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.

SHE GETS ME. Every page was me. Me. Me. More me! *squee* It was delightful and beautiful and so much fun. Absolutely adored it!!! There are others like me!! All over Goodreads. :D

I thought this book looked so interesting. But I was never able to get it to download after many tries. I would love to read and review if it was made available again.

The perfect book for book lovers, which covers our relationships with our nearest bookstore, to those we have with the characters inside of the books. Immediately relatable. The comics are great, some of the details in the illustrations brilliant.

Book Love advocates why books are the best gifts, the benefits of reading, an illustrated list of some amazing books, and a book lover’s consternation at why book covers with the movie poster is NOT the same book. Book Love has it all. It is the perfect coffee table book. If anyone asks you that age old question why do you read direct them to Book Love by Debbie Tung. If they still don’t it get after reading that all hope is lost for them.

I loved this book. I found myself nodding in agreement on multiple occasions and wanting to share certain pages with my reader friends who I would know would understand. I could definitely see myself buying this book for a friend as a gift.

Debbie Tung is amazing. When I read (and reread) her books, Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story, and Book Love I am always smiling. And surprised, because within her simple comics I find myself. First as an introvert and now as a bibliophile. She understands and illustrates my introversion and my love for books exactly as I feel them. I get the feeling that Debbie is talking about me, or that we have twin souls. The situations she describes, I've lived them. And she portraits them with such humor!!!

This is a comic book with lots of white space, where the black and white drawings call to our attention. The text is short. Together, image and text convey effortlessly the episodes, portrait a feeling in the most efficient, straightforward and delicious way.

Really great reading for book lovers!

Loved this! Time to buy it! Quotable, relatable, and funny. I loved the comic format! All book
Loved seeing need to have this book on their shelves!

This book consists of book lover comic pages, done in a simple, but distinctive style. All the pages were extremely relatable and I couldn't help but share a lot of them in my insta-stories. It is a treasure find for me and I would definitely love to read more from this artist. Some of the topics include prioritising book buying over any other kind of shopping, hyping about authors loving your photos on instagram, reading at parties or other social gatherings, reading until very late at night, smelling books, bookworm fears and quirks etc.
A perfect gift for any book lover out there.

"Book Love" by Debbie Tung is an adorable graphic novel love letter to the world of books and bibliophiles. All of us can relate to her comics, I am sure. <3

This was fine. I feel like it's too much like another graphic novel I've read before. It's fun for us book lovers but again, it didn't feel original?

Have you ever thought about the crazy things that you been doing as a bookworm? Of course I would not blame you because I do them as well. And this book is for you. I can’t recommend this enough to anyone who loves books.

Book love kept me grinning throughout the book because it was all true. And it was as if someone took a peek into my life and just drew them but in a less clumsy way.

Though it would hardly take an hour to finish this one, I would suggest to go through this book slowly and enjoy taking a laugh at yourself.

Final thought: Catch yourself smiling at the quirky bookworm habits

Recommended to: Must read for book lovers!

Book Love was a simply adorable and easy read! This would be just lovely in print. The type of book where you can devour the whole thing in one sitting, or only read a few pages at a time. Perfect for a coffee table book, or for a gift to any of your bibliophile friends. It's very easy to relate to, and immediately puts a smile on your face. I can't wait to see a printed copy, and will definitely be picking a few up for some of my friends!

Thank you to NetGalley, as well as the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Este libro es hermoso!!
La ilustradora nos trasmite todo el amor que puede tener por la lectura en pequeños scketches dibujados.
Llenos de amor y diversión así como pequeñas reflexiones.
Sin duda uno de mis libros favoritos de toda la vida y que no dudare en adquirir de forma física.

AME ESTE LIBRO!!!

♥

This book was just a little too cliche and maudlin about books for my taste. There were a couple snuck in there I really liked though, but the majority felt mediocre or sappy. I'm a really unsentimental person though, so others might like this a lot better.

I'm not sure what to make of this - it's not funny, really, the illustrative style is not super impressive, and it's a little try-hard. I guess put it in a bathroom?

As a book lover, I really enjoyed this book. It was totally relatable, some of the comics made me laugh and some made me think of how much I love books and how they have really been a comfort these past few years. Although I think book lovers with more access to physical books might appreciate it more than those who mostly have access to ebooks and audiobooks, im sure all book lovers will enjoy this book.

This is a very cute and relatable book. I could relate to almost every little comic. I loved the artwork, especially when we got a full page artwork (the ones with few words). Those were really pretty.

I did not care how lightly the subject of suicide was taken; like the punchline to a joke. It seemed insensitive and really out of the blue. Someone who might be triggered by it would not expect it in a book like this.

I wish it had more of a connected storyline, but overall, I enjoyed it.

Title: Book Love



Author: Debbie Tung



Genre: Nonfiction, Graphic, Teens, Bookworms, Art, Comic, Books



Plot: The love of books has fueled an entire industry for centuries but more importantly, it has fueled the imaginations of readers all over the world. Books inspire us, connect us to complete strangers, provide conversation starters, distract us, inform us and force us to expand our horizons and consider other worldviews and whole worlds. Books comfort us when we are feeling blue or in need of some companionship in a lonely point of our lives. Books can be our shelter or the diving board of life. And you are never too old or too young to pick up a book and dive in.



Through her beautifully drawn artwork, Debbie Tung visually captures what it means to be a book lover, to value reading real books in a digital world and what the definition of book love really is. This is one book that every book lover should have on their shelves.



Likes/Dislikes: I told my husband he has to buy me a copy of this book and he said, "You want a book about reading books?" I enthusiastically said yes and shoved it in his face to look at but he was more amused than interested. Fingers crossed that I get a new book for Mother's Day. In the meantime, this book is perfect. The size is adorable and very travel friendly, the artwork is beautiful while still being accessible to non-artistic people like me and it exactly captures what every reader goes through. Plus, it smells amazing! You have to buy this book!



Rating: G-all ages. Highly recommended



Date Review Written: March 25th, 2019



I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, lost that digital copy and found it at my library. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

RATING: 4.5 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

LOVED this comic on the love of reading and books. Any, every, book addict will understand the scenarios that Tung depicts. I could find myself nodding and smiling to myself as I read through. I highly recommend this to any book lovers out there!

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

I saw a page from Quiet Girl in a Noisy World in one of my groups on social media and it made me laugh, so I decided to check out Ms. Tung’s Book Love and I am unbelievably glad that I did! I absolutely loved this book of comics — it was beyond wonderful to read and I truly enjoyed every minute of it! Every thought and feeling I’ve had about books, Debbie Tung managed to capture perfectly. If you’re a bookworm, every page of this book will have you nodding and laughing because you feel that exact same way as the girl in the comic or you will do the things that she does. Book Love made me feel so happy and warm inside, it made me love and appreciate books and reading even more and feel so connected to the author. I can’t wait to see what Debbie Tung comes up with next!

~ A Hopeless Romantic's Booklandia, 5 Stars