Long time no see, internet people! I’m coming out of hibernation today because I’ve just finished my second semester of graduate school, which means… free time! I’ve managed to squeeze in a little fun reading here and there in between my coursework and work work, but not quite enough time to write blog posts about books. But now… you better believe I’m back at it!

I’ve just had the immense pleasure of reading Stephanie Ellis’s How to be a Heroine. I’ve had this book, which I found at a used bookstore, on my shelves for quite some time. The purple cover and title are what called me to this book, but between the pages I found so much more to keep me reading.

I’ve been rather book slumpish lately with occasional peaks where one book will grab me, and How to Be a Heroine was that book. I found myself daydreaming about reading this book whenever I was supposed to be doing non reading things. I just devoured it.

How to Be a Heroine is part life-in-books, part memoir and part literary criticism–checking off all kinds of boxes for me. Ellis talks about the journey of re-reading formative books, re-evaluating what the heroines meant for her when she was younger and what she finds in them now.

At times, she realizes her heroines weren’t quite the models she needed and other times, the heroines still stand up today. Regardless, it’s a fascinating reflection on what it means to grow up with books. For readers, the books we read aren’t just hobbies–what we find in the pages impacts and changes us in real ways.

Though I hadn’t read every book discussed in How to be a Heroine, there was still so much to connect to in what it means to be a woman and the process of growing up and coming into your own as a person.

For the bookish woman who remembers being a bookish girl looking for examples on how to live her best life, I highly recommend this book. I’m already looking forward to re-reading it in year or so.