For anyone who'd rather be reading than doing just about anything else, this book is the ultimate must-have. In this visual ode to all things bookish, readers will get lost in page after page of beautiful contemporary art, photography, and illustrations depicting the pleasures of books. Artwork from the likes of Jane Mount, Lisa Congdon, Julia Rothman, and Sophie Blackall is interwoven with text from essayist Maura Kelly, bestselling author Gretchen Rubin, and award-winning author and independent bookstore owner Ann Patchett. Rounded out with poems, quotations, and aphorisms celebrating the joys of reading, this lovingly curated compendium is a love letter to all things literary, and the perfect gift for bookworms everywhere.
The next short book I read is another I’ve had for a while, I’d Rather Be Reading by Guinevere de la Mare, it’s a tiny little book filled with various artwork and a few essays regarding books and the love of reading.
I’ll admit, this one wasn’t as lovable as I had hoped for. The artwork was nice, but I guess I was expecting for more colorful art or something that just spoke to me. The art was still very nice, just not the kind I’d happily frame in my room somewhere. There were some pieces that I did like though; colorful shelves, bookstore fronts, real books…there was quite the variety, yet perhaps what I wanted was just something more! I guess I spend too much time on bookstagram! Lol.
The essays were nice ones too, though some felt like they were just a little too long and I wasn’t sure where things were going. I did really enjoy the last one, 13 Tips for Getting More Reading Done by Gretchen Rubin. The tips were surprisingly helpful and I found that I already do a few of them myself, so I’m on the right track! Lol.
There were a few bookish quotes too, I would have loved to see more of these than the small handful that were in the pages. A bookish quote goes a long way to making me feel all giddy inside.
All in all, this was a nice little read to flip through, but I can honestly say it wasn’t an absolute favorite. I appreciate the love of reading and books so this was still a nice little read, but not one I’d say you have to rush out and buy. I guess I didn’t look at the book’s size when I bought this for I was initially thinking it was a “coffee table book,” but it’s definitely too small for that!
One could easily flip through this book at the store should you come across it, but the essays would take a bit more of reading time to get through, plus tiny font makes it hard to read as well.
Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars
Thanks for the review. This book sounds like maybe it was not meant for book bloggers/reviewers/instagramers based on the content you mentioned. I'd probably just flip through it myself at the store if I came across it. I refuse to even own a coffee table as it's 1) another thing to dust, and 2) a collector of stuff.
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