By Kathy A. Megyeri
Book: “I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life,” by Anne Bogel (Baker Books)
“If a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies,” said Jojen,
“the man who never reads lives only one.”
(George R.R. Martin, “A Dance with Dragons”)
For International Literacy Day on January 8, Ann Bogel offers this love letter to our reading lives.
Bogel, podcaster of “What Should I Read Next?”, “Modern Mrs. Darcy,” and author of “Reading People,” delves into what shapes us as readers, what we bring to the page, how to read and choose good books, and what happens when we read bad ones. She explains how we connect with some books in such powerful ways and what happens when we peek into other people’s reading lives. Bogel also offers reading recommendations and literary matchmaking.
Bogel discusses books’ impact on her own life, such as her devotion to the works of Jane Austen and the fact that when she read “The Geography of Nowhere,” she discovered the hidden gem of Seaside, Florida. She recommends always reading the author’s acknowledgements first to gain insights into who the author thanked to deepen one’s appreciation for and increase one’s understanding of the writer and the story.
She also discusses the rite of passage from having books chosen for us in school to choosing books for ourselves in adulthood when we read only to please ourselves. Such a transition happens slowly over time, as we discover not only what to read, but how – and then determine what kind of reader we will become.
Bogel revisits old favorites because each time she rereads a book, she discovers something new, bringing a new perspective and fresh eyes to the page. Old favorites highlight the gap between who we are and who we used to be. (Don’t believe it? Try reading a favorite from your childhood to see how much you’ve changed.)
Bogel also suggests sharing books and recommending our favorites to others: sharing ourselves. She even advises us to keep reading journals to document our reading lives. It can be a simple log with a title and the date we read it or a favorite quote from the author. (Photograph the books you’ve read and make into a coffee table scrapbook for a child or grandchild.) It’s a record of our reading habits as well.
Ironically, writing about reading inspires you to read more, helps you remember what you’ve read, and helps you recommend favorites to others. Even though you’ve just started such a habit, you’ll wish you’d begun sooner as it’s a gift to yourself.
Remember, reading is a lifestyle. Books shape, define, and enchant us. Bogel recalls her favorite line from “The Storied Life of A. J. Febry” by Gabrielle Zevin, “You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, ‘What is your favorite book’?”
