Tag: Books

Books about Books and the People Who Love Them

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On August 11, 2025

In Books, Miscellany, News/Misc.

Updated 8/9/2025

Saturday was National Book Lovers Day (yes, around here, that’s just another way of saying it’s a day that ends in “ay,” except it’s a National thing). I’m not sure that “Lover” is the best way to describe me—buying, reading, and surrounding myself with books is just who I am. “One does not love breathing,” as Miss Jean Louise Finch, said.

Or in the words of Patrick Rothfuss, “I always read. You know how sharks have to keep swimming or they die? I’m like that. If I stop reading, I die.”

Scout and Rothfuss are likely overstating things—or maybe not, but they can give that impression. So maybe it’s safer to call ourselves book lovers, eh?

I’ve been meaning to post something about National Book Lover’s Day for years now, but I’ve never really known what to say. But it occurred to me (as I was saying that) that I could put together a handy-dandy list of books that show love to books, either about talking about books or those who write, read, sell, or loan them.

This isn’t necessarily a complete list, in fact, I’m sure it’s not. I did a quick survey of the 5200 plus posts I have here) to compile this list in two days in 2024, plus a little bit of time adding books since then. But it’s a pretty thorough one—I’ll get this in better shape by next year.

(Probably…Maybe…We’ll see.)

Books about Books and the People Who Love Them

(Links will take you to my post featuring the book.)

NonFiction

Fiction

  • A Rare Book of Cunning Device (Audiobook) by Ben Aaronovitch, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith—a fun, short, installment in the Rivers of London that finds Peter and some friends in the basement of the British Library (which sounds like a great place to visit for someone like me) tracking down a magical book.
  • What You are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyam—a series of short stories depicting people struggling through various stages in life being helped by a wise librarian (almost magically so) directing them to just the right book to lead them to improve their lives.
  • The Book That No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade, Tor Freeman, Jarvis Cocker, Lydia Fox—a book written by a book (making it far different than a book written by a person) about a book that no one wanted to read and how to help it. That’s a lousy description, so let me just say—you need to read it.
  • No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister—a series of short stories follows the path of a book from its writing, to finding an agent, to the audiobook narrator, and the impact it makes on the lives of those who encounter it in various forms.
  • The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown—A bookstore clerk finds herself in a world of magic and wonder (and danger) thanks to impossible books.
  • The Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano—a romantic-thriller writer’s conversation with her agent is overheard and misunderstood leading to her being hired as a hitman. Hilarity, danger, and amateur crime-solving ensues as she and her live-in nanny try to stay out of trouble.
  • I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enge—in a largely (and proudly) post-literate postapocalytpic society, one rare book brings turmoil to a community and family. (there’s a lot of other things going on, too–but that’s the core)
  • The Hero Interviews by Andi Ewington—a young man goes off to research a book into what makes a hero by interviewing all sorts of stock (and some not-so-stock) Fantasy Characters
  • The Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde—I’ve only read two of these (and I don’t know that I’ll read more, which is a commentary on me, more than the books), but they’re a strange and often delightful series about a literary detective who can travel in time, space, and into books.
  • The Ian Ludlow thrillers by Lee Goldberg—follow a thriller writer whose life keeps getting turned upside down when the plots of his novels keep coming to life as various and sundry criminals and terrorists borrow his ideas.
  • Ban This Book (Audiobook) by Alan Gratz, Bahni Turpin (Narrator)—an elementary school girl, upset that she can’t borrow her favorite book from the school library anymore, begins a lending library from her school locker featuring several books the school administration has decided don’t belong in the library.
  • Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern, read by: Josh Bloomberg, Dara Rosenberg, Allyson Ryan—I can’t sum up this book about found-families in a small-town library beyond this inadequate try.
  • My Lady Jane (Audiobook) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows, Katherine Kellgren—Within this YA/Supernatural novel that re-writes Lady Jane Grey’s life, we get a love letter to books — and Jane is the representative book lover par excellence (though she could like poetry and novels a bit more)—there’s a treasure trove of quotations about reading, books, and related topics in these pages.
  • The Hawthorne and Horowitz Mysteries by Anthony Horowitz—These books feature a fictional and somewhat hapless Anthony Horowitz being hired to follow a consulting detective on some cases and write about Hawthorne’s successes (because Hawthorne needs the extra money).
  • How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely—a hilarious, over-the-top (yet probably really tamer than reality) satire about the publishing industry and the selling/making of books.
  • The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn, read by: Raphael Corkhill, translated by Melody Shaw—Schmaltzy but earnest story about an older man connecting people with just the right books
  • The Library Murders by M.R. Mackenzie—a twisty murder mystery that includes a sincere and heartfelt tribute to Library workers and the value of their service.
  • The Jake Mooney books by Duncan MacMaster—Hack, Hacked, and Hacker (that I really need to write a post about) tell the story of a ghost writer who keeps finding himself in situations where he has to solve murders and try to keep from becoming the next victim. Funny, action-filled, mysteries
  • Namaste Mart Confidential by Andrew Miller—a would-be novelist and his stand-up comedian roommate/coworker serve as unlicensed P.I.s when they’re not working at a supermarket.
  • Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller—this is a sanctimonious and shallow book (IMNSHO), but the message about the value and importance of all books—particularly those that people might want to ban—rings clear.
  • Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley—a not very successful writer finds herself stuck in the middle of a hostage situation that closely resembles her own book—if she could just convince her husband of that fact, they might beable to get out of the situation.
  • The Awful Truth About the Sushing Prize by Marco Ocram—a mystery novel featuring a best-selling author who can create reality by what he writes (it’s more nuanced than that, but it’s close).
  • According to Mark by H. B. O’Neill—a man suffers a breakdown and is visited by Mark Twain’s ghost who convinces him to kill himself.
  • Man on a Murder Cycle by Mark Pepper—a past-his-prime author, struggling to recapture his former success, steals the work of a dead author. And then people start being killed in ways depicted in that book, making him the prime suspect. And then things get weird.
  • I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider—brilliant comic strips about books, writing, reading, and the like
  • Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone/Everyone on the Train
  • How to Write a Novel by Melanie Sumner—the sweet (and clever) story of a 12-year-old would-be novelist in her attempt to write a novel that will sell enough to allow her mom to quit her job and take care of her family.
  • The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman—one of my favorite novels from the past five years is about a bookseller and reader discovering a family, making new friends, falling in love, and basically finding life outside of her books (but never without them)
  • The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, read by: Scott Brick—a sweet rom-com about a small-town bookseller finding love.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Image by Hermann Traub from Pixabay

