Sometimes a book comes along that just “gets” you.  One where the content just speaks to you.  Where you’re reading and find yourself continually nodding your head in agreement with the words on the page.

Readers, I just finished my first book of the year… and it was definitely that kind of book!

I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel is a tiny little gem of a book.  It’s under 150 pages, but it packs a punch for anyone who lives the life of a reader.  This is a series of essays and recollections by Bogel, who very much lives the reading life herself.

If this book sounds familiar, it’s either because you’ve been hearing about it EVERYWHERE lately, or because I’ve already mentioned it in a couple of posts, including my recent Happy Bookish New Year Tag!

When I found myself stopping to snap quick pictures of some of the paragraphs because I really wanted to go back to them later, or wanting to share a few choice snippets on social media while I was reading… I knew this book was a keeper!  Like this part, in a chapter entitled “Bookworm Problems” that I somehow found rather relatable:

“You have more books than shoes.  You have more books than bookshelves.  You do some quick math and realize how much money is tied up in your book collection.  You suspect your books equal the gross domestic product of a small nation.”  (p. 71)

I mean…. I guess some people might see that as a problem?  I call it doing my part to stimulate the economy.  (No need to thank me, just my patriotic duty.)

Another part I enjoyed, and found absolutely hilarious, was her observation in “Bookseller for a Day” that one of the largest parts of a job in any bookstore is solving elusive customer mysteries.  Such as:

“I forget the title, but it was published last week, and it’s by a woman.” (p.109)

Friends, I spent four years working in a bookstore, and I can tell you without hesitation that a shift is not complete without getting some sort of question along those lines!  (And that may have been one of the more specific of those type of queries.)

If you’re not familiar with Anne Bogel… well, we all should be, but I wasn’t either until recently.  In addition to being a published author, she also has two other sources of wisdom for bibliophiles:  Her website, called Modern Mrs. Darcy, and a podcast called, simply enough, “What Should I Read Next?”  She blogs about books, literary characters, home and family, and personality types, and it’s all quite fun.

I’d Rather Be Reading is the first of Bogel’s books that I’ve read (another called Reading People is on my list), and you guys, I think I just found my new author BFF!  We’re of a similar age (okay, I’m a *couple* years older), we both love reading and education (we’ve both spent some time in the homeschooling world), and I recognized my own past in a lot of her stories.  And neither of us can keep quiet about books!

The writings in these pages brought me a wave of nostalgia, talking about book series from the past (Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High, fellow Gen-Xer’s?), along with trips to the library and summers spent reading.  But Bogel’s words also inspired me to continually stretch my reading… to read different genres, revisit the classics, and re-read old favorites with a more mature eye and mind.

If you’re a book lover, and you’re looking for the perfect quick read to start your year of reading off the right way, this is the perfect book to pick up!  It won’t take you long to go through it, but if you’re like me, you’ll want to keep it on hand and revisit it for inspiration in the years to come.  You can find it through these links:

Get “I’d Rather Be Reading” at…

Bookshop.org      Amazon 

And while we just got through the holiday gift-giving season, keep this title in mind when you need a little gift down the road for a reader in your life.  It’s a perfect little gift book with a very pretty cover!

I give I’d Rather Be Reading five inspiring and nostalgic stars!  It sets the bar just a bit high for the year, but… isn’t that a good thing?

So what are you reading as your first book of 2019?  Is it inspiring, funny, thrilling, or emotional?  Whatever it is, I hope it’s wonderful… let us know in the comments!  Here’s wishing everyone a delightfully bookish year… happy reading!

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