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    I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
    I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
    I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
    Ebook130 pages1 hour

    I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

    By Anne Bogel

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    About this ebook

    For so many people, reading isn't just a hobby or a way to pass the time--it's a lifestyle. Our books shape us, define us, enchant us, and even sometimes infuriate us. Our books are a part of who we are as people, and we can't imagine life without them.

    I'd Rather Be Reading is the perfect literary companion for everyone who feels that way. In this collection of charming and relatable reflections on the reading life, beloved blogger and author Anne Bogel leads readers to remember the book that first hooked them, the place where they first fell in love with reading, and all of the moments afterward that helped make them the reader they are today. Known as a reading tastemaker through her popular podcast What Should I Read Next?, Bogel invites book lovers into a community of like-minded people to discover new ways to approach literature, learn fascinating new things about books and publishing, and reflect on the role reading plays in their lives.

    The perfect gift for the bibliophile in everyone's life, I'd Rather Be Reading will command an honored place on the overstuffed bookshelves of any book lover.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBaker Publishing Group
    Release dateSep 4, 2018
    ISBN9781493415311

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    Reviews for I'd Rather Be Reading

    4/5

    112 ratings32 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I'm always easily charmed by any odes to reading and this little book charmed me from the first page. Filled with essays, anecdotes, little drawings, reading lists, advice, and stories, this love letter to books is a must read for any bibliophile. As a reader I could relate to everything Anne Bogel so eloquently wrote and I can't wait to read more of her work. A great little volume!
    • 4/5
      A tiny little thing (it won't take more than a couple of hours of your time,) this book is all about the life of a reader, that is, someone for whom reading is a lifestyle, or as Anne puts it, the reading life. If you can identify with that, you'll identify with her story and be smiling and nodding along as I was. If not, then you probably shouldn't bother.
    • 5/5
      'We are readers. Books are an essential part of our lives and of our life stories. For us, reading isn't just a hobby or a pastime; it's a lifestyle,' Anne Bogel writes. If you're a passionate reader, you will see yourself in these charming essays. Bogel is the author of the The Modern Mrs. Darcy blog and she has steered me to some wonderful books and authors. So I was excited to read this book, and recognized myself, often with a rueful laugh. There are chapters about organizing bookshelves, thoughts on book jackets, reading confessions, and the role of reading in your memories. Public libraries and bookstores are loved and discussed. It turns out, I have often read books about reading books and this is one of my favorites, so far.
    • 5/5
      The title of this book captured my attention because it is a regular thought of mine. That and the picture of the crammed bookshelf! I mused about the books written for other interests, but none are as quirky as a book to read about reading. I had to chuckle. They say “birds of a feather flock together” that is true of avid readers. We don’t have anything outwardly to show about our passion other than shelves and stacks of books visible only to those who visit our homes. In our collective love of the written page we share certain traits and oddities exclusive to our tribe.This book is for us!!! Ms. Bogel totally gets it! It is not genre biased (and neither are we, a reader is a reader!). As you read the essays you feel a sense of “yes, there are others like me!” I felt understood and accepted in my odd little world as a bookworm. She took me through a whole rainbow of emotions, from tears of laughter to tears of the heart. Ms. Bogel captured the joys of being a bookroom along with the emotional and mental conflicts. The chapter, “How to Organize Your Bookshelves” really close to home as that has been a goal for a long time. I was also taken back in time to my childhood beginning love of books. The trips the library every week in the summer. Reading all the Wizard of Oz books (I was so surprised to find there was more than one story!) and the Wind in the Willows series. The memory of being put to bed and reading under the sheet with a candle, yes a candle! Only to spill hot wax on the sheet upon hearing my mother’s footsteps. That was a sticky wicket to explain!I found this book to be delightful, making be feel normal as few of my friends, acquaintances or family is readers. If you are addicted to reading, add this book to your TBR list! I received this book from Baker Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I stated are my own.
    • 4/5
      Anne Bogel of the blog Modern Mrs. Darcy and the podcast What Should I Read Next? has collected here a series of short essays about the reading life. This is mostly a quiet, pleasant collection that doesn't really ask many tough questions but rather lays out recognizable touchstones for bookish people. I might have liked it to have just a tad more substance, but there's no denying reading this was a purely delightful way to spend an afternoon.
    • 3/5
      • 3 ☆☆☆

