My mother and I have a confession to make: we’re addicted to reading.

We love that feeling of a smooth book cover in our hands as the smell of ink and dust wafts from the crinkly pages; our eyes and minds devour every last syllable.

It’s completely intoxicating.

Which is why my mother’s visits normally consist of us running from one store to the next, like we’re Indiana Jones on the hunt for the lost treasure of some extinct culture.

See, she has a very long and detailed list of every book she needs from specific authors, so we have an established pattern of hunting.

First, the Salvation Army, then the Goodwill next to the theater, ABC Books, and finally any random thrift store we come across.

You should have seen her face when ABC Books was moving locations and we had to go to the next stop. Pure and utter disappointment.

But really, it’s fun to have this little ritual every time she visits.

I love spending time with her and this just allows us to spend more time with each other while fueling the hobby that we’ve both come to enjoy.

Used books: $30. Gas: $20. Lunch and coffee: $17. Time spent with someone you love doing something you both love: priceless.

Megan Mann can be reached at [email protected] or @meganisthemann on Twitter.