Cover Image: Bookishness

Bookishness

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Member Reviews

I enjoyed this book enough - although I do think there is something to be said for personal taste intruding in on my non-fiction. I think it's a fantastic opinion piece but there is a place and a time for going whole ham on books that you feel were not as wonderful.

With that said, I am appreciative of any study of novels and books and what builds our world to be what it is. I think there is always interest and investment in the world of books, and I do enjoy a little peek into how people perceive the pieces of literature that others hold dear.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early review copy!

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This book changed my relationship to books as physical objects. I have always been a "book person," but never really thought about why. After reading "Bookishness" by Jessica Pressmen, I now have a better understanding of why I choose to decorate my living/working spaces with books, why I gravitate to other readers, and why I am still drawn to physical books despite my dependence on my e-reader.

I recommend this book to any book lover (or any book-lover lover!)

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“Hard copies, digital print, audiobooks, or all three?” It’s a provocative question to lob into a conversation with book lovers.

I found Jessica Pressman’s “Bookishness: Loving Books in a Digital Age” a delightful and absorbing read, however, it’s important to note that this is not a pop culture book but rather one of literary and theoretical criticism.

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I live books and I love to read but I just haven't been able to connect with this book enough to want to finish it. I've tried a few times now and can't get very far. The photos are fun to look through, but I found the text slow and I kept looking fur something else to read instead. I think for three right audience, this would be a good fit, but it just isn't for me.

Thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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This book is an interesting read for those who would like to read scholarship in an accessible way. While the content is intelligent and illuminating, it also is engaging and relatable.

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I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
This was quite an interesting book. I enjoyed the pictures immensely

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Bookishness is a work most suitable for academics within literature and/or English due to the density and deep analysis, but as I have a major in English, I wasn't that intimidated by the book. It's also clear that the author knows her stuff, but I may disagree with her on certain topic/conclusions.

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a sharp collection of essays about the place of the book in today's digital society that requires more than one read to fully appreciate the extent of the author's analysis.

this book was quite clearly written by an academic for other academics. as such, there were times that i, an academic but not in the literary field, wanted to roll my eyes at the conclusions drawn about a particular line of a particular page in a particular book and what that says about bookishness as a whole. however, there were also several lines i wished i could underline and come back to to reflect upon more.

i was originally drawn to this book because of the promise of its subtitle: "loving books in a digital age." as someone who watches booktube videos from time to time, i have noticed the heightened commodification of the appearance of reading in the book hauls and subscription box unboxings in the more popular channels. "bookishness" presented me with some of the analysis i was searching for, but also went far beyond what i was expecting. i think i would need to reread this book at least once, preferably with a bookclub or literary scholar on standby to fully process the material.

overall, i enjoyed my time with "bookishness," though due to its density i had to spread out reading it over a couple months. while i do not fully agree with all of pressman's scholarly conclusions, i did learn a significant amount and was presented with an abundance of thought-provoking tidbits about the history of books, their presence and purpose in society, and how it has changed as technology has advanced.

thank you to netgalley and columbia university press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

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In Bookishness, Pressman outlines the fascination and continued interest in books in an age where we no longer need physical books to read.

I found this book creative and interesting! It's true that our love of books has not been eclipsed by technology in the digital age. It seems to only adapt and continue to manifest in our collection of books and bookish products.

This book provided intriguing commentary on the love of books that continues to persist today, and I really enjoyed reading through it!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I really enjoyed this insightful study of the concept of "Bookishness". Pressman goes for a deep dive into what it means to be "Bookish" in present day and how it developed into what some see as an obsession, others a personality trait, others a simple hobby. She skillfully and entertainingly addresses how reading became a cultural phenomenon, not just as an activity, but as a lifestyle. How is it that in an age where it was anticipated books would be set aside with the rise of the internet and digital media, that the sales of physical books around the world continue to thrive? What is it that keeps bringing us back to the scent and feel of book pages? The romanticism of trolling through libraries and quaint bookshops? What stimulated the eruption of media like "BookTube", a subsection of YouTube where book lovers Vlog their reads and photograph their bookshelves? Pressman evaluates the evolution of book history and approaches the question: Is ALL reading, reading? A fantastic read and mirror for any book lover.

I was provided with an electronic copy of Bookishness, by Jessica Pressman, by Netgalley in return for an honest review. I greatly appreciate the slightly ironic opportunity to review this title!

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I found the title and blurb misleading. This was a sometimes dry history about books and not what I expected it to be - a book about the love of books and bookish identities.

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This book was challenging for me to read as a digital ARC. There were so many visuals. I am eager to buy this book to see all the pictures. The idea of bookishness is an interesting one. Any one who loves books will find this intriguing. My husband jokes that I "play with my books" - I probably do :). So,,,,I love reading books about books and the people who love them.

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This insightful look at the bookish life in the digital age may be a bit academic for some, but would be an excellent addition to collections where similar titles are popular.

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Delighted to feature this title in the big Holiday Gift Books Guide lists - "Books for Book Lovers in year-end" for Zoomer magazine’s digital Books vertical. See link for full feature article and review.

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Overall, fun for any literary addict! It really delves into the academic qualities of loving books and bookishness. Sometimes the language did, however, get a bit heady and was hard to read quickly or while multitasking. I found I had to really focus as I read this book.

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BOOKISHNESS by Jessica Pressman is supposed to be all about "Loving Books in a Digital Age." I wish that Pressman, associate professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University, had been able to joyfully embrace all thing "bookish," but the content is not consistent with the rather whimsical cover. Instead, the tone and language employed is, to me, overly academic. Here is a small example: "This obsession with the materiality of books spans the spectrum from high art to absolute kitsch, and it signifies a culture grappling with its own increasing digitization." Understandable? Yes, but not an especially enjoyable or quick read. BOOKISHNESS may appeal to a more specialized audience interested in "literary culture," but general readers would likely be more apt to find it a very slow and somewhat unengaging read.

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This book started out strong but then got bogged down in detail. The premise was what drew me in but it became too technical as it went on. Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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Thanks to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. An interesting read, about how our love of actual books is being replaced with the convenience of digital books. Reading it (ironically on my Kindle) did get me thinking about how much I still love walking into bookstores and libraries and browsing and smelling the books despite 70% of the books I consume are now in digital format, more for convenience than anything else. This book had me reminiscing over how some of my most favourite of books I will always want to have in book form on my bookshelves just for the happiness and fond memories they give me. Whilst some of this book was spent discussing some books I wasn't familiar with, overall it's a great read for any book lover. ⭐⭐⭐#netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #greatreads #bookishness #jessicapressman #bookstagram #bookqueen #litsy #amazonkindle

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Thanks to Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

This academic book seeks to delve deeper into what is a book? How does the digitization of our culture change what a book looks like and acts like? The author really shined when discussing book art made from books, and how the book has operated throughout history, giving power to the people who read and learn from it. At times, specifically with some of the more avant- grade examples from the last decade or so, the author seems to get too detailed and lost my interest. Overall, I really enjoyed a lot of the argument presented and it made me think a lot about bookishness and why I myself love and want to be around books

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Being a bookseller I love reading books about books. I have a weird obsession to collect them. And as someone who loves books in all their forms, I thought this would be a really interesting title. But it just didn't capture my interest at all.

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