      I was expecting so much more.
      And here is why:
      -
      I'm a book lover. And one of my guilty pleasures is books about books. Bookshop’s fondness to be more precise. And this book was ALMOST there.
      -
      O que me perturbou tanto:
      A princípio pensei que esse livro poderia ser avaliado por capítulos separados - como uma coletânea de contos - pois cada qual com um “jargão comum” (ex.: I’m Begging You to Break My Heart, Bookworm Problems, Keep Reading) dos muitos leitores assíduos que vivem espalhados no mundo, não são interligados.
      E comecei a dar estrelas mentais para cada capítulo. Mas depois percebi que há frases, vivências, aflições e conceitos muito interessante ???? ??? ?????, porém de forma geral... é um livro okay.

      Não traz nada excepcional - embora tenha ocorrido alguma identificação, veja bem - e confesso que em alguns momentos achei um pouco forçado (a relação desesperada que ela expõe que teve com os livros e as bibliotecas).
      O capítulo que ela informa que tem que ler o livro de capa a capa para não perder nada, se estendeu muito, com muitos exemplos, a maioria iguais - como se quisesse mostrar que realmente leu muito na vida e tem “vários exemplos para mostrar” - mas que serviu para engordar o livro.

      Comentou do meu filme favorito da vida ???'?? ??? ???? e todo o heartwarning da obra, e aborda a cena da borboleta no trem.

      “So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

      E conclui como:
      “With apologies to Kathleen Kelly, what I’ve come to learn is this: if my real life reminds me of something I read in a book, I’m reading well—and I’m probably living well, too.”

      E concordo com ela.

      Contudo, em suma, não voltaria a ler... nada da autora. Porque parece que são vários podcasts separados e não tem um vínculos os capítulos.
      Estou péssima em rever coisas hoje.

      E esse livro deve funcionar melhor caso seja escutado, será?

      Tive vários highlights, mas esses dois compensam ser colocados aqui para buscas rápidas (tenho pensado nessa vida de resumir livros e leituras com mais entusiasmo e esse último capítulo do ?'? ?????? ?? ??????? foi como uma lâmpada que realmente seria uma boa investir mais nisso (já que invisto tanto em livros).
      -
      “The best books move you, drawing out the full range of emotions from the reader, and sometimes that includes breaking your heart.”

      -
      A good tip:

      “Start today, because as soon as you begin, you’re going to wish you’d begun sooner. Record your books as a gift to your future self, a travelogue you’ll be able to pull off the shelf years from now, to remember the journey.

      [...] Good reading journals provide glimpses of how we’ve spent our days, and they tell the story of our lives.”

      Excerpt from: "I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life" by Anne Bogel. Scribd.
      This material may be protected by copyright.

