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

I suspect that most of us love books about books or reading. I know I do, but I typically don't like heavyweight books. I prefer lighthearted, breezy books about reading and this one absolutely fits the bill. For Bogel, a reading tastemaker and blogger, books are part of life and, in this short (160 page) book, she talks about books that first grabbed her and how she became the reader she is. As I read this in nearly one sitting, I found myself saying constantly "YES!! that's me, too."

Of the 21 short chapters, particular favorites for me include Bogel's chapter on living next door to a public library (which had me dreaming of such a thing); book bossiness (something I definitely try not to be); and, most especially, the chapter on show more bookworm problems. On bookworm problems, I think she presents maybe 100 of them and I excitedly said yes that's me for virtually all of them.

This is a fun little book about reading which I think many readers would enjoy (since I don't want to engage in book bossiness, I won't say "you must read this." Probably my favorite book of the year so far. show less

I wandered through this charming book of short essays on the reading life over several months. It can certainly be read in one sitting but I preferred to nibble on it one tidbit at a time. Some vignettes were endearing and nostalgic, others intriguing, set aside for future thought. Still other chapters were foreign to my experience. This is a book for anyone who loves reading. The small size and lovely cover art makes it an ideal gift for the reader in your life or as shelf décor in your personal library.
With the final chapter, I felt for the first time that my habitual record-keeping has been validated. I started in 2001 and yes, I wish I had started in my childhood, many decades ago! When I remember a book I read before my show more record-keeping began, I maintain a separate list of titles with no dates or other info, just for the joy of remembering. Thanks Anne for making me feel less obsessive! show less

This is a short book with a beautiful cover and highly relatable content for book lovers. I particularly enjoyed Bogel’s descriptions of living next door to a library (so much envy on my part) and the chapter where she talked about the challenges of recommending a “great book” to someone or naming a favourite book, singular. Because reading tastes are so personal, it’s hard to know what a reader might want to read. Also, telling someone they “should” read something may have the opposite effect. And when you name a single favourite book, it doesn’t represent all of the aspects of your reading personality.

Another element I liked about Bogel’s reading life is reading by whim, or having a pretty good idea of what book itch show more needs to be scratched at any given moment. I am a big whim reader myself (within the strictures of library deadlines, where applicable) and like following those little nudges to pick up certain books at certain times: requesting books that I’ve listed as to-read and that others are suddenly reading; books mentioned in other books or on TV; or one book reminding me of another for some reason.

Overall, this is a good book if you like to read others’ thoughts on the reading life, especially if you follow Bogel’s blog (Modern Mrs. Darcy) or her podcast (What Should I Read Next?). show less

Summary: A collection of essays on the reading life with its unique joys and dilemmas, by a booklover, for booklovers.

I'd Rather Be Reading is a delightful set of essays for those of us who really love books and reading. If nothing else, it tells us that we are not alone. Anne Bogel is the host of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy (A Jane Austen reference) and the "What Should I Read Next" podcast. Not only does she write and speak on reading, she is a reader, one of our tribe. She writes, "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; its a lifestyle." This essay collection explores the nature of reading and the quirky aspects of our reading lives that made me show more wonder, "have you been to my house?"

She opens with an essay on confessing your literary sins, from those unpaid library fines to the fact that you just can't get excited about the book everyone else absolutely loves. She describes how books sometimes find us, particularly when they come up in several different, unrelated conversations in the same week. She reminds us of the books that first hooked us on stories and the books that have made us cry. In a variation of the idea that we are all the ages we have ever been, she reflects on the different readers she has been from the child who encountered A Wrinkle in Time to the twenty-something reading spiritual memoirs to the young mother rediscovering children's books. She writes of fulfilling a fantasy of many of us booklovers to be a bookseller, at least for a day. She talks about her "inner circle" bookshelf of books by family (or those who are like family) and friends.

There are the darker sides of our love of books--the deadly sin of being "book bossy" in our recommendations of books to others ("you really should read this"). There is the quest to organize our shelves and what to do when we run out of them. She has a whole chapter on bookworm problems and the recurring thought of having more books than time and life to read them.

Even these are handled with self-deprecatory humor. The overall tone of the book is joyful--a celebration of what books and reading mean in the lives of those who are "book people." She delights, as have others of us, in finding a "book twin." She talks of her discovery of the delights of the "acknowledgements" pages in books (something I discovered only later in life). She concludes with an essay on reading journals and the preference to "rather be reading."

This book came along about the time I was reading Karen Swallow Prior's On Reading Well. Both books are celebrations of the reading life, and how our books shape who we are. Prior's book focuses literary fiction and how our reading might help us reflect on and live into different qualities of virtue. Anne Bogel's book is a good complement. It is lighter in tone, and helps us hopeless bibliophiles laugh at ourselves, find words for why we love books so much, and know there are many others in the tribe. show less

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.

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.”

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.