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    I'd Rather Be Reading: A Library of Art for Book Lovers
    I'd Rather Be Reading: A Library of Art for Book Lovers
    I'd Rather Be Reading: A Library of Art for Book Lovers
    Ebook94 pages28 minutes

    I'd Rather Be Reading: A Library of Art for Book Lovers

    By Guinevere de la Mare, Maura Kelly, Ann Patchett and Gretchen Rubin

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    A compendium of delightful essays, poems, photos, quotations, and illustrations for book lovers.

    For anyone who’d rather be reading than doing just about anything else, this ebook 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 thing for bookworms everywhere.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateAug 15, 2017
    ISBN9781452158594
    I'd Rather Be Reading: A Library of Art for Book Lovers

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    Reviews for I'd Rather Be Reading

    3.5/5

    57 ratings5 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A nice little book that I received as a gift. It contains a few essays about reading==why we do it, the benefits we receive from it, and the solace that reading brings. Worth a few minutes of time for any reader.
    • 5/5
      So, first of all, the title of this book basically reflects my permanent mood. And secondly, like the primary author, I am a lover of books and I've totally had the experience of a literature class destroying my pleasure in reading. Of course, I have and will likely always come back to reading, like an alcoholic returning to drinking. Which is why this small volume, with short articles, poetry, quotes, and art about reading, is a delight to my soul.
    • 2/5
      This slight book has been described as a book of "art" for book lovers. I wouldn't go that far. It's more like a collection of Pinterest memes than art. Some of them I've seen before (so they must be fairly common or well-known, and probably wouldn't be anything new to most 75'ers), and some I'd never heard of. These were mostly pictures, poems, quotations, etc. A very quick read, and nothing particularly memorable. Maybe worth 15 minutes or so.2 stars
    • 4/5
      This little gift book is adorable and a must have for all bibliophiles. It contains a few short essays on the joy of reading, lots of gorgeous drawings, prints, and cartoons celebrating the greatness of books, and quite a few quotes from authors and poets on being a bibliophile. All in all it's a small cute book, that will make a great addition to any coffee table, book shelf, or display. I'd love if I could get some of the art bigger and framed around my house, it's that good!
    • 4/5
      Very short and sweet, but oh, the book porn!!!

    Book preview

    I'd Rather Be Reading - Guinevere de la Mare

    i’d rather be Reading

    the autobiography of a bookworm

    By Guinevere de la Mare

    Read any essay about the love of books and the author will undoubtedly mention an obsession with reading born in early childhood. My story starts with a twist. I had no interest in learning to read. When it came time to begin the process of decoding diphthongs and navigating the minefield of i’s before e’s except after c’s, I said, No thanks.

    My kindergarten class was divided into small groups of four or five students, and I became ringleader of my group, convincing the other members that we had far better things to do than waste our time on those pesky lined work sheets. There were block towers to build! Dress-up games to be played! Reading was for suckers.

    My teacher, Mrs. Schmidt, was a smart lady. She cocked an eyebrow and then wisely let me lead this rebellion unfettered. Suit yourselves, she told us. But there would be no block building or dress-up corner privileges. We could sit quietly while the rest of the class learned to read. Fair enough. I was too busy basking in my newfound power to consider the consequences.

    At first, the other kids in the class—those who hadn’t been brave enough to stand up to Big Literacy—were envious of the freedom that allowed us to doodle at our desks during reading time. But after a few days, something began to shift. We began to get bored. And all the other kids started to be able to do something we couldn’t. They were looking at letters but seeing words. Suddenly they had a superpower, and we didn’t. My days of academic protest were over.

    The story has become family lore. I’ve heard it retold by my mother countless times, and truthfully, I have no memory of a time when I couldn’t read. Looking back, I’ve got to hand it to Mrs. Schmidt. My grandmother was the director of the school—and her boss. I can only imagine the conversation at the staff meeting that particular week. Well, Doris, I picture my teacher reporting, your granddaughter has informed us that she won’t be learning how to read. I’m sure they had a good laugh.

    My grandmother was born on a chicken farm in Kansas and graduated from UCLA. In 1949, as a young mother of two, she set sail for Honolulu. My grandfather had been hired to be the chaplain at Punahou School, and together they raised five children in Hawaii. When her

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