      Read this book on Sribd.
    • 4/5
      A lovely book to listen to, like catching up with a friend to talk about the pleasures of reading!
    • 4/5
      A cozy little book, too short. I only recently discovered Anne Bogel's podcast What Should I Read Next? and I adore it. This collection of brief essays is a sort of summary of her reading life, and what books have meant to her. Pleasant comfort reading.
    • 3/5
      Actually, I'm would give this one a 3.5. It is 145 pages of bookish thoughts. It is a nice "gift book" for bookish friends and family. It reads like a collection of blog posts and is a bit repetitive and has a few chapters that droned on a little but overall it was enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      Short book about the reading life.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful little gem of a book that really does celebrate the reader. I loved it!
    • 5/5
      I am thankful for this book. I have never encountered a book that describes the love for books so perfectly. It was relatable and inspirational. This book was pure gold.
    • 5/5
      This is not a book to lose yourself in. Rather, it is a book that you will find yourself in, time and time again. Anne Bogel makes it clear that reading is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle. You don’t have too many books, you just don’t have enough bookshelves. She gives good advice, such as ignoring decorators who say your shelves should be 1/3 books, 1/3 decorative items, and 1/3 empty space. They are called bookshelves for a reason - they hold books! This clever book will amuse you with its humor, and you will find a kindred spirit in Ms. Bogel, who definitely knows exactly what a reader is.
    • 5/5
      Such a sweet & cozy way to end the day -- listening to this book. It's a thoughtful, and all-inclusive description of the world of bibliomaniacs. She gets into many hilarious adventures and observations Every word & thought mirrored mine -- dead on -- except the formidable speed of her reading abilities. Loved this book
    • 4/5
      This a fun book to read it is a collection of short essay dealing with reading and the reading life.
    • 4/5
      I am one of those readers that loves books about books and books about reading. I don't know why because in many ways they are a waste of valuable reading time and yet....And here is another book on this topic which is very enjoyable. It is only short - only took me about an hour to read. But I smiled and nodded and thought yes at several points. My favourite quote is from beginning of Chapter 7:"People read for a multiplicity of reasons.Nearly forty years in, I can tell you why I inhale books like oxygen: I'm grateful for my one life, but I'd prefer to live a thousand.....especially when I can do it from my own comfy chair"
    • 3/5
      "For so many people, reading isn't just a hobby or a way to pass the time--it's a lifestyle. Our books shape us, define us, enchant us, and even sometimes infuriate us. Our books are a part of who we are as people, and we can't imagine life without them."

      Filled with quick enjoyable essays, I felt like I was just having a conversation about books with a friend. Very relatable topics about everything from carrying heavy loads of books from and to the library, organizing bookshelves, and so what if you are a rereader of books, to keeping a record of books read list. Highly recommend this book for the "Ah, that's so me too," moments.
    • 3/5
      Pleasant affirmations that no matter how quirky your reading and book life might be, there are likely to be people even more quirkier than you.
    • 5/5
      What is there to say about this book? This collection of essays is a beautiful love letter for book lovers everywhere. I fell in love with it from the very first page and thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing. My hands-down favorite chapter was entitled "Bookworm Problems". I found myself nodding along to the majority she described! If you love books, this is a perfect little book to read, read again and again, and gift to other book lovers in your life.
    • 4/5
      Bogel is best known as the host of the What Should I read Now podcast, so I heard her soothing voice as I read this.In this book she discusses so many aspects of being a reader, from packing a stack of books for vacation to having an acquaintance, someone you hardly know, ask for book recommendations, to the danger of looking at a good friend's bookshelf and being surprised. She discusses the many ways a reader can track their reads, and she reminisces about the many years, as a young family, that she lived next door to a library and would drop in multiple times a day.This book, with it's lack of a plot, just booky topics, would be a great palate cleanser between more intense reads.
    • 4/5
      Short lightly intense memoir essays on reading and a life of reading. There should be more book lists. More than I liked I wanted to know what book she was talking about but it wasn't named.
    • 5/5
      So, I ended up finishing How About Never? Is Never Good for You? entirely too quickly last night and needed something else to read while waiting for sleep to claim me. The bookshelf right next to my bed held this slim little tome and it felt just right.And it was. A slim volume of 21 essays about books, reading books, owning books, borrowing books, and becoming the books you read. Each one well written and thoughtful, touching on subjects that any dedicated reader has faced before, be it library fines or a dearth of bookshelves and the space to keep them.It was a pleasant, relaxing read that reminded me that slump or not, I’m a book nerd and will always, always be a reader.
    • 4/5
      Found through her blog and podcast which are interesting. The book is delightful and a fun read. I find myself adding books to my "to be read" list as I enjoy this book.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this chatty little book about the joys of a reading life.
    • 5/5
      This was a delightful listen. I enjoyed that rather than go on about specific books (though there were mentions throughout), this was more about her overall love of books and reading. She’s the type of reader I think I’d like to have as a friend.
    • 4/5
      I love books about books and this one hit the nail right on the head. My favorite essay is the one where she talks about when here house was right next door to the library, and I could fantasize that my house was right next door to my favorite library too. Even though I'm lucky enough to be easy walking distance to 2 branches of my towns library. Among other of my favorite topics were how to organinze your book shelves and the joy of rereading.
    • 5/5
      I adored this! It was just like chatting with a good friend about our mutual love of books. Almost everything she said reminded me of my own bookish habits and struggles. She talks about falling in love with the library, rereading old favorites, and not pushing books on others just because you think they SHOULD read them. So many of the books she cites are my favorites as well. It was short and sweet and I know I’ll read it again.“If my real life reminds me of something I’ve read in a book, I’m reading well and I’m probably living well.”
    • 5/5
      I love books about books and to all you beautiful book nerds and readaholics out there, this book is for us! I feel as if I should hand out copies so that people would finally get - what I'm on about! Anne Bogel explains with pure book lovers logic why we are like we are, what it is to live and breath books, to never be without a book, to buy books when we already have dozens at home, scattered everywhere and still unread. With delightful tongue in cheek seriousness Anne explains why we don't have to justify anything to anyone when it comes to what we read. Reading is so very personal and it's darn near impossible to explain why our favourites books are so special, and how we go about selecting that next - best ever read. I loved this book, couldn't put it down and smiled the whole way through.
    • 3/5
      Light and smile-provoking. If you are a book lover, you'll find yourself between its pages.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book ??. Highly recommend it to other readers.

