I’d Rather Be Reading

For this week’s installment of What to Read Wednesday, I’m reviewing Anne Bogel’s latest book, I’d Rather Be Reading, wherein she shares universal “delights and dilemmas of the reading life.”

Bookworm to bookworm, Anne Bogel gets me. “How good it is to be among people who are reading.” I joked upon receipt of my advanced copy* that it’s my autobiography, so epithetical is the title.

she dedicates it to “everyone who’s ever finished a book under the covers with a flashlight when they were supposed to be sleeping”

Anne’s parlayed her bookworming into a successful career as literary matchmaker (check out her podcast, What Should I Read Next?) and author (I shared about her last book, Reading People, a year ago.). The relatable anecdotes shared in her latest work were RIGHT on the money for me– from our impressive easter-egg collections of pastel Baby-Sitters Club books, to grade-school teachers & coon-hounds breakin’ our ten-year-old hearts via Where the Red Fern Grows.

Like Anne, I’ve two parents who taught me about the book-worm life…

My mom fostered a love of reading by maintaining a steady stream of fodder from the nearby used book store. Money was tight, but she kept pace with my ravenous appetite, generously supplying new reads as quickly as I’d consume them and teaching me to leverage my paperbacks as currency.

My step-mom was a faithful patron of the library, though the Shel Silverstein volumes she shared with us are several decades overdue and counting. I fondly recall tromping back and forth on foot the summer our library temporarily relocated into an empty warehouse just around the corner from us while the existing building was remodeled.

Still, like Anne, I’d Rather Be Reading. My favorite chapter’s entitled Confess Your Literary Sins… and so, in solidarity with my like-minded pal, imma do just that:

I confess my first tattered copy of Charlotte’s Web is one of my prized posessions– the book that made me a reader (and a vegetarian).

I confess I impulsively spoiled the ending of The Great Gatsby to my entire high-school English class, impatient with their lackadaisical reading pace.

I confess I’ve named a child after a Tolkien character and had zero qualms about it.

I confess that though I’m still clinging to my thirties, in the thick of parenting, I already have books saved for future grandchildren.

I confess I’ve crossed county, city, and state lines with library property, even taking a book off the continent when my family traveled to China to adopt our son.

I confess that though I’ve only had my current library account a year (since moving to Oregon from Montana) I’ve already memorized the 14 digit account number from copious reserving of books online.

I confess I spend more money parking at the library than I do on my robust Starbucks habit, though often I circle about the parkade like a vulture scavenging for a meter with time remaining.

Are you a bookworm, too? What are your literary sins? Confess them! And don’t forget to check out Anne’s delightful book, preorder now for special bonuses. 

* I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book as part of Anne’s official launch team, but my opinions are all my honest-to-goodness, unbiased own.

What to Read Wednesday is hosted on these fabulous blogs:

Anne at Learning Table

 

If you’d like to join us as a co-host for What to Read Wednesday, please contact Anne.

Click here to see a complete list of our What to Read Wednesday book topics. This is a great resource for planning themed unit studies or for encouraging your child’s current interests!


Comments

One response to “I’d Rather Be Reading”

  1. […] other is Anne Bogel’s latest, Don’t Overthink It. Two years ago I read & reviewed “I’d Rather be Reading” and the year prior “Reading People”… she is blogger/podcaster/literary-matchmaker […]

Leave a Reply