和喜欢读书的女孩谈恋爱

Rosemarie+Urquico

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read， who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. Youll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. Shes the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore， the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick1） sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop？ Thats the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages， especially when they are yellow.

Shes the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug， the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because shes kind of engrossed2） already. Lost in a world of the authors making. Sit down. She might give you a glare， as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami3）. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyces Ulysses4） shes just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

Its easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday， for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words， in poetry， in song. Give her Neruda5）， Pound6）， Sexton7）， Cummings8）. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god， shes going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot9） somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax， she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things： motivation， value， nuance10）， dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who read understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel11）. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not？ Girls who read understand that people， like characters， develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads， keep her close. When you find her up at 2 a.m. clutching a book to her chest and weeping， make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. Shell talk as if the characters in the book are real， because for a while， they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time shes sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasnt burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives， have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat12） and Aslan13）， maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats14） under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony， and stale15） hours and half-baked16） proposals， then youre better off17） alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it， date a girl who reads.

Or better yet， date a girl who writes.

找个喜欢读书的女孩约会吧。找个把钱花在书上而非衣服上的女孩约会吧。这样的女孩总嫌书柜的空间不够大，因为她的书太多啦。找个有一长串的书想读的女孩约会吧，她12岁就拥有了图书馆的借书卡。

找个喜欢读书的女孩吧。你会发现她喜欢读书，因为在她包里总放着一本未读的书。她是那个在书店里浏览书架时会满心欢喜的女孩，在找到自己心仪的书时会轻轻地惊呼。你看到那个在二手书店里嗅旧书页的古怪丫头了吗？那就是喜欢读书的人。她们总是忍不住要去闻闻书页，纸张泛黄时更是欲罢不能。

她是那个在街边咖啡店一边等待一边读书的女孩。如果偷偷瞄一眼她的杯子，你会发现非乳奶精就浮在表面，因为她已经有点沉浸在书中，迷失在作者营造的世界里啦。坐过去吧。没准她会瞪你一眼，因为大多数喜欢读书的女孩都不喜欢被打扰。不妨问问她是否喜欢正在读的那本书。

为她再买一杯咖啡。

跟她谈谈你对村上春树的真实看法，看看她有没有读完《伙伴》的第一章。你要明白，如果她说自己能读懂詹姆斯·乔伊斯的《尤利西斯》，她那样说的目的是为了听上去聪明一些。问问她是否喜欢爱丽丝，或者想不想成为爱丽丝。

跟喜欢读书的女孩约会很容易。她过生日时可以送书，圣诞节可以送书，纪念日还可以送书。把诗歌中、歌曲里的词句当做礼物送给她吧。把聂鲁达、庞德、塞克斯顿和卡明斯的诗歌送给她吧。让她知道你明白那些诗句就代表着爱。你要理解，虽然她很清楚书本和现实之间的区别，但上帝作证啊，她还是会尽力让自己的生活有那么一点像她最爱的书中的样子。如果她真这样做了，那绝不是你的错。

不管怎样她都必须要试一试。

对她说谎。如果她懂得句法结构就会明白你有必要撒谎。因为话语背后还隐藏了别的东西：动机、价值观、微妙的含义和彼此间的沟通。撒谎并不是世界末日。

让她失望也没关系。因为喜欢读书的女孩明白挫折是走向高潮的必经之路，也明白一切终将画上句号。她明白你总能写个续篇，并在一次次重新开始后依然是她的英雄。她也明白，生活中本来就要有那么一两个混蛋。

为什么要为自己所不具备的一切担心呢？喜欢读书的女孩们明白，就像书中的人物一样，人是会成长的。但《暮光之城》系列中的人物除外。

如果你找到了一个喜欢读书的女孩，那就陪在她身边。当你凌晨两点发现她正将一本书抱在胸前哭泣时，就给她泡杯茶，抱抱她。她可能会神游几小时，但总会回到你这儿来。她谈话的样子会让人觉得书中的人物仿佛都是真的，因为有那么一会儿他们总是真实的。

你会在热气球上求婚，或者在摇滚音乐会上，或者在她下次生病时很随意地求婚。还可以通过Skype。

你们会笑得那么豪放以致都奇怪为什么自己的小心脏没蹦出来，血染胸膛。你们会把生活中的故事写下来，你们会有名字奇怪、喜好更怪的孩子。孩子妈很可能会在同一天向孩子们介绍戴帽子的猫和《纳尼亚传奇》中的狮王阿斯兰。等你们老了，会一起走过一个个冬日，你抖落靴子上的雪，而她在低声吟诵济慈的诗。

找个喜欢读书的女孩约会吧，因为你值得拥有。你值得拥有一个能给你带来可以想象得到的最多彩人生的女孩。如果你只能带给她单调、乏味的时光，连求婚都很仓促，那你单身会更好。如果你想拥有整个世界，甚至想看看世界之外的风景，那就和喜欢读书的女孩约会吧。

若是能约到一个喜欢写作的女孩，那就更好啦。

1. chick [t??k] n. 女孩；少女

2. engrossed [?n?ɡr??st] adj. 全神贯注的，专心致志的

3. Murakami：即村上春树（Haruki Murakami， 1949～），日本现代小说家，代表作有《挪威的森林》（Norwegian Wood）、《1Q84》（1Q84）等。

4. Ulysses：《尤利西斯》，长篇意识流小说，爱尔兰作家詹姆斯·乔伊斯（James Joyce， 1882～1941）的代表作，内容晦涩凌乱，非常难懂。

5. Neruda：即巴勃罗·聂鲁达（Pablo Neruda， 1904～1973），智利当代著名诗人，曾于1971年获得诺贝尔文学奖，代表作为诗集《二十首情诗和一支绝望的歌》（Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair）。

6. Pound：即埃兹拉·庞德（Ezra Pound， 1885～1972），美国著名诗人、文学家，意象主义诗歌的代表人物，代表作为诗歌《在地铁站内》（“In a Station of the Metro”）。

7. Sexton：即安妮·塞克斯顿（Anne Sexton， 1928～1974），美国著名女诗人，曾凭诗集《生或死》（Live or Die）获得普利策奖。

8. Cummings：即E. E. 卡明斯（E. E. Cummings， 1894～1962），美国著名现代派诗人、画家，代表作为诗集《郁金香与烟囱》（Tulips and Chimneys）。

9. give it a shot：试试看；尝试做某事

10. nuance [?nju??ns] n. （声音、感受、外貌或意义的）细微差别

11. sequel [?si?kw?l] n. （小说、戏剧或电影的）续篇，续集

12. Cat in the Hat：戴帽子的猫，《戴帽子的猫》（The Cat in the Hat）的主人公，该书是著名儿童文学家苏斯博士（Dr. Seuss， 1904～1991）的代表作。

13. Aslan：奇幻儿童文学作品《纳尼亚传奇》（The Chronicles of Narnia）中的狮王阿斯兰

14. Keats：即约翰·济慈（John Keats， 1795～1821），英国著名诗人，浪漫派代表，代表作为诗歌《夜莺颂》（“Ode to a Nightingale”）。

15. stale [ste?l] adj. 没有新意的

16. half-baked：（想法、计划等）考虑不周的；草率的

17. better off：更好的