She's Unapologetically Obsessed with Reading, and Can't Wait to Tell you Why
Guest writer Katy O. shares her love of reading and how she sources the books for her TBR
Hi readers,
I’m happy that so many of you enjoyed Francine’s guest post last week; isn’t she just delightful? One of my earliest Substack newsletter “internet friends” commented after reading Francine’s post, “I love taking a peek into other people's reading lives.” Sarah, you have sparked something and given me an idea for my newsletter; I’m still contemplating exactly how to see this spark come to life, but I agree, that is one of the fascinating things I learn in our Substack bookish community. For anyone with kids or grandkids (and those without), do yourself a favor and check out Sarah’s Substack
; you won’t regret it.What started as an email to another newsletter creator about upgrading to a paid subscription turned into a longer email getting to know her a little better. I asked her if she would be interested in guest posting, and this newsletter full of bookish goodness is her response.
shares her love of reading at and she’s here today to give us a peek into her reading life. Welcome to SoNovelicious, Katy!Thanks for asking me to write a guest post; I’m happy to share my love of reading with others!
Whenever I tell people that one of my hobbies is reading, I know that they have no idea the magnitude of its place in my life. Oh, I love to read and walk my dogs and be out on the lake! I’m sure they picture me reading a book when I have time or maybe even being in a book club ~ you know, someone who reads around the median number of books per year (4) or perhaps even one a month! They might even ask me for a book recommendation, and I typically stay pretty chill with this, suggesting a safe, mainstream title that won’t instantly raise red flags about the intensity of my bookish life. You know, because telling someone I read 287 books in 2022, which was a low year for me, is a glimpse into the reality of my world, and I don’t know if everyone can handle that or if I want them to know that much about me.
Two hundred eighty-seven books isn’t actually all that high compared to some people. It’s also more than some people have read in their lifetime. Neither of those things matters, though, because reading is so intensely personal and not really indicative of anything besides what someone values spending their time (and possibly money) doing. When I say I read 287 books in 2022, what I am also saying is what I didn’t do. I didn’t clean my house very much or very well, I didn’t watch a single TV show the entire year, I didn’t watch movies, I didn’t bring work home, I didn’t go out very often, I didn’t work in the summer, and I didn’t spend as much time with other people as I could have. How we spend our time is a trade-off, and by choosing to read instead of doing other things, I’m defined by both of them. It also says that my kids are older and more independent and that my husband works insane hours ~ I’m not always choosing to read instead of being with them; they simply aren’t around me all the time. What isn’t necessarily implied, but makes a huge difference, is that I also didn’t listen to a ton of music since the thing most often in my ears was an audiobook; 64 of them last year, to be precise. The numbers only matter because they represent how I live.
Yes, reading is one of my hobbies, but it isn’t JUST a hobby for me. It is something I devote a large portion of my life to, both in minutes reading or listening to books, but also planning, organizing, and documenting my reading. How so? Well, let me lay it all out for you.
WHERE I FIND TITLES
Finding books to add to my TBR is not at all a struggle ~ there are more books I want to read than I will ever be able to, and I take that as the absolute best type of challenge! Here are where most of my TBR list comes from:
I read every edition of Publishers Weekly and BookPage in print, along with numerous bookish newsletters and blogs. BookRiot and Modern Mrs. Darcy are two favorites among the bigger sites, and some of my favorite Substacks besides this one are Moonstruck Reads, Fiction Matters, Recipe for a Bookish Life, Books and Bakes, Emma Straub, Life with Kat, Reading Under the Radar, and Books on Her Brain. The list keeps growing!
I am very active in the #bookstagram world on Instagram and find countless recommendations there.
I spend a minimum of an hour every month on my laptop poring over Edelweiss to find upcoming releases, as well as requesting and downloading digital review copies there for my Kindle.
I browse bookstores and my library, of course!
SOURCING MY BOOKS
When I find a book I’m interested in, I first write it in my book notebook, and then I search ALL the places to find out how to get my hands on it.
If the book has already been published, I start with my public library’s online catalog.
If my library doesn’t have a book, I’ll request that they purchase it (yes, you can do this!), and in the meantime, I will search Kindle Unlimited, Audible Plus, Hoopla, and Scribd to see if, by chance, it’s available on those services. I tend only to use Hoopla and Scribd for audiobooks, since I don’t like to read books on my phone or iPad if I don’t have to.
Only after exhausting all those places would I purchase the book, and I will often choose to use my monthly Audible credit for these books since I already pay for one book per month. (I also pay for Scribd and Kindle Unlimited, while Hoopla is available through my public library).
If the book hasn’t been published yet, I immediately check Edelweiss first and then NetGalley to attempt to get a digital review copy. If I see that the publisher is one of Amazon’s imprints (Lake Union and Montlake being two of them), I know that I can count on it ending up in Kindle Unlimited and will note that in my book notebook. I also check to see if I have an advance listening copy from Libro.fm.
RECORDING MY BOOKS
I have been using Goodreads religiously for almost a decade now and rely on it as my bookish memory! I add books there as soon as I start reading them and write reviews shortly after finishing. It’s the only place where every single book I read is recorded, although most do end up in my newsletter now. I just love using the analytics from Goodreads so much.
I often share about books during and after reading on Instagram in my stories, but I have been moving away from this due to shifting feelings about social media, in general; I prefer to save some things for my newsletter these days.
All of my reads are written up in my free newsletter, with longer reviews and analysis available to paid subscribers. I also take the time to do book pairings and collections and often share related articles and podcasts for some of the books I read and review.
There you have it ~ my bookish obsession. Only the truly bookish (like YOU if you made it this far) can handle the immense nature of how I approach this hobby! And why I prefer to just say, “Oh, I like to read!” when asked what I do in my spare time.
Katy is a reader, educator, and librarian living in rural Wisconsin with her family of five humans and three dogs.
She can be found at the following places: Newsletter | Instagram | Goodreads. You can email her at mindfullibrarian@substack.com.
Thank you so much for being here, Katy. Your love of books and reading is what many readers dream about having in their own lives. You’ve devised systems to help you keep track of all the books that mean something to you and that you’d like to read. In looking at your Bookstagram, I feel you could be a “book twin” for many readers, especially me!
What a treasure your Goodreads history is to remember what all these books have meant to you. You introduced me to a bookish newsletter I wasn’t aware of yet and also a couple of publications to source upcoming books. I just love your “book” dress; please tell us more about it in the comments, as I think we all want to know.
Who would have thought that an email about a subscription could lead to this bookish gem? It shows you that you never know what will happen when you talk books with another book lover. Here’s hoping your week will be a good one. Head to the comments and share your thoughts; Katy’s also available for questions. Happy reading!
Ah yes, the book dress! During my first school library job I spent a lot of time sourcing book clothes so I would have something book-themed to wear on every open house and parent night ~ this is one of my very favorites!! I honestly can't remember where I ordered it from and definitely had to make a few tweaks to make it fit right, but it's a treasured piece of my wardrobe for sure.
Thanks Katy O (and Gayla) for sharing your passion with us! I’ll be checking out Eidelweiss- never heard of that!