I’m a sucker for books about books or reading. Guinevere De La Mare’s little book is really just a gift item, but it has a few charming pieces in it. I’d Rather Be Reading is subtitled “A library of art for book lovers.”
Guinevere De La Mare opens the book with an essay that is touching at times. She led a rebellion in kindergarten because she didn’t want to learn to read. She enjoyed having family members read to her. When she decided to learn, she said she owed her love of reading to her grandmother, who was the director of her preschool. But, school almost destroyed her love of reading. In high school when she had to analyze the texts of books, it killed her love of reading. I could understand her comments. “What happened to willingly suspending our disbelief?” She said it was her first breakup with books because the magic was destroyed.
However, her book shows some of the magic, in artist’s paintings and in photographs. There are a number of pictures of books. There are also quotes, “Less Selfies. More Shelfies.” Interspersed between the artwork and the essays were poems about books and reading.
I wasn’t a big fan of Maura Kelly’s essay in which she recommended reading more classics. But, Ann Patchett wrote about trying to come up with a list of her favorite books. And, Gretchen Rubin offered “13 Tips for Getting More Reading Done”.
I’d Rather Be Reading didn’t really offer anything new. As I said, it’s really just a little gift book if you’re looking for something for the reader in your life.
Guinevere De La Mare’s website is http://guineveredelamare.com/about
I’d Rather Be Reading: A Library of Art for Book Lovers by Guinevere De La Mare. Chronicle Books, 2017. ISBN 9781452155111 (hardcover), 96p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I bought a copy of the book.
