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 … 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.
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Modern Mrs. Darcy is a fitting moniker. Anne Bogel has reinvented book recommendations and how we interact with our books and other readers. I’D RATHER BE READING will make you fall in love with books all over again. Highly recommended.
I’ve listened to Anne Bogel’s podcast What Should I Read Now? and was delighted to discover her book. I’m a sucker for books about reading but especially recently as I’ve found myself in a reading rut. I want every book to be terrific and I am realizing I need a bit more thought before I pick a book. Enter Bogel’s stories of her own reading adventures, both making book suggestions and inspiring me to think more deeply about what I want to read!
A delightful read for anyone bookish. Charming essays that will remind you of yourself if you, too, have a TBR stack that might topple to crush you at any moment.
Read 2.14.2021
I found this book okay, I was hoping for more, but the one thing about it, it is a book for every type of reader. It touches on a bit of everything, like bookish problems, book friends, bookshelves, and an abundance of references. A good coffee table book.
A fun and quick read. It’s always nice when you can relate to others and her comments had me chuckling throughout. I also appreciated her book recommendations that I can add to my ever-growing TBR list.
“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.”
I’d Rather Be Reading is basically a memoir of Anne Bogel’s reading life. Her muses about reading and the reading life are very relatable. The book consists of short essays/chapters that focus on key parts of reading life. I enjoyed the format and the writing style of the author a lot. It made the book very easy to read, especially with each chapter being a new overall theme.
But while a lot of the chapters and discussions were relatable, I feel that the book gives little else to the reader. It felt like it was missing something, like tips to picking your next book or something like that. Mostly this was just like listening to a fellow book lover discuss their love for books but not actually gaining any useful information along the way. I did still enjoy it though and will probably recommend it to other bookish friends.
“I’m grateful for my one life, but I’d prefer to live a thousand—and my favorite books allow me to experience more on the page than I ever could in my actual life. A good book allows me to step into another world, to experience people and places and situations foreign to my own day-to-day existence. I love experiencing the new, the novel, the otherwise impossible—especially when I can do it from my own comfy chair.”
I wanted to like this book. I started a book club in January to reinvigorate my reading habits (which, over the years, had sadly taken a backseat to work, family and internet surfing) and to create fun social engagements with my friends. This non-fiction read seemed like a timely and light-hearted suggestion from BookBub and I was game to check it out.
There were some charming sections and the book started off strong. In particular, I enjoyed the anecdote of the author’s first family home next to the library, and a whole chapter dedicated to obsessive bookshelf rearranging as a book lover’s version of interior design. I delighted in seeing and saved this gem of a quote for my friends:
“Sometimes a social obligation keeps my reading on schedule. Book club is obvious—how many readers spend an entire month NOT reading, only to read two hundred pages in the twenty-four hours before book club?”
Yet midway through, I wondered why a 130-pager was taking me almost a week to read (work wasn’t THAT busy). Perhaps the subject matter was just too specific. The stories a tad repetitive. There was one chapter on the joys of the “Acknowledgements” sections of books that was excruciating to get through, with reference after reference. It read like a term paper.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the book. Perhaps new suggestions for authors I’d overlooked, or colorful stories to convey how and why reading is a passion or even obsession for so many. This book didn’t achieve it for me. It was a good premise, but ultimately fell flat.
If you need to remember why it is you read, this is a good reminder. It’s a quick read and perhaps will inspire you to grab one of those books on your list and actually open the volume.
Boring account of the usual reasons most of us like books.
I enjoyed the book especially because she recommended so many books. I added to my TBR list.
This book should be required reading for anyone who has ever enjoyed the magic of books. I laughed out loud as the author shared anecdotes that so closely matched my own thoughts about books and reading through the years. I so thoroughly enjoyed this book that it felt like sitting down with a good friend to discuss on of my favorite subjects. There were so many lines I wanted to write out and decorate my house with! I was inspired to keep track of my reading after devouring this little gem and whenever I see the cover I look at it with a fondness of kindred spirits. What a delightful afternoon I spent in the pages of this book!
Finally! Someone who feels the same as I do about reading. A delightful book!
I really like this book, because It takes me back to why I like books so much. I use my e-reader too, but there is just something about the touch and feel of an actual book.
It’s a quick book at only 130 pages (perfect for book clubs), but if you are reader, it really resonates! The author describes the anguish of your friends not liking what you like (“You finally persuade your friend to read your lifetime favorite book. She gives it three stars.”); the sorrow of having to leave a wonderful book (“You can’t put the book you just finished behind you because you still want to live it. You have a terrible book hangover, and it lasts three days.”); and the joy of having your books around you, even ones you’ll probably never read again (“There’s something about glimpsing, and especially handling, a book from long ago that takes me right back to where I was when I first read it. The book triggers memories of why I picked it up, how it made me feel, what was going on in my life at the time, transporting me so thoroughly that, for a moment, I feel like I’m there once again.”) And for Goodreads members, she notes that “the very act of documenting my reading life changes what I choose to read.” I found my next read by taking her up on one of her recommendations. The author has a podcast series called “What Should I Read Next,” that I”ll never turn to because I don’t even like audiobooks. Now if the podcast had a transcript I could read…
I loved this book so much! Anne captured my reading heart! Highly recommended!
The above a quote is a staple of Anne Bogle’s podcast. I think I found it about a year ago on the recommendation of Tsh Oxenreider and what a fabulous day that was! I found myself actually looking forward to exercising as that was the time I used to listen to her podcasts and I had a lot to catch up on. Fast forward a year, I was in groupie heaven when Anne was in Franklin, Indiana three evenings ago on her book launch tour – I was in the audience !
I am now the proud owner of two copies of this, both the Kindle format as well as the hard back versions. While I wanted to savor it slowly, I also had the desire to devour it so I compromised and read it over the span of three days.
While the book is visually beautiful (the cover is gorgeous and an artist’s rendering of her home reading space) and the size makes it a perfect “gifting” book, it short changes it to think of it that way. It was actually a gift I gave myself and loved every page. It’s a collection of twenty-one essays, each one a perfectly formed gem. While the essays are highly entertaining and enjoyable to read, they are far from light, fluffy drivel. Each one resonated with me in some fundamental way. Either echoed my thoughts and feelings, stirred a desire for me, or expanded my perspective on the act of reading. Anne is sharp and funny while being incredibly warm and opening her heart to let us take a peek at her reading life.
For anyone who is a fan of the blog or podcast, you will find this to be love at first read. For anyone who is a reader and not yet discovered this amazing woman, you are in for a delightful discovery.
If you happen to not be a reader (or aspiring reader) yourself, but have those in your life who are — this would be the perfect gift for them.
Bottom line: Inspiring, delightful, insightful. A perfect 10.
This is a book by a kindred spirit! I’m in this book. My mother is in this book. My coworker, my friends, spouses of friends… reading people, YOU are in this book. It was bookishly lovely, made me laugh at loud when I saw myself or someone I know in it, and made me feel exposed yet safe throughout every beautiful page. Thank you, Anne! I have a full lineup waiting if people to pass this gem along to and keep the bookish joy flowing!
This was a book about books. I didn’t love it like most people did. I really wanted too. There were parts I liked better than others. I agreed with some and laughed at others. But some parts bored me and I found myself wanting to read a novel instead. I’m still glad I read it though. I believe most people would find this enjoyable. This book was like a conversation with a book lover.
I am thrilled I found this book. It has lead me to Ann Bogels podcast. So I get to listen to other Bookish people talk about books, what they loved, what they hate and why. It adds even more great reads to my TBR pile. It is nice to know that others relate to my delema of adult life obligations vs just reading.