I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
Anne Bogel, 2018
Baker Publishing Group
160 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780801072925
Summary
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. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Anne Bogel is the creator of the popular blog Modern Mrs Darcy and the podcast What Should I Read Next? Her popular book lists and reading guides have established Bogel as a tastemaker among readers, authors, and publishers.
The author of Reading People, Bogel lives in Louisville, Kentucky. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
As of the time of this posting, there are no mainstream media reviews, only author blurbs (below). For helpful reviews see Amazon's and Barnes and Noble's many customer reviews.
Anne Bogel's beguiling latest is a love letter to the reading life, infused with all the warmth, charm, and brilliance her fans have come to expect. I found myself--and my reading community--inside its pages, and you will too.
Joshilyn Jackson, author of The Almost Sisters
"Personal and fun, Anne Bogel's essay collection is a self-portrait in books--weaving together all the readers she has been. I'd Rather Be Reading is her winsome musings on books, not just as a way to enjoy a good story, but as a way to become a whole person."-
Kathleen Grissom, author of The Kitchen House
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for I'D RATHER BE READING ... then take off on your own:
1. Start out by discussing whether or not Anne Bogel's book spoke to you and your love (we hope it's love) of reading. Do her observations hit home for you? Did you find yourself nodding in agreement? How did you experience the book?
2. What particular passages struck you as insightful, meaningful, funny, or especially personal to you?
3. Do you enjoy or do you love to read (and what's the difference)? Is reading a hobby, a way to pass the time, or a deep-seated passion? Why?
4. Follow-up to Question 3: If you answered the question above with "a deep-seated passion," what does reading bring to your life?
5. Have you ever thought of canceling plans you've made so you could dive into the book you have waiting for you? Have you ever actually canceled plans?
6. How has reading shaped and/or defined the person you are? What books in particular have strongly affected you …and in what way?
7. Can you recall any books that have infuriated you?
8. Talk about the book that first hooked you on reading—or the place and time when you knew you were in love with reading.
9. Which of the essays in I'd Rather Be Reading was your favorite?
10. In her book, Anne Bogel exclaims, "How good it is to be among people who are reading!" Why? Isn't reading a solitary passion (we do it alone). Then why is it important to be "among" others who read? This question, perhaps, gets to the root of our penchant for book clubs.
11. Are you book bossy?
12. Does this book make you think any differently about the act of reading? Did it bring insights entirely new to you, or make you see reading in a new way? Or not.
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)