    Book preview

    I'd Rather Be Reading - Anne Bogel

    © 2018 by Anne Bogel

    Published by Baker Books

    a division of Baker Publishing Group

    PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

    www.bakerbooks.com

    Ebook edition created 2018

    Ebook corrections 09.05.2018

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

    ISBN 978-1-4934-1531-1

    Cover and interior artwork: David Holmes 2018

    The author is represented by the William K Jensen Literary Agency.

    "I’d Rather Be Reading is a book lover’s delight. Readers will be reminded of the books that shaped their own lives (and maybe add a few more to the list)."

    Annie Spence, librarian and author of Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks

    Anne Bogel’s beguiling latest is a love letter to the reading life, infused with all the warmth, charm, and brilliance her fans have come to expect. I found myself—and my reading community—inside its pages, and you will too.

    Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of The Almost Sisters

    "Personal and fun, Anne Bogel’s essay collection is a self-portrait in books—weaving together all the readers she has been. I’d Rather Be Reading is her winsome musings on books, not just as a way to enjoy a good story, but as a way to become a whole person. Anne believes books find their way to you when you need them. You need this book in your reading life."

    Kathleen Grissom, author of The Kitchen House

    "This book is a reader’s delight. Lovely illustrations and Anne’s witty commentary will keep you laughing and nodding all the way through. Whether you gulp it down or revisit it time and time again, I’d Rather Be Reading will make you crazy grateful for your own unique reading life."

    Sarah Mackenzie, author of The Read-Aloud Family and host of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast

    "Books help make us who we are, and they make us better people. Anne Bogel’s charming essays in I’d Rather Be Reading, all about the bibliophile’s journey through life, will make you fall in love with books all over again."

    Jane Mount, founder of Ideal Bookshelf and author of Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany for People Who Love Books

    "In this thoughtful essay collection, Anne Bogel reminds even the most weary reader among us that there is no greater pastime than that of getting lost in a good book. I’d Rather Be Reading is a charming exploration of all the ways books entertain, challenge, and change us. It’s a call to read with exuberant joy and a meditation on the things that hinder us from doing so. A must-read for anyone who calls themselves a book lover!"

    Ariel Lawhon, author of I Was Anastasia

    For everyone who’s ever finished a book

    under the covers with a flashlight

    when they were supposed to be sleeping.

    Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading!

    —RAINER MARIA RILKE

    Books wrote our life story, and as they accumulated on our shelves (and on our windowsills, and underneath our sofa, and on top of our refrigerator), they became chapters in it themselves. How could it be otherwise?

