Reading Quirks
Weird Things that Bookish Nerds Do!
Reading Quirks is a witty and light-hearted ode to the immense pleasure of reading and its resulting byproduct: neurosis.
Who hasn’t peeked over the shoulder of the person reading next to them on the subway, curious about the book in their hands? Who doesn’t secretly love skipping the party to stay home and read? Who hasn’t daydreamed of catching the eye of a future significant other as you discover from across the room that you’re reading the same book?
If you’re a reader, you know you’ve been there, and probably in so many other weird places as well, right? That’s what happens with readers: they have these strange traits, these particular ways, that separate them from the rest.
Reading Quirks explores, in 72 lighthearted four-frame cartoons, all these weird things readers do, from the existential dilemma of picking your next read to the frustrations of watching an overzealous dog-earer in action.
The series was written and created by a bookstore in Dallas, The Wild Detectives, as a social media campaign — a way to connect with other readers over a shared understanding of what it means to be crazy about books.
Laura Pacheco’s adorable illustrations introduce a cast of endearing characters, whose flaws and obsessions range from disarming good nature to mischievous playfulness.
This is a book written by a bookstore for all kind of book lovers. Anybody who enjoys getting lost inside the pages of a book will find a number of situations to relate to. As first-hand spectators, you could say we know a thing or two about how this “reading ailment” affects the human brain.
This project was born as a social media campaign to promote reading and foster a sense of belonging with which readers could identify. Reading Quirks worked as a mirror in which readers could look at themselves with humor and tenderness.
If you’d like to post some of our cartoons on your social outlets to promote a reading lifestyle, feel free to do so –that’s what these cartoons were created for in the first place. Here you can find a selection of them. We just ask that you mention the book and tag us in the post.
Mentions
“Reading Quirks is a work of nonfiction. You have in your hands an anthropological study of a strange and far-ranging human tribe, a tribe that gets from the reading of books the kind of happiness that other people derive from wrestling alligators.”
— Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and Beautiful Country Burn Again
“A charming paean to the not-yet-bygone act of reading books — both lighthearted and wonderfully reverent, this lovely book is a fantastic gift for all your favorite book-reading nerds. (And if you’re one of them, don’t deny yourself.)”
— Merritt Tierce, author of Love Me Back, and story editor for Orange Is the New Black
“A bible for the fellowship of readers worldwide… Every page will make you laugh, cry for a finished book, and feel again the company of all the other human beings on this planet who know the importance of pockets big enough to fit paperbacks, that the hardest part of a breakup is losing her half of the books, and that a broken ankle is only an opportunity to read without interruption. Funny, warm, and full of keen wit, Reading Quirks provides solace in these all-too-bookless times.”
— Louisa Hall, author of Speak, and Trinity
About the Authors
Created by The Wild Detectives
The Wild Detectives is a independent bookstore, bar and venue in Oak Cliff, Dallas, that encourages community-driven cultural conversations. Since its opening in 2014 this small bookstore has been chosen Best Bookstore 2014, 2015 and 2016 by D Magazine, and also 2018 by the Dallas Observer. It was selected by American Way, along with Powell’s and other 3 bookstores in the country, as the spearheads of the recent American indie bookstore renaissance.
Written by Andrés de la Casa Huertas & Javier García del Moral
These two Spanish expats and longtime friends run The Wild Detectives as creative and executive directors, respectively. They combine these efforts with their day jobs in advertising the former, and civil engineering the latter. Reading Quirks is their first publication.
Illustrated by Laura Pacheco
Laura is an awarded Spanish illustrator and cartoonist. She’s the author of several Graphic Novels in Spain, such as Señor Pacheco: agente secreto (¡Caramba!, 2013) and Problemas del primer mundo (Lumen, 2014). Along with her sister, the author Carmen Pacheco, they’ve also published Una semana en familia (¡Caramba!, 2011), Troll Corporation (¡Caramba!, 2018) and Divas de diván (¡Caramba!, 2018).
We’re available for virtual presentations this fall.
If you’d like us to do a remote event with you, please reach us at andres@thewilddetectives.com
Links
Reading Quirks Instagram account
Article at The Dallas Morning News
Compilation of Reading Quirks for social posting
(please mention the book and tag us)
Book Details
ISBN: 9781941920893
$20 / 8.25 x 8.25 inches / Hardcover 74 cartoons / 96pp
Publisher: Pepitas/WD
Publication Date: December 17, 2019
Distributed by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution
If you’re a reader, please purchase a copy of our book at your local bookstore.
If you’re a bookstore, please carry our book at your place so readers can purchase it at your establishment.
If you’re a library, please add our book to your collection.
Thanks for reading 📚❤️️
