ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Burn Before Reading by Daisy Buchanan

I purchased my copy of Burn Before Reading from The Pound Project and you can find out more about them on their website. You can sign up to their newsletter here and find them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook too.



At the end of 2020, Daisy Buchanan was burnt out.

Books came to the rescue.

In Burn Before Reading, Daisy explores the writers who have helped her through the toughest mental periods of her life and shaped her as the award-winning author she is today.

Visiting stories that delight us as children or those that shock, challenge and change who we are, this book is for everyone.

It reminds us that reading is good for your mind and soul, with expert tips on how to cultivate your own habit.

The book includes a special foreword written by comedian, actress and writer Isy Suttie.



Burn Before Reading is an essay by author of Insatiable and Careering, Daisy Buchanan. This is an unusual review as I highly recommend this tiny read but you can’t just pop off and get yourself a copy as it’s published by The Pound Project who crowdfund for each new title, one at a time, and then print only what they sell. However, I have just noticed on their website that this book will return for a Christmas sale so if you want to find out more then sign up to their newsletter.

Burn Before Reading is a book about books and a story of burnout and how reading helped to heal Buchanan. It’s very relatable as I think many of us have a version of burnout in these days of social media and constant availability, never taking the opportunity to switch off because, well, FOMO. I loved this little read, with book recommendations placed between sections about childhood, reading for empathy, rituals, and endings and beginnings.

I empathised with the author’s statement that she reads to get to the next book. With so many books available, and the proof and review copies that I, as a blogger/reviewer am incredibly lucky to receive, it can sometimes feel a bit like a race to cram as much in as I can without taking enough time to enjoy what I read. I particularly liked Buchanan’s suggestion to take, only if you can, 30 minutes to read before getting out of bed in a morning.

This is a delightful little read, perfect for book lovers. Who among us doesn’t like a book about books? I really savoured every beautifully written word and found it charming and therapeutic.

I came to the Pound Project because of Burn Before Reading but I wish I’d noticed these books earlier as the collection as a whole would be lovely to have and that opportunity is lost to me now. However, I’ll be looking out for future projects and hope that what I’ve written has gone a small way to getting a few other people interested too.



Daisy Buchanan is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster. She has written for every major newspaper and magazine in the UK, from the Guardian to Grazia. She is a TEDx speaker, and she hosts the chart-topping podcast You’re Booked, where she interviews legendary writers from all over the world about how their reading habits shape their work. Her other books include the non-fiction titles How To Be A Grown Up and The Sisterhood, and the novel Insatiable: A Love Story For Greedy Girls.

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