    —ANNE FADIMAN

    Contents

    Cover    1

    Title Page    3

    Copyright Page    4

    Endorsements    5

    Dedication    7

    Epigraph    8

    Introduction: The Pages of Our Lives    11

    1. Confess Your Literary Sins    17

    2. The Books That Find You    25

    3. I’m Begging You to Break My Heart    32

    4. The Books Next Door    37

    5. Hooked on the Story    43

    6. My Inner Circle    46

    7. Life Imitates Art    51

    8. How to Organize Your Bookshelves    56

    9. Book Bossy    60

    10. Bookworm Problems    66

    11. The Readers I Have Been    72

    12. What I Need Is a Deadline    80

    13. Keep Reading    86

    14. A Reader’s Coming of Age    96

    15. Bookseller for a Day    105

    16. Book Twins    111

    17. Again, for the First Time    117

    18. Book People    124

    19. Take Me Back    131

    20. Windows to the Soul    135

    21. I’d Rather Be Reading    140

    Acknowledgments    147

    Works Referenced    151

    About the Author    155

    Back Ads    157

    Back Cover    161

    Introduction

    The Pages of Our Lives

    Can you recommend a great book?"

    Because I’m a writer, certified book nerd, and all-around bookish enthusiast, people ask me this question all the time. I talk about books like it’s my job—and in a sense, it is. I make book recommendations every day.

    When a reader tells me they’re looking for a great book to read, it doesn’t seem like a complicated question, or like they’re asking for too much. I can imagine where they’re coming from because I’ve been there myself. Maybe they’ve read through a string of mediocre titles, or maybe it’s been a while since they’ve read anything at all. Maybe they’re in a slump, reading-wise, and it’s killed the confidence they once had in choosing good titles for themselves. They’re not in the mood to take a chance; they’re looking for a sure thing—a book they’re guaranteed to love.

    But no library or bookstore has a dedicated shelf for great books, at least not the kind we’re talking about here. Maybe they have a section of impressive-looking hardbacks, those hundred or so titles some consider to be the foundation of Western literature—Plato, Cicero, Dante. Those Great Books are easy enough to find, but they’re not what you’re looking for when you want a great book.

    You’re looking for a book that reminds you why you read in the first place. One written well and that will feel like it was written just for you—one that will make you think about things in a new way, or feel things you didn’t expect a book to make you feel, or see things in a new light. A book you won’t want to put down, whose characters you don’t want to tell good-bye. A book you will close feeling satisfied and grateful, thinking, Now, that was a good one.

    If I could read only great books for the rest of my days, I would be happy. But finding those books—for myself or any other reader—isn’t so easy. A great book means different things to different people.

    When we talk about reading, we often focus on the books themselves, but so much of the reading life is about the reader as an active participant. To put a great book in your hands, here’s what I need to know: When you turn to the written word, what are you looking for? What themes speak to you? What sorts of places do you want to vicariously visit? What types of characters do you enjoy meeting on the page? What was the last story you wished would never end? Which was the last volume you hurled across the room?

    Without the details of what great means to you, and without knowing what kind of reader you are, the question might be simple, but it’s impossible to answer. To hand you a great book, I don’t just need to know about books; I need to know you.

    A book is just printed words on a page: you can shelve it, shred it, ship it around the world. It’s a commodity you can buy and sell, highly prize, or box up in your basement and leave to mildew. We both loan them and discard them.

    But avid readers know a great book doesn’t exist only in the realm of the material. The words between those covers bring whole worlds to life. When I think of the characters and stories and ideas contained on a single shelf of my personal library, it boggles my mind. To readers, those books—the ones we buy and borrow and trade and sell—are more than objects. They are opportunities beckoning us. When we read, we connect with them (or don’t) in a personal way.

    Sometimes the personal nature of reading is kind of a pain, making it difficult to find a great book for an individual reader. Sometimes finding the right book feels like a hassle—especially if you’re standing in the bookstore aisle or perusing the library stacks or even scrutinizing the teetering pile on your nightstand, debating what to read next—when all you want to do is find a book you will love, that you’ll close in the span of a few hours or days or weeks and say, "That was amazing." A great book. That’s all you want. But reading is personal. We can’t know what a book will mean to us until we read it. And so we take a leap and choose.

    Sometimes we’ll choose

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