I'd Rather be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel

 

Summary (from the publisher): 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.

Review: "We are readers. Books grace our shelves and fill our homes with beauty; they dwell in our minds and occupy our thoughts. Books prompt us to spend pleasant hours alone and connect us with fellow readers. They invite us to escape into their pages for an afternoon, and they inspire us to reimagine our lives."

This delightful collection of essays explores some of the joys and dilemmas that consume those that delight in books. I was familiar with Anne Bogel because of her hit podcast "What Should Read Next?" and was drawn to this book, which reminded me a lot of Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (and indeed Bogel references it in this work). Each short essay included in this text focuses on a different aspect of reading from collecting books to rereading to how we connect to other readers and how we track our books, if it all. I identified and related with it all. 

I particularly loved her contemplation on how to begin to recommend books to others and how personal it feels, as well as her thoughts on rereading books and how who we are at particular moment in time that we read a book color our enjoyment and thoughts on the text, and which will inevitably change upon rereading that same book at a later time. I also liked her discussion on book logs and journals, because that is something I truly love doing and am very happy that I have tracked the titles of all the books I have ever read since I started reading chapter books. I would be devastated to lose this data. A fun, fast read that any serious book lover will identify with and enjoy. 

"How good it is to be among people who are reading."

Stars: 4

Related Title: 

• Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman