false 2421737 4 In a prolific life of singular literary achievement, Larry McMurtry has succeeded in a variety of genres: in coming-of-age novels like <I>The Last Picture Show</i>; in collections of essays like <I>In a Narrow Grave</i>; and in the reinvention of the Western on a grand scale in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, <I>Lonesome Dove</i>. Now, in <I>Books: A Memoir</i>, McMurtry writes about his endless passion for books: as a boy growing up in a largely "bookless" world; as a young man devouring the vastness of literature with astonishing energy; as a fledgling writer and family man; and above all, as one of America's most prominent bookmen. He takes us on his journey to becoming an astute, adventurous book scout and collector who would eventually open stores of rare and collectible editions in Georgetown, Houston, and finally, in his previously "bookless" hometown of Archer City, Texas.<P>In this work of extraordinary charm, grace, and good humor, McMurtry recounts his life as both a reader and a writer, how the countless books he has read worked to form his literary tastes, while giving us a lively look at the eccentrics who collect, sell, or simply lust after rare volumes. <I>Books: A Memoir </i>is like the best kind of diary -- full of McMurtry's wonderful anecdotes, amazing characters, engaging gossip, and shrewd observations about authors, book people, literature, and the author himself. At once chatty, revealing, and deeply satisfying, Books is, like McMurtry, erudite, life loving, and filled with excellent stories. It is a book to be savored and enjoyed again and again. 2428917 8 7 2008 Books: A Memoir total:272|5:17|4:60|3:109|2:65|1:21| 272 803 570 115 1 2 false false Thu Jul 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 04 05:19:21 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 25 08:21:53 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Jan 30 08:11:48 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 10:19:34 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 08:11:48 -0800 2009 more...]]> 1 2 false false Fri Nov 14 21:29:05 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 14 21:29:41 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Sep 06 18:17:06 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 15 16:50:27 -0700 2008 never guess what this book is about! Okay, fine, it’s about McMurtry’s second career as a bookseller and book scout. The emphasis is really on the minutiae of the bookselling biz—details about McMurtry’s life or his writing are scarce. He skips around a lot, too, both in time and in...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Aug 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 10 16:03:27 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 21 17:36:40 -0700 2008
Books is a memoir that traces McMurtry's life stages through his relationship with books--thousands and thousands of them, those in the library of the university he attended, those in his personal library (upwards of 30,000 volumes) McMurtry...more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Jul 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 11:45:03 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 11:51:08 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat Oct 24 09:42:54 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 09:42:58 -0700 2009
Here is a book about books, by a guy who loves books and has ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 14 02:02:44 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 02:15:11 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 01 07:33:35 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 07:36:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:59:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:59:00 -0800 2009 Despite McMurtry's well-deserved reputation as a writer, including a Pulitzer Prize and more than a handful of best sellers, critics are unsure about his latest effort. They cite it as an uneven volume that glosses over some important characters and anecdotes (or, conversely, delves a bit too much i...

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McMurtry has long been a favorite author of mine, and I had high expectations for this memoir, but it's not really about his writing life. Even more surprisingly, it's not very revealing abo...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Mar 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 05:56:42 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 06:04:30 -0700 2009
This book was written, I believe, before the success of Amazon's Kindle but he stills writes abou...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jun 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 01:06:18 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 14:09:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Nov 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 19:34:20 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 23:39:00 -0800 2009
...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Mar 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 12:45:57 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 04:02:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 16:10:37 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 16:51:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Apr 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 11:49:31 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 11:54:07 -0700 2009
Looking at the other reviews here, it seems those who didn't like it expected it to be something else. Knowing that McMurtry was a bookseller, and knowing a bit about bookselling (not as much as I...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Feb 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 19:58:26 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 04 19:35:39 -0800 2009 Lonesome Dove, I am more willing then some to be indulgent. Mr. McMurtry's passion is book b...more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Nov 18 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 01:32:01 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 03:23:14 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2421737