Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
This video is a discussion video based on a set of prompts created by Mike @Bibliophile-Reads. I was invited to participate in this discussion by Mike as well.
These are Mike's questions:
The Invisible Side of Reading
Opening Question: How much of being a reader actually involves reading?
Many of us spend hours every week engaged with books without ever turning a page.
1. Browsing Books Whether it’s:
• Walking through bookstores
• Looking through our own shelves
• Scrolling Goodreads or StoryGraph
• Watching BookTube
Browsing is part of the hobby. Questions:
• Do you enjoy browsing more now than when you started reading?
• Can browsing sometimes be as enjoyable as reading?
2. Rearranging Shelves. Every book collector knows this one. You organize by:
• Genre
• Author
• Color
• Size
• Mood
• Or some other way
Questions:
• Why is rearranging books so satisfying?
• Is organizing your library part of the reading experience?
3. Researching Books. Readers often spend hours:
• Looking up authors
• Reading reviews
• Watching recommendation videos
• Exploring literary history
• Learning about editions and translations
Questions:
• How much time do you spend researching compared to reading?
• Does research deepen your enjoyment of books?
4. Thinking About Books. Sometimes the reading ends but the thinking continues. You may:
• Reflect on themes
• Compare books
• Wonder about characters
• Connect books to your own life
Questions:
• Have you ever spent more time thinking about a book than reading it?
• What books have stayed in your mind the longest?
5. Talking About Books: Book clubs. BookTube. Comments. Conversations with friends. Talking about books often becomes its own hobby.
Questions:
• Do you enjoy discussing books more than reviewing them?
• Has talking about books changed how you read?
Mike's Closing Thought: "Maybe being a reader isn’t just about the hours spent reading. Maybe it’s also about all the invisible activities that happen around books—the browsing, organizing, researching, thinking, and talking. If that’s true, then perhaps we’re spending more time in the reading life than we realize.”
Books Mentioned:
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby.
Morrison, Toni. Beloved.
Dickens, Charles. Bleak House.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
Joyce, James. Ulysses.
Joyce, James. Finnegans Wake.
Rich, Adrienne. The Dream of a Common Language.
Oliver, Mary. Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver.
If you would like to take part in this discussion, by all means, please do consider yourself tagged. Additionally, I'm reaching out to the following people:
@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p
@stuartgriffin1001
@anotherbibliophilereads
@hardbooks770
@TracysNordicLight
@readandre-read
@RaynorReadsStuff
@AlansReads
@booksimnotreading
@MyMessyBookshelf
@spreadbookjoy
@arockinsamsara
@ellenmadebookclub
@books_and_bocadillos
@bookssongsandothermagic
@genteelblackhole
@GenreBooks23
@LiterateTexan
#books #booktube #booktubecommunity #reading #readinglife
This video is a discussion video based on a set of prompts created by Mike @Bibliophile-Reads. I was invited to participate in this discussion by Mike as well.
These are Mike's questions:
The Invisible Side of Reading
Opening Question: How much of being a reader actually involves reading?
Many of us spend hours every week engaged with books without ever turning a page.
1. Browsing Books Whether it’s:
• Walking through bookstores
• Looking through our own shelves
• Scrolling Goodreads or StoryGraph
• Watching BookTube
Browsing is part of the hobby. Questions:
• Do you enjoy browsing more now than when you started reading?
• Can browsing sometimes be as enjoyable as reading?
2. Rearranging Shelves. Every book collector knows this one. You organize by:
• Genre
• Author
• Color
• Size
• Mood
• Or some other way
Questions:
• Why is rearranging books so satisfying?
• Is organizing your library part of the reading experience?
3. Researching Books. Readers often spend hours:
• Looking up authors
• Reading reviews
• Watching recommendation videos
• Exploring literary history
• Learning about editions and translations
Questions:
• How much time do you spend researching compared to reading?
• Does research deepen your enjoyment of books?
4. Thinking About Books. Sometimes the reading ends but the thinking continues. You may:
• Reflect on themes
• Compare books
• Wonder about characters
• Connect books to your own life
Questions:
• Have you ever spent more time thinking about a book than reading it?
• What books have stayed in your mind the longest?
5. Talking About Books: Book clubs. BookTube. Comments. Conversations with friends. Talking about books often becomes its own hobby.
Questions:
• Do you enjoy discussing books more than reviewing them?
• Has talking about books changed how you read?
Mike's Closing Thought: "Maybe being a reader isn’t just about the hours spent reading. Maybe it’s also about all the invisible activities that happen around books—the browsing, organizing, researching, thinking, and talking. If that’s true, then perhaps we’re spending more time in the reading life than we realize.”
Books Mentioned:
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby.
Morrison, Toni. Beloved.
Dickens, Charles. Bleak House.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
Joyce, James. Ulysses.
Joyce, James. Finnegans Wake.
Rich, Adrienne. The Dream of a Common Language.
Oliver, Mary. Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver.
If you would like to take part in this discussion, by all means, please do consider yourself tagged. Additionally, I'm reaching out to the following people:
@RobertGReaderofBooks-r3p
@stuartgriffin1001
@anotherbibliophilereads
@hardbooks770
@TracysNordicLight
@readandre-read
@RaynorReadsStuff
@AlansReads
@booksimnotreading
@MyMessyBookshelf
@spreadbookjoy
@arockinsamsara
@ellenmadebookclub
@books_and_bocadillos
@bookssongsandothermagic
@genteelblackhole
@GenreBooks23
@LiterateTexan
#books #booktube #booktubecommunity #reading #readinglife
