I absolutely loved this book. It was book humor at it's finest. I personally found it extremely relatable and it put me in a better mood.

I borrowed this book from my library, but this is one that I would be happy to have on my shelf. I would find myself reading it over and over again. It would be perfect if you are in a reading slump, to remind yourself why you loved reading.

It is a bit slanted towards paper readers, but as I read in all formats I enjoyed the overall love of reading present through the book. Also, I do still enjoy my paper books.

A bed-side must-have for everyone who a) considers themselves a "big reader" and b) recognizes their own reading-adjacent behaviors which are silly. Simple black-and-white drawings that simultaneously convey a surprising amount of emotion, especially given how small the pages are. I think I've seen a few things from the author online, but most of the content was new to me. Adorable!

**I was given a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This review may be a bit late, but this is a seriously adorable book. The art style is soft, casual, and the sentiments contained within are extremely relatable to a bibliophile such as myself. I knew as soon as I saw the cover of this book that it would be a hit for me. "Book Love" is poignant, aesthetically pleasing, and overall a joy to consume from the reader's perspective. Several of the things that the main character does are things that I do or have done on a daily basis. I feel slightly called out, honestly, but at the same time, I'm very glad I'm not alone. To all the other book lovers out there: We're in a book!

In all seriousness, this is a very good book. It's a quick read, and one that's very enjoyable. I highly recommend this to all bibliophiles (or friends of bibliophiles for those who want to learn about their friends).

As a fellow book lover, I could definitely related to many of the comics in this collection. I will definitely continue to read Debbie Tung’s work.

Loved this so much! Though some cliched choices, many made me smile!!! Perfect pick me up to an end of a long day. This is a total gem for ANY bibliophile!!

A love letter to books lovers everywhere. As an avid reader I felt every page of this adorable book. A lovely gift for any book lover

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an ARC of <i>Book Love</i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist

The time stamp on my NetGalley profile says I downloaded this book in November of 2018 and schoolwork promptly buried me in 6 feet of assignments and projects.

I had to put all recreational activities on hold while I dealt with a rather nasty professor, who demanded his students always be at least one week ahead with their course work.

Sure, why not!

Anyway, I was really excited to read this comic, but didn’t have the time until I rediscovered it just this morning.

The Details

Booklovers, let’s celebrate! We are not alone. And we are accurately depicted in this lovely collection of comics created by Debbie Tung.

I have been feeling a little blue as of late. I mean no wonder with the world going topsy turvy these past gazillion days, so it was wonderful to start my day sipping tea and reading this.

Some of the depictions were so spot on, the artist might as well have drawn my face instead.

It was funny and all so true, all of it: the book sniffing, the endless browsing in bookshops and online, and the way us booklovers want and at times do act in social situations.

The artwork was absolutely lovely. It was simple with enough detail to tell the story without becoming overwhelming.

I liked the sort of pencil, black and white, style the artist chose to use. It worked very well telling the story without distracting from the hilarity of the situations depicted.

The Verdict

Overall, I thought this book was very cute and it put a smile on my face. I only wish I have had the time to read it much sooner.

I would definitely recommend it.

I’ve seen a bunch of Debbie Tung’s comics before – her other work is hilarious and usually, if you’re a bookworm and you’re on Facebook, you’ll be tagged on a whole bunch of book-related posts – so I definitely have seen some of Book Love before out in the wild (the wild meaning Facebook, of course).

So I was very happy to receive the arc through Netgalley! And sometimes, yes, it does have its reservations – a lot of these comics about funny bookworm problems do use book reader stereotypes. Even though those stereotypes are fun to read about – for the first few times, because I’ve had so many older people assume that because I like to read, I prefer physical books. But I don’t. I like e-books so I can enlarge the font, or audiobooks so I can clean my room and listen to a book. Or a lot of people assume that because I read a lot, I love the classics. Which, yeah, I actually don’t. And people do ask for book recommendations but they’re not interested in YA or diverse books 🙄🙄

This book does still ring true on various fronts and makes me laugh constantly. An advantage of physical books is the smellll. And honestly, I’ve told my parents multiple time to leave me in a bookstore and they still come and find me?

How could I not request a book called Book Love on Netgalley? Besides, I previously enjoyed Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, so I really wanted to read this.

If you like books, you will probably love this book. It is filled with cute little comics about the love of books and the type of troubles we booklovers get confronted with (having to socialize while reading a very good book for example). Do not expect to find things that have not been said before or could be found on the internet, but a very nice collection nevertheless.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was really relatable, except all the book-is-better-than-movie parts, which I'm over by now. I couldn't put it down, and finished in one sitting. A must-read for pretty much every book lover!
I also really love Debbie's art style.

This book was so freaking cute! I adored it. Had bookworms down to a T! Images were beautiful. I wish I could hang them on my wall!