REPOSTING: The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs

By

On May 23, 2025

In Non-Fiction

Earlier this year, I re-read three books by Alan Jacobs in what he styles as a trilogy of sorts (my paraphrase), with the intention of writing new, longer, posts about them all–or maybe one mega-post about all three. Neither of those happened, and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to happen this year–as much as they deserve it. But I still wanted to reflect on them a bit and call your attention to them. So, I’m just going to repost what I’ve said before–which, yes, means two posts about this book. I like all of this, except the rating–what was I thinking?

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of DistractionThe Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction

by Alan Jacobs

Hardcover, 150 pg.
Oxford University Press, USA, 2011

Read: December 21 – 25, 2015

A while back my teenage son drifted into the room where I was reading, tilting his head to catch the title of the book in my hands. It was that venerable classic How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler and Charles van Doren. “Oh man, he said, “I had to read that in school last year. Maybe I learned something about how to read a book, but after that I never wanted to read a book again.”

Oh, I hear ya, brother! I endured Adler/van Doren for a graduate-level course and thought it was one of the most pointless books I’d ever read. Now, Jacobs finds more profit in the tome than I do, but he’s clearly not a fan.

The book starts with a call to read what you want, reading based on whim, rather than thinking of it as a self-improvement program (which it is, in a way, but it doesn’t have to be followed like one). In fact, Alden, Harold Bloom, etc. turn

reading into the intellectual equivalent of eating organic greens. . . That sort of thing is not reading at all, but what C. S. Lewis once called “social and ethical hygiene.”

Instead, Jacobs calls for people to:

Read what gives you delight–at least most of the time–and so without shame. And even if you are that rare sort of person who is delighted chiefly by what some people call Great Books, don’t make them your steady intellectual diet, any more than you would eat at the most elegant of restaurants every day.

Jacobs is a Professor of the Humanities at Baylor University, and author of many books and articles on books, reading, and authors. He’s one of those guys I’ve seen the name of everywhere, and associated with insight, but if push came to shove, I couldn’t tell you why. But now he’s the professor I wish I had (nothing against most of the early ’90s English department at the University of Idaho, most).

