Anne Bogel

3.5 stars

An excellent introduction to various personality frameworks for those who have heard about them in passing but don't know much about them and don't know where to start learning. This gives an overview of several popular theories (Highly Sensitive Persons, 5 Love Languages, Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, etc.) so you can figure out which one is up your alley and worth investigating more. (If you've already read up on a few of these, this book is probably not worth the read, though.)

I liked this, but most of the anecdotes are from Anne's personal life, so they speak repeatedly to her unique personality (INFP, in MBTI-speak) and those of her family members. I couldn't relate to many of the examples for that reason. If you are an INFP or have one in your life, though, you might glean some interesting insights specific to them.

Another thing that bothered me is that she used examples from many classics and included spoilers! I know many people believe classics can't be spoiled, but truly, they can be. I want to be able to enjoy those books the first time I read them and since Anne is a fellow book-lover, I think she should have realized that not every one of her readers knows the classics like she does.… (meer)

1.5 stars

While a few of these essays were cute, I was quite disappointed with this book overall, for several reasons.

In the very first chapter, "Confess Your Literary Sins," Bogel lists various reading "secrets" and then states, "... absolution is unnecessary. These secrets aren't sins." (p 24) However, she lists benign things like "you've never read Jane Austen" right next to things like "they've read the Outlander series eight times" (Outlander is well-known for having strong sexual content) and "they're addicted to firehouse romances, the kind whose covers bear rippled torsos." (p 22)

Bogel is a Christian and this particular book was published by a Christian company, Baker Books, and that is incredibly sad to me. The Bible has a lot to say about avoiding sexual sin and Christians being called to live lives that look differently from the lives of non-believers.

In addition to the idea that we Christians can read whatever we want, and think that God has no opinion or standard for us in that matter, there was also a theme of greed and idolatry coming through in these pages. I understand that Bogel was trying to write a lighthearted, amusing book for reading lovers, but this seemed to preach an almost obsession with books and reading, taking them out of their rightful place as a good thing and elevating them to a level of worship. I don't find it funny when women joke about having hundreds of shoes that they never wear, and I don't find it any more amusing when readers laugh about having hundreds of unread books, multiple copies of the same book, and talk about book-buying (or even just reading itself) as an addiction.

In addition to the moral issues that I've already mentioned, the book was repetitive and listed things that could be found in any blog post by a reader... I'm very disappointed that Baker published it and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.… (meer)

Full disclosure: I was a guest on Anne Bogel's podcast, "What Should I Read Next?" so I went into this book already biased. I adore Anne's overwhelming and unapologetic passion for books. I love the way she speaks about them as beloved friends, and I'm so impressed with how she finds just the right book for each reader.

I'D RATHER BE READING consists of a series of essays in Anne's trademark approachable style. I really enjoyed learning more about her background, how she became the avid reader she is and her reading history. I also appreciated her keen insights into the variety of readers, reading styles, and reading lives.

For avid readers, there's a lot to like in this short book. It would make a perfect gift for the bookworm in your life. I borrowed mine from the library, but I will be buying my own copy to leave out on the coffee table. It'll serve as a beautiful invitation to all of us to appreciate more of the delights a life full of books has to offer.… (meer)