My cute bookstack doesn't mean you're bad (and the Happy Booksgiving Giveaways)
Facetiously reducing bookish hustle and two giveaways you might want to enter ASAP!
Most of the people I talk to or even the writers I coach seem to have a false perspective about being a reader or a writer. Between all of us, we carry a never-ending well of regret concerning the books we haven’t read but hoped to. We seem to never meet our own bookish standard.
That is just depressing. Why do we do this?
My Bookstack is Bigger Than Yours!
Do you ever look at what people post about what they’ve read and feel intimidated? For example, I absolutely love bookstack pictures. They are so cute and they just make me want to read every book in them—even if I actually wouldn’t like the book or they aren’t genres I am interested in.
What if bookstacks aren’t exactly honest? Are they a genuine expression of all the books someone is reading? Like all things on social media, they don’t tell the full story. For example, in the bookstack I posted last fall to raise funds for survivors of domestic violence (pictured above), I hadn’t even read three of the books in it yet! In addition, the other books I had read closer to a decade ago.
Also, here is another gripe of mine. What are we supposed to do for our pretty #bookstagram posts if we read mostly ebooks? Kindle and Nook screenshots just aren’t the same. (This is a serious question!)
We’ve Got a Bookish Problem
Maybe you sense jealousy rise-up inside when you hear people talk about other books you want to read or new recommendations pop-up in your amazon feed. And you know what pairs well with jealousy? Bitterness! It creeps in at your whatever seems to keep you from curling up with a good book.
**Me coughing out loudly—Kids! Work!**
Too many of us seem to think we fall short in the “reading life” we wanted. Or that we aren’t up-to standard in our careers, knowing every new thing from all the new books. If you're also a writer, there is a growing pressure to keep up with every new book released by your fellow writers. It can be exhausting.
Yes, we all have that friend who read over nearly three-hundred books a year, but that is just not normal for most of us. In fact, I am pretty sure that unless we are speed-readers, that probably shouldn’t be normal for anyone. If reading is consuming your life, you might want to consider if books are your unbalanced coping mechanism to escape from your unprocessed, painful reality. Harsh? Yes. But no offense intended. I use stories to avoid my trauma too.
Bookish Posers
Let me just begin this with a much needed confession: We who present with bookishly-awesome prowess probably aren’t as bookish or writerly as we might look. If I’m honest—something I try to be around here—sometimes I feel like I am a poser as a reader. Many readers and writers are. Not because we mean to be, but when others only see/hear glimpses of our lives that have to do with reading/writing, it is assumed we spend more time on this than we really do.
Personally, I do spend a lot of time reading and writing. But much more of my time is spent doing everything else. In fact, I spend most of my time doing everything else. We must be careful to not confuse interest or intentionally with an unachievable bookish prowess.
The “Never Enough” of Comparison
My goal in talking about books is usually to foster discussion on new ideas. Instead, sometimes it ignites comparison. And if our identity is tied to books or writing in any way, it might affect us on a deeper-level, making us feel like we are bad or less-than. I see this among writers, readers, people are an expert in an area, or who want to be known for sound theology (which will forever be debated and never provable regardless), etc…
I am a bad Christian because I didn’t read all of Spurgeon’s works (or Willard’s, or Piper’s, or Wright’s, or Merlin Stone’s, depending on what you consider “sound” theology).
I am a bad writer because I haven’t read every book in my genre.
I am a bad activist because I haven’t read all of the anti-racist books by Black authors.
I am a bad reader because I haven’t read that new YA series.
The Bookish Hustle
How do we respond? I can’t speak for you, but I begin hustling to read more. Sometimes I put a little more effort in trying to present as someone more informed.
None of this is new. My guess is that many of you have heard this hundreds of times, but more likely in the context of your identity as a whole, or something less zero-ed in on than books. But, as you can see, it applies here too. And why let it get into here anymore?
In true No Hustle November fashion, I want to come against this.
My Honest Book Appraisal for 2023
Connecting with each other through authenticity is a good starting place. I’ll go first:
I feel good about the amount of books I’ve read this year.
I was intentional about choosing which books I would read. I feel glad that I was able to say no to most others.
I struggled wanting to keep up with some books in my niche that I wasn’t able to, but I (mostly) found myself able to be aware of it and recognize it.
I still have three books I feel pressured to read that I am only reading because they feel like “musts” for me to be considered an expert. I haven’t been able to let them go.
In addition, you should know that more than a handful of the books I’ve “read” this year I haven’t finished and I’m not sure I will. Others have been dropped for more engaging fiction novels. Some I’ve skimmed or sped through, listening on audio at 1.25x speed. Recently, I asked you guys in my IG stories if this should even be allowed to do that during No Hustle November, as if it is against the rules! (There are no rules.)
I am hoping that by being frank about this you might stop trying to bookishly-hustle, too. (I encourage you to do this for others also—especially if they seem impressed with you or self-depreciating about their own reading).
A New Bookish Perspective
From now on, when I talk about all things bookish, can you do me a favor? Nip any negative thoughts in the bud. They are not helpful. Talking about books as a reader and writer my intent isn’t to show off, brag, tout my new powerful knowledge, or name-drop my writer connections. Or at least, I promise that I’ll be checking myself so that this isn’t why I post about books. (Although I will shamelessly keep pointing out I am a certified writers coach—you’re welcome.)
I want you to interpret any bookish sharing to mean nothing more than that I simply like books. I like learning and being challenged by them. I like sharing those new thoughts. I want to read more because it is engaging, and yes, sometimes an escape from reality.
Please don’t interpret bookish posts from myself or any other reader or author as if it should insinuate something about you. Don’t use these as a lens to compare yourself to. It doesn’t mean you are falling short as a reader. It doesn’t mean there is something perfectly bookish to achieve.
