Tobia recommended I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel in her most recent book roundup. Bogel is the host of the podcast What Should I Read Next?, a podcast I don't listen to, but I'm familiar with her work.
In this book, she talks about her reading history, some conundrums readers face, and what makes reading so compelling that some of us do it compulsively. I listened to the short audiobook, roughly two and a half hours, and found that while Vogel spoke quickly, it felt like listening to an extended podcast episode and I wasn't mad about that.
Have you ever read a book and thought to yourself, hey, I could have written that? I honestly don't think that very often, but I thought that quite frequently while listening to this one. In general, I just kept nodding my head in agreement with everything Vogel had to say.
If you're a reader, this will resonate. You probably won't learn anything new, but you'll feel validation about some of your bookish opinions and bookish issues. 4.5/5 stars
Lines of Note:
If I could read only great books for the rest of my days, I would be happy, but finding those books for myself or any other reader, isn't so easy. A great book means different things for different people...so much of the reading life is about the reader as an active participant. (timestamp 2:19)
THIS!! Not every book is for everyone. And a book can work for you at one point in your life and not in another. It's work to find the perfect book for the perfect moment.
...reading is personal. We can't know what a book will mean to us until we read it and so we take a leap and choose. (timestamp 4:01)
Every new book is full of possibilities. It might be your new favorite and that's what keeps me coming back.
Can every devoted reader point back to the book that hooked them on the story? I'd like to think so - not a book they appreciate or grudgingly respect, but the one that captivated them, the one they didn't' want to put down, the one that made them decide, for themselves, to make reading a part of their life forever. (timestamp 33:55)
I remember reading Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby, Age 8, just when I was about age eight and it truly ignited my love of reading. Do you remember the book that spurred your love of reading?d
Your library holds all come in at the same time; you have reached your limit on library checkouts, but nine books are waiting for you on hold; you must decide which books to let go of to remain in the library's good graces. You check out more library books than you can carry; you check out more library books than can fit in your tote bag; you forget your tote bag. (timestamp 55:19)
Ha ha ha. I feel seen.
...I've found that talking about books to be a reliable shortcut to getting to the good stuff with our fellow readers, to getting to the heart of what matters. That makes it a little dangerous, a little risky. When we share our favorite titles, we can't help but share ourselves as well. (timestamp 2:12:54)
I love to ask people their favorite books. It's a good way to find good books. It does make me feel crappy when I read a book someone highly recommends and I don't like it, but every book isn't for every reader!
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I feel like I'm always stumped when asked for my favorite book--how to pick just one?!?! I do better when asked what my favorite book as a kid (at a specific age) was.
ReplyDeleteI think I tailor my book recommendations to who I'm talking to. If I am talking to a woman, I inevitably bring up A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. If I'm talking to a man, it can vary, but right now I'd definitely talk about Ken Follett. LOL.
DeleteI am always here for a book that validates my feelings. I'm adding this to my TBR. I read her first book and...what you said about feeling crappy when someone recommends a book that doesn't land with you...so I never went further with her books. But now that I have a reason to take a look I'm in!
ReplyDeleteI loved Ramona so dearly. I think I might still have one of the books (note to self: do blog post on childhood books that I still own and hey if anyone sees this is welcome to borrow the idea). The Anastasia books by Lois Lowry were also huge for me.
Would you believe that I don't have anyone IRL to talk about books with? Thank goodness for the Cool Bloggers!
I think it's okay to not love books other people love. But you have to be gentle with delivering that news to the person who recommended the book!
DeleteI have a book club and we do talk books there, but the reading tastes there differ pretty widely from my own tastes. That's fine, of course, but I love how I can talk about all the books I read on my blog and at least a couple of people are interested (although even my blog readers are probably over my sci-fi/fantasy obsession).
I don't remember one specific book that hooked me on reading, but it could have been the Beverly Cleary books. I LOVED those, and had the pleasure of re-reading all of the Ramona books with my daughter. My daughter isn't a big reader (tragically) but she loved those, and to this day she'll still bring them up- "do you remember when Ramona said xxx?" or "This is just like when Ramona did xxx." You probably already know this, but Cleary also wrote books for young adults which are great too- Luckiest Girl, Jean and Johnny, Fifteen.
ReplyDeleteI probably won't read Bogel's book, but I might like listening to her podcast.
Oh, I love to hear that your daughter still thinks about Ramona. I remember thinking how much I wish Ramona had been my name. I never read those YA books by Cleary. Maybe I should give them a shot!
