I find it fascinating that I observed this phenomenon in the early 1990s, based on my personal experience and by observing many book lovers.

At that time, I had hypothesized that this sensation was related to the love of reading and the passion that strengthens neural pathways rather than hoarding.

Although I used to exhibit the four hoarding tendencies you mentioned in this story in the past, such as buying books from every academic presenter or participant of the events when attending conferences, I stopped doing so when my library got too full and my wife started questioning my ambition.

Later, I learned about the weeding process in the information management discipline, which helped me declutter.

Your story is beautifully written and offers valuable perspectives. Your childhood resembles mine in this context. In later years libraries were my sanctuary but they also created unnecessary stress.

I particularly enjoyed your storytelling style, which created a lovable narrative.