A collection of comic-style anecdotes about loving books. Better as a gift for someone when the only thing you know about them is that they like books than as a library entry.

This is a cute little graphic novel book. It would make the perfect gift for yourself or for the book lover in your life. It’s very funny and relatable and I recognized myself in many of the illustrations. It's obvious the author is a certified book nerd like myself and I loved it!

I loved this book. So many of these comics literally are my life. Like over and over again it was saying and being that person in the book. If you are book reader this will resonate on so many levels.

If you eat, sleep and devour books, then this book for you. It’s a book that book lovers will truly appreciate and feel that it’s was written about them. The book is short and easy to identify with.

You’ll feel that you are not alone in being an introverted person for who reading a book is the best way of spending your time.

If you're are as protective of your books as I am of mine, you're going to smile when you see some of these images.

Book Love is a book I have turned to time and again to make me smile!

For me I think this was just too much of a good thing. I love Debbie’s strips on reading when I see them in the wild. But collected as an entire book, it was just long and very repetitive.

This little graphic novel was beautiful. The art was simple yet affective and the writing was extremely relatable. I would recommend this to any self proclaimed book lover.

This book is a small tribute to books – what they make us do, what they do to our lives, you know, the whole thing.

When I picked this up, I was starting to feel a reading slump creeping up, this reminded me that books are truly great.

I can’t say that this book has a storyline, however, I can say that, if you’re a book lover, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy this book’s small stories. The art’s nice too.

Rating: 4 stars

I’ve always adored Debbie Tung’s art. The style is simple and endearing, and I often find myself relating deeply to her comic strips or even seeing a part of myself in Debbie. Of course this was very true for her first graphic novel, Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, about navigating the world as an introvert...and the very same can be said about Book Love! Oh how perfectly Debbie captures the love that bibliophiles have for books, how they move us, transport us to different worlds, allow us to temporarily escape reality... and of course all the hidden struggles that come with being a die-hard bookworm. Like being around people who just don’t understand books the same way and can’t fathom why these fictional characters mean so much to us. Or being unable to resist the temptation of a bookstore. Or when someone keeps trying to have a conversation with you when you’re clearly READING.

I’m so glad this book exists for all of us book lovers out there, and it’s a true testament that, for it being such a solitary act, we all experience the same emotions around books and reading, and we can come together and relate so deeply to every page of this book. I cannot think of a more universal thing to bring human beings together than the love we share for books.

What a sweet little collection of comics celebrating books and book nerds everywhere! Debbie Tung is the author/artist of “Where’s My Bubble?” which can be found on various social media platforms. She illustrates snippets of her life as an introvert, a reader, and a new mother.

This book primarily focuses on the life of a bookworm. Hello! That’s me, and probably you, too. Some of her comics really spoke to me and my own particular bookish quirks:

• Yes, I run my fingers over the spines of books at bookstores and libraries….”hello, lover!”
• I pick up books in my hands to feel the heft, admire the covers, riffle and sniff the pages.
• I have a virtual pile of books in my Amazon shopping cart as “Saved for Later” because someday I hope to click BUY for all these favorites.
• I am always snooping on what other people are reading in public.
• When people post pictures on social media that have books on shelves in the background, I try to enlarge the background so I can see the titles on their shelves.
• I loathe movie covers on books.
• On a related note, movie adaptations of books are almost always a disappointment, if not an outright betrayal.
• The question “Can I borrow your book” causes me great anxiety. Are you willing to sign a detailed contract on the terms of use?
• Price stickers on books and price sticker residue……a great, great evil in this world that must be eradicated.
• Related to the above, discount books with magic marker circles or slashes on the top or bottom. Grrr! Book defacement!
• The question “What is your favorite book?” confounds me. I don’t know, who’s your favorite child? I love them all equally and differently!
• “Yes, honey, I know I just read that book I got for free from the library, but I bought it because I liked it so much I had to own a copy for myself!” or “The cover is just so incredibly beautiful!”
• Before airlines started to charge for extra or overweight luggage, I hoarded numerous hardcopy books by my favorite authors to read on vacation. And no, I did NOT leave them behind!
• The library (okay, libraries) are my second home. My local librarians know me by name. I visit local libraries wherever I travel to check them out, especially the Friends of the Library used book sale shelves. ❤️

I have always loved to read. When I was seven, my mother found me curled up with her 1957 autobiography of Gypsy Rose Lee, a famous burlesque stripper. Not age appropriate perhaps, but I loved it. That, in a nutshell, is why I love reading. I get to live other lives, experience other perspectives, nurture greater empathy and work hard on keeping an open and curious mind. Reading is in my soul, it’s the very air I breathe. I can’t imagine a life without books. Oh, the places I’ve seen and the people I have been!

If you feel even a little bit of this passionate weirdness, this brief little gem might be for you. It would be an EXCELLENT gift for a book lover!

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an ARC of this graphic novel. My review, however, is based on the hardcover edition.