DeleteI used to follow Anne's blog Modern Mrs. Darcy but never got into her podcast. I read I'd Rather Be Reading and felt the same way as you. Why didn't I write a book like this? Yet, we didn't.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Ally. We didn't write it so we have to sit here and shut up. LOL. It was reaffirming to know someone else shared so many of my bookish traits.
DeleteEngie, I had to just pop back over after I read your comment on my blog today. My daughter cannot tolerate onions AT ALL, so I've gotten used to just making meals without them. I personally think the chickpea curry would taste better with onions, but it also tasted perfectly fine without them.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. It would save me So Much Time if I just left onions out of everything. Hmmm. I do think we'd also lose a depth of flavor, but maybe I'd give up flavor for so much time back in my life.
DeleteYes, I completely agree that not every book suits every person, or even the same person at different times of life. I'm pretty chill about books - I don't mind if people don't like a book I recommended. I'm just grateful that there are authors that write the kind of books I enjoy - which are mainly cozy mysteries right now.
ReplyDeleteI really understand how sometimes people don't want to revisit their old favorites because it might hit you differently. It was just the right book at the right time!
DeleteI try really hard not to feel judged or defensive if someone doesn't like a book I love, with various levels of success, especially if I'm already a little depressed. It's such a joy to connect with people who DO like the same books though, that it's worth the risk.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can remember a single book. I loved all the Beverly Cleary books, and Nancy Drew, and the Bobbsey Twins, and basically everything - I feel like just the act of learning to read made me love books, and I can't remember a time when I didn't.
I mostly just love to hear people talk about their love of books enthusiastically. Even if I don't love a book, it's great if people DO.
DeleteI remember not being able to read and those Ramona books were the first "chapter" books I read on my own. Not being able to read was the worst. I was a late reader (I was 7, I think, before I could really read independently) and once I learned, I was also unstoppable.
This looks interesting! I have listened to her podcast before and enjoyed it, but I don't listen too often because I think I sometimes feel like I'm not "enough of a reader" to really qualify as a Reader. Haha. I mean, I do read frequently, but it's just WAY less than most of you guys do. Like maybe 10-15 minutes a day if I'm lucky usually. So I just get through so few books in a year right now, comparatively. So I guess I don't always feel like I really read enough to warrant listening to book podcasts. LOL! (I know that's ridiculous- I can listen to any podcasts I want. In actuality it's a topic of interest to me, but not as much as other topics, I guess.) I think I might like the audio version, like you did, of her book.
ReplyDeleteFor me I think The Babysitters Club books are the biggest ones from my childhood where I read like EVERY book and had them all on my shelf, couldn't wait for new ones, etc. I certainly read other things too, but The Babysitters Cub was definitely my biggest gateway into reading!
Aren't labels funny things? I would definitely consider you a reader! So many people read ZERO books a year!!
DeleteBabysitters Club, Sweet Valley High, Nancy Drew, and Bobbsey Twins are definitely how I learned about how wonderful it is to read long series and stay with characters you learn to love.
This makes so much sense. I'm not that person who checks out more books than I can carry or one who even has a bunch of books on hold at the library, but I know that some people roll that way. I wish I could read that many books. It's always so interesting how some books are amazing for one reader, but DNF for others.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I always have too many library books - way more than I could ever read. BUT. I know that I can return them and check them out again and I never want to be caught without reading material like I was when the library closed down in March 2020.
DeleteVery happy to hear you enjoyed this short audio book.
ReplyDeleteI wonder though how you always keep track of the quotes. Specially in audiobooks. Do you stop, replay, scibble down? And didnt you mention you will listen to it on your drive. I do scribble quotes down but only if it comes in handy. So often I just forget...
Also, the book that got me hooked on reading was Pippi Longstockings. Just loved it.
I tend to rephrase the question of favorite books as that can change to "What are the five books that had the most impact in your life." it is very very interesting to hear what people say and if they elaborate what impact it had. You learn so much form a person. I did that with my parents and it opened up a whle different perspective.
When I am listening to audiobooks and I come across a quote (or a hat mention), I bookmark it and then when I'm writing up the reviews, I write them all down. It's time consuming to transcribe!
DeleteOh, five books that had the most impact on your life is a great reframe since no one ever wants to pick just one book!
I need to read this. I saw the post when it went up, checked it out, and then got what I thought was the audiobook from Libby. It was not. It was by another Anne Xxx and had Reading in the title, and I didn't check. (cue forehead slap). I returned it and now I'm waiting years, I think, for this one. LOL.
ReplyDelete