Book Love

Book Love by Debbie Tung is a 2019 Andrews McMeel Publishing publication.

This adorable book is about me. This is me- well with a few slight exceptions. But, basically, if your life revolves around books- If you live them, breathe them, inhale them, hug them, collect them, share them, quote from them…. Etc, Etc. - This book is for you.

This book isn’t a story, it doesn’t have a plot, per se. It is basically a special gift for book lovers, a celebration and homage to books and book nerds. The comic drawings are not overly dramatic, but the expressiveness is what jumps out at you. The passion, the defensiveness and protectiveness towards books and our obsession with them, and the familiar frustration with people who just don't 'get show more it', resonated with me one hundred percent. I laughed so hard at the dialogue because I’ve said or done these things- often. I have had variations of these arguments and conversations and have had the exact same reactions, thoughts and feelings, at one time or another. The only difference for me is that I've been known to hug my Kindle in the same way I hug a print copy book. This happens more and more often now that I really have come to depend on that large font size- but, I understood the sentiment, all the same.

This book is short and sweet and so easy to relate to. You will see yourself in this book and appreciate the nod to book lovers, and may even experience a feeling of vindication, knowing that you are in good company. This book soothes my introverted soul in ways that may make my eyes leak just a little.

What I can say for sure, is that Debbie Tung is my kind of people. I may not know her personally, but I think she may know me.

5 Amazing Book Nerd Stars!!! show less

It took me a while to sit down and write my review of “Book Love” by Debbie Tung because I wanted to think of a better response than, “OMG IT’S ME!” That was all I could think of, over and over again, as I devoured page after page. If I had to give my feelings a single word it would be “recognized.”

Each emotion displayed in Tung’s artwork resonated in me. When she drew herself with big, watery eyes barely containing her excitement over a delivery box filled to the brim with new books, I smiled like the box had come to my own front door. When she drew her ennui after having to say goodbye to her best friends by turning the last page of a great book, I felt all the times I laid that same book on my chest and waiting for show more that sadness to settle.

“Book Love” is more than a cozy, quick read that will undoubtedly make you smile. It is a primer to all those folks out there who don’t fully understand people like her, people like me, who truly love books. After reading it the first time (and yes, I read it multiple times already,) I thrust it into.my wife’s hands and told her, “Now you will understand.”

While I was able to read a pre-release digital version of this, I guarantee a physical copy will be part of my personal collection in short order.

**A digital copy was provided for purpose of a review, but it had no effect on the outcome.** show less

This book gets readers. There were so many comics where I was just like, "Yes, this!" or, "Why you gotta call me out like that, book?" There was also like at least a dozen pages that I'd love to have poster-sized and hanging on my wall. Any person who loves books and reading can find something to identify with these comics.

This book is amazing! It's a celebration of books, and it shares many of the ups and downs of a booklover's experience. It's told through several brief comic-book style vignettes, and it follows the adventures of one young lady as she visits libraries and bookstores; she reads all the time, and she surrounds herself with books. The agony of lending books out, the joy of smelling the pages, the obsession that leads her to skip sleep in order to finish—this is all easy for bibliophiles to understand. I feel as though I know her. We have a lot in common. A cute, sweet book, with some laugh-out-loud moments. I'll definitely be recommending this one.

I feel truly seen. I feel validated. I feel happy and joyful and very very satisfied.

That’s what I have to say after finishing this book and I can promise it’ll be the same reaction from any book lover like me. But be prepared, this is for those book obsessed people whose life revolves around them, not the occasional readers.

Every page, every illustration, every line felt like something I would do or say or reproductions from my own life. I’m one of those who carries a book everywhere I go, would rather read in a corner than go out, and talk obsessively about books to anyone, irrespective of whether they are interested or not. And the gushing and fangirling.... I have never seen so much of myself on page before and I’m so glad show more this book exists.

My only disagreements - I would rather have coffee than tea while reading, and please don’t dismiss e-readers - I cant imagine my life without them.

This book is the perfect gift for any book lover and I recommend this to anyone who wholeheartedly believes in the power of the written word. show less

‘Bookworms rejoice! These charming comics capture exactly what it feels like to be head-over-heels for hardcovers. And paperbacks! And ebooks! And bookstores! And libraries!

Book Love is a gift book of comics tailor-made for tea-sipping, spine-sniffing, book-hoarding bibliophiles. Debbie Tung’s comics are humorous and instantly recognizable—making readers laugh while precisely conveying the thoughts and habits of book nerds. Book Love is the ideal gift to let a book lover know they’re understood and appreciated.’

This. So much this. Debbie Tung's Book Love speaks to my soul. It's like the author has been spying on my (admittedly boring) life! It's clear she's an avid bibliophile herself. This book was an awesome reminder that show more we book-lovers are not alone, even when it feels like no one around us understands. I loved that she sketched out myriad amazing books others might enjoy. They were so varied, there's sure to be something for everyone. I made a reading challenge using these panels.

One sketch is about how to get more reading done, and a panel included keeping a list of books you've read. Such a great idea! I've done this since 1993, and going back over the list is a great mnemonic tool. I can pull up a wealth of memories by scanning the list. A perfect gift for the bibliophile in your life!

***Many thanks to Netgalley/ Andrews McMeel for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less

Book Love is filled with humorous comic strips about all the glories, virtues, and downfalls of being a full-fledged bibliophile. Whether sneaking sniffs, trying to quell anxieties about have too much or too little to read, or skipping grocery shopping for the bookstore, every hardcore reader will relate to the morrow of their bones.
Debbie Tung not only understands readers and the irresistible draw of a bookstore/library/friend's bookcase, but she is clearly one of us. My only critique is that it was not longer, my being one of those readers that always want more of a good thing, and that Tung lives in the UK and we cannot be best friends.