Today, as a way of marking my ‘blogiversary’, as I believe they call it in the blogosphere, I am sharing with you some of my favourite posts relating to the theme at the foundation of all that I do: books, beautiful books.

I hope you will enjoy this little trip down memory lane, and perhaps be inspired to visit your local library or bookstore soon.

Three powerful words: ‘Have you read…?’

How do you respond when someone asks you, ‘Have you read…?’ Are you glad to have a book recommendation? Do you feel a little left out if your answer is no? Do you wonder how you’ll ever find the time to read everything you’d like to read? In this article, I explore these questions, and more: https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/three-powerful-words-have-you-read/.

Is always having a new book to read important to you?

Abibliophobia: fear of running out of reading material. In this article, I explore why many readers feel they need a ‘to be read’ stack in order to avoid feeling bereft of books that bring solace and pleasure. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/is-always-having-a-new-book-to-read-important-to-you/

‘Finding your tribe’ (rather than robots) in bookstores

Bookshops staffed with robots? No, thank you, I argue in this article, because bookshops are places where readers come not only to find books, but like minds. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/finding-your-tribe-bookstores/

The feel-good factor of giving books

From Book Fairies to Little Free Libraries, I explore why people give away books and what a wonderful gesture this is for the recipient. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/giving-books/

What am I reading? That’s private

Here’s an article about a reader’s need – and right – to keep private their choice of reading. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/what-am-i-reading/

Should a book cost more than a coffee?

Inspired by the UK Society of Authors’ ‘Fair Reading’ campaign, which aims to ‘ensure that a good deal for the reader is also a fair deal for the author’, I consider how book discounting is affecting authors and whether we should place a higher value on books. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/book-cost-more-coffee/

Reading to combat loneliness

Research has found that reading books ‘significantly reduces feelings of loneliness’ and helps people to build closer relationships. Here, I explore whether investing in books can transform society and help to alleviate the isolation many feel. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/reading-loneliness/

Burn, bin, donate, abandon: the sorry story of unloved books

Do you remember the days when you took a much-thumbed book that was falling apart not to the recycling centre but to a book binder to be restored? How far we have come from those times. Here, I look at how our ‘throwaway culture’ is affecting books. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/the-sorry-story-of-unloved-books/

Reading – and writing – around the world

Inspired by a thirteen-year-old Pakistani girl who challenged herself to read a book from every country in the world, I explore why we should all read books set in different countries and by writers of different nationalities. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/around-the-world/

On multiple copies: buying the same book again (and again?)

Do you own more than one copy of a novel? Perhaps you collect different editions of the classics, or can’t resist rescuing an unloved book in a charity shop. I delve into these reasons, and more, to rationalise owning the same book several times over. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/multiple-copies/

Should we finish a book we’re not enjoying?

According to research by the reading website Goodreads, which has 80 million members, 38 per cent of readers are ‘Finishers’, and the rest will sometimes choose not to finish a book they are not enjoying. In this article I take a look at the perspectives of ‘Finishers’ and ‘DNFers’ (Did Not Finishers) and look at some of the books most commonly abandoned. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/finish-a-book/

Books as treasure: valuable first editions

Books, of course, are very valuable to readers, for the joy they bring. But sometimes a book can be valuable in monetary terms too. In this post I take a peek at the lucrative world of literary first editions. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/first-editions/

The rewards of reading slowly

Are you tearing through your ‘to be read’ pile? If so, you may be missing out on the pleasures of slow reading. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/reading-slowly/

A reading corner of one’s own

‘I have sought for happiness everywhere, but I have found it nowhere except in a little corner with a little book.’ So wrote Thomas à Kempis in The Imitation of Christ. Do you have a reading corner, a place that you designate for the pleasure of reading? https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/a-reading-corner-of-ones-own/

Books make a home – and a bright future

Researchers have found that the more books in a child’s home, the better the child will perform academically over time, even if the child doesn’t read more than his/her counterpart who’s growing up with fewer books. Find out more in this article: https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/books-make-a-home/

Should we read one book at a time – or several?

When British author Will Self told a newspaper that he reads as many as 50 books at once, he sparked a debate. Here, I share my own, much simpler approach to reading. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/one-book-at-a-time/

On random acts of kindness – via books

In my thought piece ‘On DOING good’, I write: ‘Being good is not enough! We must not just strive to be good; we must DO good. We do not need to be philanthropists; we need to DO philanthropic work.’ Here, I consider how books can be vehicles for random, and powerful, acts of kindness. https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/kindness-via-books/