Let’s Recommend | Books About Books
Let’s recommend some books about books.
This time I’ve decided to get really meta and recommend books that are about, well, books. I’ve included both fiction and non-fiction, so there’s hopefully something for everyone. As always, let’s chat in the comments and share recommendations.
The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell
Packed full of facts about the history of books and recommending some of the best and most unique bookshops throughout the world, Campbell has created something of a bucket list of places to visit worthy of every bookworm’s dreams.
The Book Collector by Alice Thompson
This short novel centres around a woman perplexed by her husband’s strange obsession with a book of fairy tales he keeps locked away in his office. With the air of a fairy tale in its own right, this dark tale explores madness, murder and the position of women in our favourite tales of yesteryear.
Jane, the Fox and Me by Isabelle Arsenault and Fanny Britt
This charming and beautifully illustrated graphic novel follows a young girl who just doesn’t fit in. Bullied by the other girls at school and struggling with her body image, her plight is one that many will be able to relate to. The Jane of the title refers to Jane Eyre, as our young protagonist takes refuge in her latest favourite book, her own story running parallel to that of her fictional heroine.
Gifted by anonymous
Subtitled ‘The Tale of 10 Mysterious Book Sculptures Gifted to the City of Words and Ideas’, this lovely little book is about the real life literary event that delighted Edinburgh a few years ago. Across several months, mysterious paper sculptures crafted from old books were left anonymously in various locations throughout the city, sparking something of a scavenger hunt to see who could find the next one. Each contained a small note and were left at venues the artist believed were of importance, such as libraries and theatres, in a bid to remind us all to appreciate the written word and the creative arts. The artist never came forward to reveal their identity but contributed anonymously to this book about the motivation behind the campaign and each sculpture.
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall
Given the nature of personal taste, it’s very unlikely that you’ll actually want to read all 1001 books contained in here, but it makes for an interesting coffee table book to dip in and out of nonetheless, a handy place to pick up recommendations both well-known and obscure, and a useful reference if you are keen to read what many consider the literary canon. It’s fun to leave this one out for people to flick through and enjoy the smug look on their faces when they come across a book they’ve actually read.
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What are some of your favourite books about books? Let’s chat about them.