Can we just appreciate that we all like books and learning new things? That this is all that bookish posts need to be about? That they don’t say anything about you not being enough?
I hope the next time you see that sexy book stack picture pop-up in your feed, you will push aside any woe you feel because of your long TBR list. Simply remind yourself that in this we are all the same: we are grateful for books.
An Unhurried Heart: Happy Booksgiving Giveaway
Everything above being said, I’m grateful for books. And if you’ve gotten this far in this email, I am sure you have too. To express this gratitude, and hopefully to bless you, I decided to get back into the giveaway groove.
First, I wanted to do something just for my own readers (subscribers only). I used to do frequent giveaways, but I stopped over the last few years, through COVID, trauma, sickness, family diagnosis, and a baby. Makes sense, right?
However, I didn’t stop collecting giveaway items! I have a random set of gifts that are largely ethically-made or came from a sustainable, social-good company. In addition, I had a set of books readers recommended to me to get for a giveaway. They were never given away, either! It is time to take all of these out of their boxes and move them into your hands.
I started preparing these for you as one big whopping giveaway to be part of the Booksgiving Giveaway. But, in No Hustle November style, I realized it was stressing me out and decided to break these up for a season of smaller, monthly giveaways.
It turns out this is a win-win for both of us. This way there are more opportunities for you to be the winner. And a lot less stress, but still worthwhile for me.
Isn’t it ironic that something better comes from the pursuit of an unhurried heart? Sometimes these are more moments present with our kids or even a stranger. Other times they are hard but relationship-building conversations instead of avoidance or extreme boundaries. Then there are times the pursuit of less-negative hustle is a two-day late email from a woman who chose to put her family’s needs and emotional-spiritual health over timeliness for her readers, because she is trying to align with the belief that this serves both of us better.
(Yes, this is me!)
Apparently, this is what happens when doing a Booksgiving Giveaway during No Hustle November!
#1. Happy Booksgiving Giveaway: Subscribers Only
That being said, this first giveaway is not for a larger group—it is for my subscribers only.
(Note, these include affiliate links, which changes nothing for you and helps pay for my coffee.)
Light Shine Candle (a wonderful social-enterprise)
Mexican Ceramic Coaster (bought locally of course)
Artisan Direct Reusable Produce Bags
Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness by Leslie Verner
Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff
Undaunted: Daring to Do What God Calls You to Do by Christine Caine
How Does it Work?
It is simple. There is one winner. You can enter only once. And although you are invited to do all the actions to enter, you only have to do one the following to be entered:
Reply to this email and tell me something you’ve learned, liked, been challenged by, or grown in through Authentically Elisa.
Comment on this post and tell me something you’ve learned, liked, been challenged by, or grown in through Authentically Elisa.
Forward a PREVIOUS article from Authentically Elisa (not this one) to someone else who might appreciate it and who you haven’t sent it to before. (Bcc me or tell me you did so I can write you down as having entered).
Share a PREVIOUS article from Authentically Elisa (not this one) on your IG feed or Facebook feed (stories don’t count, but you can do that too!). Tag me in it (I am AuthenticallyElisa on IG and Elisa Sue Edwards Johnston on Facebook).
I chose these as the ways for you to enter because I love seeing what people value in the content I create. These are all methods where I can either engage with you, or see you interact with what I write in a way that helps me know what you value. It reminds me that writing is worthwhile, and helps me know what you are interested in. In return, I hope to bless a few others back with my subscribers-only giveaway!
Other Rules? I don’t want to attend to this until after Thanskgiving. You have until midnight PST on Friday, November 24th to enter (directions above). I’ll let you know if you won the following week! Other than date it concludes and entering differently, the other rules are all the same as those in the joint-authors Happy Booksgiving Giveaway, below. Good luck!
#2. Happy Booksgiving Giveaway: The Big One!
A couple times a year I join in with other writers to throw a massive giveaway. We are so grateful for the power of stories to change our lives! We are partnering together to bless THREE WINNERS with THREE PRIZES worth over $1,000! We want to say THANK YOU for letting us pour into your hearts through our words.
All you have to do is enter your email and that’s it! You'll have the chance to win HUGE prizes, including:
Prize #1: $500 Amazon Gift Card (perfect for holiday shopping and getting a few gifts for yourself!)
Prize #2: Book Lover's Bundle including 25 fiction and nonfiction books for hours of cozy reading and recharging! (worth $350+)
Prize #3: Book Lover's Accessory Bundle including a $15 Starbucks card, shirt, blanket, reading light, mug, pens, magnetic bookmarks, cute tumbler, jewelry, canvas bag, pillow case, tea set, scarf, candle, journal, and more! (worth $220+)
Enter the giveaway HERE
Want to increase your chances of winning? Come back daily for more entries and MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW, LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARTICIPATING AUTHORS FOR ADDITIONAL ENTRIES. The more you do, the more your chances go up. And please share with your book-loving friends! :)
Here's to being grateful for hours of good reading... We are thankful for YOU! :)
IMPORTANT RULES: The Happy Booksgiving Giveaway runs 11/13-11/19. Random winners will be selected via KingSumo on 11/21 and notified within 48 hours. This giveaway is not sponsored or endorsed by anyone but the bunch of us. By entering the giveaway you agree to receive emails from the contributing authors as part of their email list, but feel free to unsubscribe at any time. All winners must confirm their emails via KingSumo's confirmation email. We reserve the right to make sure each winner's email address is valid. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. US Residents only. Must be 21+ years of age to participate.
Thank you for entering! Good luck!
Follow me on Instagram here @AuthenticallyElisa.
On Average Advocate this week: Reducing Trauma’s Influence While Doing Good