Reading on a whim doesn’t mean you can’t stretch yourself, read above your comfort level, or to better yourself — but you do it because it interests you, because you want to (and when you want to), rather than subjecting yourself to someone’s checklist.

After that, Jacobs moves into trying to understand how reading works, how it captures so many imaginations — and sure, he cites some studies that explain how we take black marks on paper and make them ideas in our head, at some point even the professionals have to stop and say, “it just works.” (but Jacob puts it better).

We also get discussion about the “iron-clad Law of Diminishing Returns” regarding rereading too soon (and yet, why we should reread). An interesting defense of/encouragement of fanfic. I was surprised, quite surprised, at his advocacy for e-Readers — I fully expected him to be solidly Dead Tree Edition Only, whoops — I don’t use my Kindle the way he does, but I can see where it’d work for him (or Nook, either). Why a lot of the doomsayers about the state of reading/publishing are wrong.

But mostly this is advice and guidance for the reader trying to recapture the same joy that he had before (or never had), encouragement for the active reader to keep at it, the person who still can’t get poetry, etc., etc.

I can’t resist another quotation. Towards the end of the book, he talks about the joy of finding a book by Serendipity:

serendipity is the near relation of Whim; each stands against the Plan.

Plan once appealed to me, but I have grown to be a natural worshiper of Serendipity and Whim; I can try to serve other gods, but my heart is never in it. I truly think I would rather read an indifferent book on a lark than a fine one according to schedule and plan.

Charmingly written, full of allusions (that most of us can get even without reading the works), witticisms and research — a book to entertain and edify. This one really speaks to me as a reader — it’s practically a mission statement for this blog. I expect I’ll come back to this one soon (maybe even annually). Still, for this time, I’m rating it 4-Stars, though I expect it’s a 5-Star book. I think it’s because I read it in 2-5 page spurts (one of those weeks, y’know?) after I got to page 70. Which doesn’t do the thing any favors. Towards the end of the book, Jacobs says:

All books want our attention, but not all of them want the same kind of attention.

I didn’t give this the right kind, and I’ll regret that for awhile.

If you like this blog, you’ll dig this book.

—–

Big Thanks to Aman Mittal for pointing me to this book — I haven’t read his take on it in a couple of months, so I don’t know how much we agree, but I know his post made me look for the book.

—–

4 Stars

Books about Books and the People Who Love Them

By

On August 9, 2024

In Books, Miscellany, News/Misc.

Today is National Book Lovers Day (yes, around here, that’s just another way of saying it’s a day that ends in “ay,” except it’s a National thing). I’m not sure that “Lover” is the best way to describe me—buying, reading, and surrounding myself with books is just who I am. “One does not love breathing,” as Miss Jean Louise Finch, said.

Or in the words of Patrick Rothfuss, “I always read. You know how sharks have to keep swimming or they die? I’m like that. If I stop reading, I die.”

Scout and Rothfuss are likely overstating things—or maybe not, but they can give that impression. So maybe it’s safer to call ourselves book lovers, eh?

Anyway, as I said the other day, I’ve been meaning to post something about National Book Lover’s Day for years now, but I’ve never really known what to say. But it occured to me (as I was saying that) that I could put together a handy-dandy list of books that show love to books either about talking about books or those who write, read, sell, or loan them.

This isn’t necessarily a complete list, in fact, I’m sure it’s not. I did a quick survey of the 5200 plus posts I have here) to compile this list in the last two days. But it’s a pretty thorough one—I’ll get this in better shape by next year.

(Probably…Maybe…We’ll see.)

Books about Books and the People Who Love Them

(Links will take you to my post featuring the book.)

NonFiction

Fiction

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Image by Hermann Traub from Pixabay

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs

By

On December 28, 2015

In Non-Fiction

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of DistractionThe Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction

by Alan Jacobs

Hardcover, 150 pg.
Oxford University Press, USA, 2011

Read: December 21 – 25, 2015

A while back my teenage son drifted into the room where I was reading, tilting his head to catch the title of the book in my hands. It was that venerable classic How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler and Charles van Doren. “Oh man, he said, “I had to read that in school last year. Maybe I learned something about how to read a book, but after that I never wanted to read a book again.”

Oh, I hear ya, brother! I endured Adler/van Doren for a graduate-level course and thought it was one of the most pointless books I’d ever read. Now, Jacobs finds more profit in the tome than I do, but he’s clearly not a fan.

