There’s one word that just rubs me the wrong way. Every time I see it, I cringe, and am tempted to scroll past wherever it’s used. And yet, in this community of readers, it’s probably one of the most used words to describe… anything, really.
Things it can describe, pulled from example posts:
- dreams
- art
- habits
- thoughts
- candles
- people
- chat
- CV / resume
- cravings
- ramblings
- questions
Okay, I actually had a lot of fun putting that list together. But I still don’t love this word, unfortunately, and if you hadn’t yet guessed it’s
bookish.
Oh, my god, why can I not stand this word? I love books and reading and things related to those and people who also love them. So why does this word, which is basically the mascot word of that bundle of things, feel absolutely loathsome to me?? If you’ll notice, I even set up my categories on this blog to deliberately NOT use the word bookish – it’s “book talk” instead! 😂
To be very clear, this isn’t a judgment on the people using this word in post titles, account names, or anything else. Like I just said, this is the patron word of the reading community! I expect it to be used, and to be used a lot!
But still, ugh. I really have had trouble pinning down why this word makes me feel so deflated. My best theories are
- it’s just one I see too much now. Since starting blogging and getting heavily into this community, I’ve seen this word ad nauseum. WAY more than I ever would otherwise, right? So maybe it’s just that I’m tired of seeing any one word in so many places?
- it’s a word with a character connotation of being meek or mousy. A lot of times when this is used in a book or for a character, it’s someone who not only likes to read, but is a shut-in, or lets people walk all over them, or is unkempt. My point is that it’s often used for people who have a lot of other undesirable characteristics or on people who are portrayed as needing to change. So maybe it’s got some baggage with it that bothers me?
In the end, who knows. And really, it doesn’t much matter; this word is probably not being abandoned any time soon. This is a personal issue for sure! 😂
So! In an attempt to forcibly embrace this word, here are some posts using the word bookish that I really love!
Fictionophile’s post with some fascinatingly creepy bookish art (I’m definitely okay with weird book-inspired art!!)
Lili’s Blissful Pages’ bookish post about reading habits that she’s working to change (that might seem good but actually have some drawbacks)
Wordy and Whimsical’s post on bookish things she hates that most people love (a perfect mirror to this post? 😂)
Dinipanda Reads’ post with some tough bookish “would you rather” questions (for when you need to be grateful that you DON’T have to deal with any of these options!)
My Book Joy 
You make some interesting points! I think I like the word because it’s just such a simple way to describe anything book related, but I never thought about how the word is described in literature and how it’s actually used to describe characters 😅 That’s a fair point though! At least you’ve got an alternative title to use instead of ‘bookish’ 😉 Great post!
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Thanks! But it totally is a convenient catch-all word, so I’m trying really hard to embrace it 😂
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This was so interesting to read, as I never even considered the word “bookish” to have any negative connotation… but you are right, it can be interpreted negatively. The reason why I like the word is that it can be used in so many places, so when I’m coming up with a title like the bookish things one, and don’t know what to call the, well, “bookish things” part of post, I can probably use it. Lots of things fit under bookish things, even authors to an extent. (I hope that makes sense, haha.) Great post!
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Hahahaha exactly, it’s so useful! When I see it used I know exactly what to expect from the post
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