saw me reading it, asked me about it, and from there a friendship developed. We started our own Jane Austen Book Club to read the books, talk about them, and watch the movie adaptations. We would go on dates to the bookstore and peruse the shelves, talk about the books we had read, make notes on books and authors, and buy way too much. As I like to say, being addicted to books is better than being addicted to crack: books are cheaper and less harmful to my health. I believe a friend who supports your habit is a good thing, within reason.
In my book, best friends should be accepting, share our interests and passion and share in our happiness; they should be generous with their love and support us in what we love to do. Happy Best Friends Day, everyone! May your life be full of friendship and good books!
*Disclaimer: Friends are listed in no particular order and this is not an all-inclusive list of friends. I don’t want to start a fight. That would kind of go against the whole idea of Best Friends Day.