The book starts with a call to read what you want, reading based on whim, rather than thinking of it as a self-improvement program (which it is, in a way, but it doesn’t have to be followed like one). In fact, Alden, Harold Bloom, etc. turn

reading into the intellectual equivalent of eating organic greens. . . That sort of thing is not reading at all, but what C. S. Lewis once called “social and ethical hygiene.”

Instead, Jacobs calls for people to:

Read what gives you delight–at least most of the time–and so without shame. And even if you are that rare sort of person who is delighted chiefly by what some people call Great Books, don’t make them your steady intellectual diet, any more than you would eat at the most elegant of restaurants every day.

Jacobs is a Professor of the Humanities at Baylor University, and author of many books and articles on books, reading, and authors. He’s one of those guys I’ve seen the name of everywhere, and associated with insight, but if push came to shove, I couldn’t tell you why. But now he’s the professor I wish I had (nothing against most of the early ’90s English department at the University of Idaho, most).

Reading on a whim doesn’t mean you can’t stretch yourself, read above your comfort level, or to better yourself — but you do it because it interests you, because you want to (and when you want to), rather than subjecting yourself to someone’s checklist.

After that, Jacobs moves into trying to understand how reading works, how it captures so many imaginations — and sure, he cites some studies that explain how we take black marks on paper and make them ideas in our head, at some point even the professionals have to stop and say, “it just works.” (but Jacob puts it better).

We also get discussion about the “iron-clad Law of Diminishing Returns” regarding rereading too soon (and yet, why we should reread). An interesting defense of/encouragement of fanfic. I was surprised, quite surprised, at his advocacy for e-Readers — I fully expected him to be solidly Dead Tree Edition Only, whoops — I don’t use my Kindle the way he does, but I can see where it’d work for him (or Nook, either). Why a lot of the doomsayers about the state of reading/publishing are wrong.

But mostly this is advice and guidance for the reader trying to recapture the same joy that he had before (or never had), encouragement for the active reader to keep at it, the person who still can’t get poetry, etc., etc.

I can’t resist another quotation. Towards the end of the book, he talks about the joy of finding a book by Serendipity:

serendipity is the near relation of Whim; each stands against the Plan.

Plan once appealed to me, but I have grown to be a natural worshiper of Serendipity and Whim; I can try to serve other gods, but my heart is never in it. I truly think I would rather read an indifferent book on a lark than a fine one according to schedule and plan.

Charmingly written, full of allusions (that most of us can get even without reading the works), witticisms and research — a book to entertain and edify. This one really speaks to me as a reader — it’s practically a mission statement for this blog. I expect I’ll come back to this one soon (maybe even annually). Still, for this time, I’m rating it 4-Stars, though I expect it’s a 5-Star book. I think it’s because I read it in 2-5 page spurts (one of those weeks, y’know?) after I got to page 70. Which doesn’t do the thing any favors. Towards the end of the book, Jacobs says:

All books want our attention, but not all of them want the same kind of attention.

I didn’t give this the right kind, and I’ll regret that for awhile.

If you like this blog, you’ll dig this book.

—–

Big Thanks to Aman Mittal for pointing me to this book — I haven’t read his take on it in a couple of months, so I don’t know how much we agree, but I know his post made me look for the book.

—–

4 Stars

Opening Lines – Straight Man

By

On November 6, 2013

In Blog Series, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art–and I love this cover). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I throw it up here. In this selection, we learn everything — practically everything, anyway — we that need to know about our narrator, the next 300+ pages is just filling in the details.
I love this kind of opening.

—–

Truth be told, I’m not an easy man. I can be an entertaining one, though it’s been my experience that most people don’t want to be entertained. They want to be comforted. And, of course, my idea of entertaining might not be yours. I’m in complete agreement with all those people who say, regarding movies, “I just want to be entertained.” This populist position is much derided by my academic colleagues as simpleminded and unsophisticated, evidence of questionable analytical and critical acuity. But I agree with the premise, and I too just want to be entertained. That I am almost never entertained by what entertains other people who just want to be entertained doesn’t make us philosophically incompatible. It just means we shouldn’t go to movies together.
The kind of man I am, according to those who know me best, is exasperating. According to my parents, I was an exasperating child as well. They divorced when I was in junior high school, and they agree on little except that I was an impossible child.

from Straight Man by Richard Russo

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