I have repeatedly said, I would love to get paid to read!
What I really mean is: I would love to get paid to read whatever I want on my own schedule. Basically, I want a stipend to breathe air.
Because having to read what someone else has chosen is too close to being back in school.
At times the promise of free books has tempted me to consider pursuing review copies from the publisher, but the obligatory nature of reviewing has slapped me on the cheeks and snapped me out of it.
Because of my reputation as a reader, I am often given books to read. People love a book and they want me to love it with them. Which obligates me to read that book. [This is fitting payback, because I’ve been that friend/acquaintance/stranger who pressed unsolicited books into hands with the words You. must. read. this. book.] Don’t get me wrong: I love gift books and I love loaned books. I love the discussions they engender. I just don’t like feeling disloyal to my books which migrate to the bottom of my pile.
Recently, I started following Anne Bogel’s blog Modern Mrs. Darcy. This girl reads for a living. She is fun and welcoming: a literary, book-loving version of The Pioneer Woman. Anne’s content is beautifully linked to Amazon and I’m sure she gets sweet monthly referral fees. It hit me one day: She gets paid to read!
My next thought was But. She must read newly released books to get Amazon referral fees. You can’t recommend Anthony Trollope (whose books are free on Kindle) and make money. And I am quickly back to contentment. I get to read the books on my shelves, yay!
Anne has a podcast called What Should I Read Next? While I am probably 38% compatible with Anne’s picks, the moment I wait for is when she describes her guest’s reading pattern, based on 3 books loved and 1 book hated. These diagnoses are often Aha! moments; guests use words like uncanny, crazy, I’ve never thought of that before! It’s as close to book therapy as you get. Here is a sample analysis:
You’ve chosen books about women who had to learn to be strong, because life threw some stuff their way. And they had to rise to the challenge. And they did. And whether the story is written in first person or third, these books show us these women’s lives through their own eyes. We get their side of the story, their version of events, and we, as the reader, have the privilege of walking alongside them as they get a little older and a little wiser and really come into their own.
I have my own What Should I Read Next? dilemma, but not in the way of needing a book recommendation. My question stems from having far too many choices staring at me from my bookshelves. I want to read them all. The job doesn’t pay well, but there are benefits.
A Living Pencil 
Good morning from the rainy Oregon coast! I am also a follower of Anne Bogel, have been for a few years. I love her podcast, but have missed a few.
One gal described Anne as her “Book Whisperer” – perfect!
I’m presently reading On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet but not making much headway due to good times with friends in the Pacific Northwest 🙂
It makes my fingers flutter to know you are so close. MMD is just one more topic of conversation we’ll have! (getting so excited!)
Me, too!
I, too, follow Anne’s blog and listen to her podcast, which I love. But I fall squarely into your camp. I already have too many choices I am longing to read, both contemporary and classic. There will never be enough time in my lifetime to get through all of them. Like you, “The job doesn’t pay well, but there are benefits.”