Simone and Her Books

If you’ve ever considered a life on bookstagram or booktok, but never felt comfortable on social media, then don’t worry. There are millions of people who quietly shared a love affair with books that never got a thousand likes or went viral. Instead, they read their books, savor the stories, and then move on. Can you believe it?

Back at the end of July, a man named Dan Pelzer passed away. He wasn’t some great author or writer. He was never on bookstagram and he never shared his book reviews online. He was just an avid reader who kept notes on every book he’d read in his life from his early 30s until he passed away in his 90s.

Posthumously, his daughter shares the list of books he’s carried around for over 60 years. Every single book he’s ever read written down on a piece of printer paper with no fancy lettering or anything. Just a list of books.

Dan Pelzer lived a quiet reading life. And when I think about this day and age and how we share everything on social media, Dan Pelzer’s life is my ideal. Quietly writing down all the books that transported you from this existence, expanded your knowledge of other cultures. He lived a life in books and didn’t share it with anyone except his close family and the folks at the library. Columbus public library even put together a tribute reading list based on the books on his list.

When I think of people like Dan Pelzer or even the woman who’s kept a diary for her entire life, I try to imagine it for myself. There’s something so romantic in the idea of keeping a daily journal or a notebook with every book you’ve ever read in your life. A lifetime of memories left behind after your life is through. Maybe someone will stumble on the treasures or maybe they’ll end up in the dumpster. But it doesn’t matter the legacy you leave behind; all that matters is that at some point in your life you decided it was important to you to write it down.

The quiet reading life may be small and mundane, but that’s the appeal. We’re not showing off to others how many books we’ve read or feel pressure to keep up with new booktok trends. These places are great resources for inspiration, but participation is optional. As I get older, the quiet reading life is becomes more and more ideal. I’ve become less interested in sharing online and more interested in spending my time actually reading the books. It was fun for a while to read all the new books coming out (and I’ve done it for almost 10 years), but a longing to read backlist or other genres or even nonfiction continue to dog me.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop writing about books, but maybe they won’t be the latest book that came out. I will do what I set out to do almost 10 years ago, which is just to read my books and share them with you. If I could influence anyone to do anything in my life, it’s to enjoy your hobbies for yourself, and not for other people.

So if I’m saying anything, don’t feel like you need to start a book account on social media. Some things are meant to be yours alone. And if you do end up joining bookstagram, allow your personal joy of books dictate what you share. Be more like Dan Pelzer and read the books that inspire your life. Write them down in a little notebook and look back years from now in awe of the very little life you’ve led.